Message from the Executive Director

“A Mighty Oak Tree from an Acorn Grows”

What a wonderful and enduring image of the power of patience and fortitude. The Illini Community Health Care Foundation chose the oak leaf and acorn as their logo to demonstrate their commitment to ensuring that the Foundation remain viable to serve the health needs of Pike County residents for generations to come.

As the turn of events led Illini Community Hospital and Illini Pharmacy to be purchased by BlessingCare Corporation of Quincy, the Foundation’s founding Board of Directors had the wisdom and foresight to recognize the profound need for an entity that could apply grant funding to the unmet healthcare needs in Pike County. Thus in January of 2003 ICHCF was chartered with the mission of striving to financially support health care initiatives, services, educational programs and collaborations that bring a greater health and sense of wellness to residents of Pike County, or those coming to Pike County to receive health services.

In the many months since that January we have accomplished much – from the endless, but necessary, tasks of establishing a charitable foundation - to making significant decisions about how we can best serve our mission and the individuals and families we ultimately hope to aid. Most notably during this time was our $100,000 gift toward Illini Community Hospital’s Capital Campaign. In spring of 2004, the Foundation Board sought to take Illini’s Capital Campaign over the $1 million mark, which they accomplished by pledging an additional $100,000 to be awarded over a 5-year period. Not only did this gift make ICHCF the single largest contributor to the campaign, it punctuated the Foundation’s deep desire to see that a health care facility the caliber of Illini Hospital remain open for service, offering the most state-of-the-art medical services available.

We derive the funds we use for grantmaking from interest generated from the Foundation’s assets. Our goal is to preserve and protect the principal so that generations of individuals may benefit from the Foundation, while simultaneously generating significant income to fund our grantmaking programs. In order to do this we must invest wisely – taking advantage of a strong market when possible and limiting our exposure during volatile markets. After a thorough evaluation of ICHCF’s unique income needs, our Board of Directors chose Farmer State Bank’s (FSB) Trust Department as Investment Manager. FSB brought a resourceful approach to us by partnering with Main Street Trust of Champaign, thus leveraging Main Street’s foundation expertise with Farmer State’s emphasis on accessibility, service orientation and commitment to Pike County.

While much has been accomplished in the preceding months, it is just a precursor to the vision that ICHCF foresees. We see the following as critical in the Foundation’s actualization:

• In addition to our regular grant-funding program, implement an Immediate Response Grant program, which gives the Foundation the ability to fund initiatives up to $3500 at any time throughout the year.
  
  
• Perform a countywide health assessment of individual and community health needs. This will serve as a baseline for identifying and understanding potential gaps in current health services/programs and a greater understanding of unmet healthcare needs.
  
  
• Identify existing grant funding resources to supplement the funding ICHCF awards to grant recipients. We will seek to work with existing NFP’s in Pike County by apprising them of other viable grant funding opportunities.

We believe that the seeds we plant in Pike County, Illinois today have the ability to flourish into services, initiatives and a quality of life that are of lasting benefit. I look forward to working with our dedicated Board of Directors and with others in Pike County seeking to expand upon the heritage of health our communities have to offer – toward ensuring that Illini Community Health Care Foundation helps make Pike County, a healthier place to live.

Patricia M. McIntosh
Executive Director