IMPACT NEWSLETTER
January 2021
President's Message
Thank you to all who supported our 365 Breakfast last week. We are truly grateful for such an amazing community. Be sure to check out the January President's Message by Cindy Morris below.
Thank You for Supporting our 6th Annual 365 Breakfast!
We were so grateful to have been able to hold our annual 365 Breakfast on Thursday, January 7th. While it may have looked different than other years, the mission was still the same - to support Peoria Public Schools students, families and staff! Thank you to all who came through and picked up a curbside breakfast, donated and/or watched our virtual program. 

We are so close to meeting our $50,000 goal - a goal that is vital to keep our programs that support PPS students, families and schools going. If you haven't already - and are able to - please donate to our 365 Breakfast Fund HERE by selecting "365 Fund" from the drop down menu. Your donation truly makes an impact. Thank you so much!  
Meet our Newest Board Member, Alex Elger!
The PPS Foundation is excited to introduce Alex Alger as our newest member of our Board of Directors.

Alex was born and raised in Peoria. He attended St. Philomena, Father Sweeny Elementary School, Washington Gifted Middle School and was a graduate of the IB Program at Richwoods High School. He graduated from Loyola University in Chicago with a degree in finance and has his Masters of Financial Services from American College. He works as a financial advisor providing investment advice and retirement planning at Wells Fargo. For the last four years, he has been the treasurer for St. Phil’s Athletic Committee. Alex is the current basketball, soccer, track and Biddy Basketball coach at St. Philomena. He is also a former head coach for the PND girls varsity basketball team. Alex and his wife, Megan, have two daughters – 3 year old Ashlynn and 1 year old Aiden.

Alex will have a board focus on our financials, and we are looking forward to working with him. Welcome to the Peoria Public Schools Foundation, Alex!

Check Out Buzz Chats: a PPS Foundation Video Series!
Every month we will be connecting with different members of our community to talk about our public schools and how they interact with current events in Peoria.

On December 31st, we caught up with PPS Director of Communications and Community Engagement, Thomas Bruch. Check out the video below!

Also, please join us for a special Buzz Chats on Thursday, January 21st at 6:30 PM. Cindy will be chatting with New York Times bestselling author Marc Eliot. Mr. Eliot has spoken with PPS students in the past and has been involved with the Peoria Riverfront Museum. You won't want to miss this chat!
Buzz Chats with Thomas Bruch from December 31st
Another Way to Support the PPS Foundation
As we are rolling into the holidays, little gifts can be a big hit. For a $25 donation, you can gift a set of note cards to family and friends to show them how much they are appreciated. Each set contains six note cards (plus envelopes) with exclusive artwork created by a PPS student. We currently have five different sets of note cards available.
Hy-Vee on Sheridan:
an Amazing Partner and Supporter!
One of the big challenges our community is facing during this time is making sure families in need have enough food to eat. The PPS Foundation would like to send a HUGE thank you to Hy-Vee on Sheridan for working with us to provide food and grocery deliveries to PPS families most at risk. We are truly in awe at the amount of support they have provided. Thank you for being so wonderful to work with, Hy-Vee!
PPS Foundation's Board of Directors:
Andre Allen, Ruth Bittner, Solivian Dismuke, Maarten de Haas, Alex Elger
Scott McCord, Daniel Musisi, Cheryl Sanfilip, and Cathy Wiggers

PPS Foundation's Staff:
Cindy Morris (President), Jen Adler (Administrative Director),
Sarah Oakford (Adopt-A-School Coordinator), Trish O'Shaughnessy (Director, Community Engagement & Horizons Program), Allison Coulter (Horizons), and Ella Dancey (Horizons)