President's Message from Cindy Morris
The Principal Experience
On the morning of September 19th, leaders from our community had a unique opportunity to spend a few hours shadowing a Peoria Public School principal to see their day-to-day school operations. This PPS Foundation organized experience allowed them to build relationships with principals and other administrators in our schools and experience first-hand what it’s like to be a PPS school principal.

  • Dr. Bernice Gordon-Young, Peoria City Council At-Large Member, shadowed Manual High School Principal, Devon Hawks.

  • Dr. Chris Reynolds, Bradley University’s Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, was at Peoria High School to shadow Principal Shaun McGinnes.

  • Lori Dawson, Surgical Coordinator for Soderstrom Skin Institute, spent her time with Principal Mick Swanson at Harold B Dawson Middle School

  • Chris McCall, Attorney at McCall Law Firm, shadowed Mark Bills Middle School's principal Tyler Hesh.

Thank you so much to these community leaders who spent their morning in our schools. We are excited to have another Principal Experience in May 2024!
Career Exploration in Peoria Public Schools
Thank you so much to all who participated as a SIP Day virtual speaker. This partnership with PPS allows us to reach thousands of students across the district with a diverse range of career stories. We are so grateful to our community partners for sharing their careers with our students.

Horizons Club in person speakers are underway. We still have several dates open and are looking for community support in filling these spaces. Check out the link below to find a time that will work for you.
Classroom Grant Project Highlight!
We are excited to highlight Valeska Hinton Early Childhood Education Center and Central Illinois Monarch Task Force's recent project to raise and release more than 600 monarch butterflies in Peoria!

Valeska teacher, Mary Keltner, spearheaded this project with funds she received last school year from the PPS Foundation and CFCI's Classroom Grant program. During this unit of study, Valeska students, who are between the ages of three to five, became citizen scientists to learn about the life cycle of the Monarch butterfly, how to care for them, and their impact on our world by pollinating plants. Great job to Mrs. Keltner and all of her students. We love to see projects like this in action!
Congrats to our October Hero, Carla Eman! Carla has been a long-time employee of Peoria Public Schools and has worked with the PPS Foundation as our secondary checking account signer since 2010. Carla's commitment to the PPS Foundation extends beyond her official role though. She's been an incredible supporter and volunteer, always ready to assist with any questions or administrative needs.

Working with Carla has been truly great over the years. She may not seek the limelight, but her unwavering loyalty and dedication to Peoria Public Schools is the reason she is our October Hero of the Month. Congratulations, Carla, and we wish you all the best as you approach your well-deserved retirement!
Community Needs Grant - Thank You to CFCI!
We are excited to share that the Community Foundation of Central Illinois (CFCI) has granted us a 2023 Community Needs Grant in support of our Horizons Club program! These funds will be dedicated to facilitating field experiences for our students, a pivotal aspect of career exploration for our club members in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades.

As the Horizons Club enters its 10th year, it continues to impact over 800 students from all PPS middle schools. We extend our sincere gratitude to CFCI for their unwavering support of this program, as their funding enables us to make these invaluable field trips a reality.
PPS Foundation Board Member, Alyce Jackson
We recently had the chance to talk with Alyce Jackson, our newest addition to our PPS Foundation's Board of Directors. Alyce lives in Peoria with her husband and two daughters. One of her daughters recently graduated from Richwoods High School and is now studying at SIUE, while the other is a junior at Richwoods. Alyce has been actively involved in all the PTOs at her daughters' schools and has served on various Peoria Public Schools committees, including the Balanced Calendar and Strategic Planning. Alyce works at the Peoria Public Library as the Manager of Programming.

Hi Alyce, thank you so much for chatting today! Can you tell us your favorite thing about the Peoria area?

I love that it has a small-town feel but still some of the perks of a larger area. A friend once said you can get anywhere in 15 minutes, and I really appreciate that after visiting the DC area last weekend!

Agree! It is so nice to being able to get anywhere in the city in a relatively short amount of time. What do you like to do on the weekends?

It depends on the time of year, but I'd say track meets, yardwork, and some relaxing :)

If you could only have three apps on your smartphone, which ones would you pick?

My Google calendar because it keeps me (mostly) on track, Facebook for catching up on what's going on with friends and family and Audible for my books. 

If you could snap your fingers and immediately learn to do anything, what would it be?

I would love to be fluent in Spanish!

And lastly, what’s something you saw recently that made you smile?

My girls (16 and almost 19) laughing and goofing around together. 

Thank you again, Alyce, for chatting. We truly appreciate all you do for our community and the PPS Foundation!
Check out Buzz Chats - our Live Video Series!
We are so excited for this school year's season of Buzz Chats! Each monthly episode will feature a chat with a PPS alum and Cindy (a 1985 Woodruff grad herself!) and can be viewed live on our Facebook page at 5 PM on the 2nd Thursday of the month.

Missed our last episode with 1987 Woodruff High School grad, Dr. Leah Grebner, and 2007 Richwoods grad, Kimberly McGhee? No problem - you can view it HERE on our Facebook page at any time!
WE TAKE ONLINE DONATIONS!
Click the picture below to donate.
PPS Foundation 2023-2024 Important Dates
Tuesday, August 1 — PPS Foundation & CFCI Classroom Grant Applications Available
Tuesday, September 19 — Principal Experience
Sunday, October 1 — PPS Foundation & CFCI Classroom Grant Applications Due
Wednesday, November 1 — PPS Foundation Scholarship Applications Available
Thursday, January 11 — 9th Annual PPS Foundation 365 Breakfast
Saturday, February 3 — 6th Annual Peoria Schoolhouse Open
Friday, March 1 — PPS Foundation Scholarship Applications Due
Wednesday, April 17 — Deirdre Purcell Collins Math Reception at 6:30 PM at TBD
Tuesday, May 7 — Principal Experience
Monday, June 24— 27th Annual Golf Outing at the Country Club of Peoria
PPS Foundation's Board of Directors:
Andre Allen, Beth Crider, Solivian Dismuke, Maarten de Haas, Alex Elger, Alyce Jackson, Kim McGhee, Cheryl Sanfilip, and Doug Shaw

Ex Officio Board Members:
Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat (PPS Superintendent) and Mike Murphy (PPS Board of Education)

PPS Foundation's Staff:
Cindy Morris - President
Trish O'Shaughnessy - Director of Programs
Jen Adler - Administrative Director
Matt Violet - Data and Programming Logistics Coordinator
Annalee Anderson - Career Tech Advocate
Olivia Smith - Career Tech Advocate
Tessa Little - Career Tech Advocate
Isabella Turner - Career Tech Advocate
Cassie Robbins - Career Tech Advocate
Allison Coulter - PPS Foundation Ambassador
Ailani Lee - PPS Foundation Student Intern