Heart of Illinois Community Foundation

10/05/2026

Macon County African American Heritage Trail marker dedication at Millikin University on October 3.

Three Link Media

10/05/2026

10/05/2026

We hope you’ll make plans to join us this Saturday, October 10, for the Macon County Big Read kickoff at the Decatur Public Library-Illinois!

Stop by anytime from 1–3 p.m. to pick up your FREE copy of A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, grab a FREE Big Read T-shirt, and enjoy an afternoon of conversation and connection with our community.

Come be part of a community-wide reading experience as we explore this powerful story together.

Saturday, October 10
1–3 p.m.
Decatur Public Library
Visit bigreadmaconcounty.org for more details.

Free and open to everyone. We hope to see you there!

October 5, 2026 - Natalie Beck of the Heart of Illinois Community Foundation, Julia Livingston, and Gina Taylo...

10/04/2026

Yesterday, we were honored to unveil the fourth marker on the African American Heritage Trail at Millikin University during Homecoming 2026!

This marker was researched by Mark Sorensen and Amanda Pippitt and designed by Three Link Media.

At the special ceremony, we were honored to hear from Untold Stories Committee Chair Julia Livingston, Millikin University Alumna and Trustee Emerita Dr. Jennifer Friday, MU President Dr. Dean Pribbenow, and HICF Trustee and Class of 1995 alumnus Cordell Ingram.

It was a beautiful day to be on campus, come together, and celebrate a shared legacy.

We’ll be uploading the entire photo album tomorrow. 📸 Photos by Hans On Photography.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this special day possible! Go Big Blue 💙

10/04/2026

Approximately a dozen African Americans affiliated with the college are recognized on the marker, which was unveiled during a ceremony Saturday morning in front of the University Commons. ⤵️ Find a link to the story in the comments.

10/03/2026

We hope you’ll join us for today’s historical marker dedication at 9:30 am at the Millikin University Commons.

10/02/2026

Deep gratitude to all who volunteered and gave donations today to support the WSOY Food Drive.

And congratulations to this year’s top schools.
1. St. Teresa High School $6,500 prize
2. St. Patrick’s Grade School $4,000 prize
3. Mt. Zion High School $2,500 prize
4. Eisenhower High School $2,000 prize
5. Maroa-Forsyth $1,250 prize

We look forward to celebrating with you at the awards presentation.

10/02/2026

💙💙💙

Thanks to the Heart of Illinois Community Foundation, we’ve increased the prize money for the winning schools in the WSOY Food Drive!

1st Place — $6,500
2nd Place — $4,000
3rd Place — $2,500
4th Place — $2,000
5th Place — $1,250

That means even MORE money going directly back to our local schools!

10/02/2026

Another That's What She Said podcast as live and this one features Heart of Illinois 2026 TWSS speaker Terri Wigginton. 💙

FRIDAY! We made it to the end of the week and as promised we have Terri Wigginton of That's What She Said Heart of Illinois with us on The She Said Project Podcast to talk about the story she shared on stage, "Leap of Faith."

Stream now for free with the WCIA 3+ app https://www.wcia.com/wcia-plus/ and watch on your Roku, Amazon Fire Stick or Apple TV devices