Rachel Gartner

15/07/2026

I can feel the momentum starting to build! We're registering new and returning nonprofits all of the time! It's really exciting! If you work with or know a southern Illinois nonprofit who would like to join one of the largest fundraising efforts in the region, please take a moment to check us out! Give SI or at www.givesi.org

We're excited by the growing list of GiveSI 2026 participants! Things are starting to ramp up with workshops and on-site videos! Don't miss your chance to sign up for this year's campaign! You can register at www.GiveSI.org

Thank you for joining GiveSI!
Specialized Equine Services
Carbondale Warming Center
Artstarts
Hope Haven of Southern Illinois
Shining Light Animal Rescue - Southern Illinois
Gum Drop Kids
Southern Illinois Veterans Foundation
Kamp Kan
CASA of Southeastern Illinois
Southern Illinois Food Pantry Network
Save Them All Animal Rescue
Down the Leash Service Dogs
United Way of Southern Illinois
Specialized Training for Adult Rehabilitation
Helpers United
This Able Veteran
Vets & Pets of Southern Illinois

10/07/2026

What a great time for such a wonderful cause! The look on these little faces says it all.
Thank you to everyone who participated in yesterday’s Read SI and Dolly Parton's Imagination Library birthday party. Everyone was so eager to pitch in… that includes members of the ReadSI committee, Mary and Nicole at the Anne West Lindsey District Library and John A. Logan College!
🚒 🚓 A BIG thank you to the Carterville Fire Department and Carterville, IL Police Department for bringing out your gear and sweating it out for the kiddos!
📖 Big thanks to southern Illinois’s favorite storyteller and my friend, Mark Kiesling, for reading to the kiddos.
🍪 Oh! And I’d better not leave out the pink iced deliciousness provided by Larry's House of Cakes!!
💕 I know that I’m inadvertently leaving out partners, but just let me say, when it’s hard to give everyone a shout out - you just put that checkmark in the W column.
🗞️ 📺 Oh! And thank you to all of my media friends for stopping by!
🦋 A great day for a heartwarming and worthy cause… I’m glad I got to lend a hand. Anyway, a morning spent with my colleague Matthew Nation at the library and getting to take really fun pictures of Dolly, can’t really be considered work.❤️

08/07/2026

Well this was fun! Honestly, Dolly brought the party! (Yes, we take the life-size cutout with us everywhere!) Thank you April and Today's Hit Music 101.5 CIL-FM for having Read SI on the breakfast show! We were there representing a group of more than 20 organizations and people who work to build and support Read SI in southern Illinois.

Of course we were there to talk about tomorrow's big Birthday Party! We're celebrating the 2nd Anniversary of the partnership between Read SI and Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. We're cashing in those happy checks - and 200,000 books to little learners across southern Illinois is certainly worth celebrating! Please load up your kiddos and join us tomorrow from 10-Noon at the Anne West Lindsey District Library for cookies, story time with Mark Kiesling and meet and greet with Carterville Fire Department and Carterville, IL Police Department.

See you there!

01/07/2026

Its always a great day when I get to work in Benton! First stop was the Rotary Club of Benton, IL to share the SICF mission. I also accepted a check on behalf of Read SI and the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, from the Rotary, to support little learners in Franklin County. Thank you, members, for your generosity!
After leaving Rotary, I went up the road to get pictured with another cutout. LOL This time, it was Jake at State Farm, while I visited with my friend Pam about Give SI. Busy BUSY day... but the best kind, working with my friends in Franklin County.

For our last meeting before our 2 month summer break, we invited Rachel Gartner ( Director of Community Development) and Tammy Gwaltney ( specializes in nonprofit management, leadership and development) explain to the members about the
Southern Illinois Community Foundation, which covers the lower 17 Illinois counties. Rhonda Gilbreath( Rotary Treasurer) and Rotary President Jesse Hinds presented a check for $800 to help the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, where 50 Franklin County children will have books sent to them . Each month, an age appropriate book will be sent to these children free of charge, up to their 5th birthday.

23/06/2026

It's a significant milestone for Read SI and our regoin! Help us celebrate the two year partnership of Read SI and the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library - and the more than 200,000 books mailed to little learners across southern Illinois!

Ohhh, I can't wait for the kids to see our fun photo props! 📚💟🦋

We will be there. Join the fun!!!

17/06/2026

There's 💪 in knowledge! That's why we're holding these workshops! This is for our nonprofits out there... an introduction to social media and Canva. I'm breaking it down and making it DIY style! So, mark your calendar for noon on June 26th! Bring your laptop, your cell phones and get ready to create some authentic and creative content for your social media feed!

GiveSI 2026 wants your nonprofit to be successful before, during and after the campaign! That's why our first workshop is based on basic DIY marketing, simplifying the process and an introduction to Canva. Please be sure to have an active Canva account before you attend this course. You'll want to b...

15/06/2026

Creative posing at its finest! 😂 When you and your coworker dress incredibly similarly, want to capture the coincidence but then she drizzles lunch on her chest! Can’t take her anywhere!! 😉. 💙 you, Tammy!!

On a side note, I think we’re deep enough into summer to break these “puppies” out!! They are clearly CICADAS and clearly fantastic! They were a gift from Meteorologist Garrett Hamilton of his favorite critter on the entire planet!! 😂 Sure miss chasing you with shells, buddy! 💙

11/06/2026

Well that was a new experience! Last night, the powers that be allowed this gal from Mulkeytown to co-emcee opening night at Miss Illinois with the 2021 titleholder Isabelle Hanson. Thanks to my good friend Evie Allen for the pep talk, and my other good friend Gretchen Deaton for the stage makeover… I survived!! I leaned hard on Izzy - who was a fantastic and always poised partner at the podium.
The Miss Illinois world isn’t one that I’ve been privy to prior to this, and they were an outstanding group to work with. See, behind the scenes, Southern Illinois Community Foundation works with the Miss Illinois Scholarship program. That’s how I wound up on stage. I was nervous with no experience in this particular arena, but these ladies were warm, welcoming, encouraging and kind. These are genuinely women we should be cheering for. And all happening right in our backyard, at the Marion Cultural and Civic Center.
Thank you again for allowing me to participate. 💙 It was an absolute pleasure to be a part of this year’s event, and maybe, just maybe they’ll let Mulkeytown represent again next year. 😉

10/06/2026

As most everyone knows, I've inherited the helm of the Give SI campaign in my role with SICF. It's exciting (and admittedly a little intimidating), but a perfect opportunity to do exactly what I signed on for - communtiy impact based in action. And there's definately plenty of action with Give SI this year!
Right now, we're in the registration and training phase. The campaign isn't only about fundraising, but it's also about providing nonprofit leaders with the skills to market, promote and fundraise with success - year round. With a new GIVE SI Southern Illinois Community Day of Giving on October 9th this year - we wanted to get the ball rolling early. Two weeks ago we held our first sessions, which were an introduction to this year's GIVE SI and discussion surrounding all of the new ideas this year. I know not all of our nonprofits and organizers were able to attend the meeting. That needed to be addressed... Now you've got access to the entire presentation. This is a mildly convinced version, but it's all there. If you know of a nonprofit in the lower southern 17 of Illinois (501c3), who might want to be a part of Give SI, please tag them in this post. They'll get all of the information they need to decide if they'd like to proceed.
You can always reach out to me with any questions. Otherwise, once you've checked out the video below, visit GIVESI.org to register! It's going to be a great year!

The GIVESI 2026 campaign is now open for registration! If you could...

08/05/2026

Wanna talk about fringe benefits… getting to have the ear of a state official at a work event - while also getting to see such sweet friends. ❤️