Voices
Children's Home Mision
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- Published on Thursday, 01 March 2012 16:53
- Written by Paul Gordon
to support high-risk youth and homeless kids
It isn't easy being the chief support system to more than 1,000 children, making sure they have a place to sleep, food in their bellies and opportunities to learn.
Children's Home of Peoria has been doing that and more for almost a century and a half and its services are needed now as much as ever. But like anything else, it takes...
A Natural Fit
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- Published on Thursday, 01 March 2012 16:28
- Written by Paul Gordon
Bonnie Noble's vision for Peoria Parks and Recreation brings stability with top programming, staff.
When she was in school in River Forest, a Chicago suburb, Bonnie Noble found that the field trips she enjoyed most were simple nature walks.
"I loved learning different things about different trees and other parts of nature in our parks there. I guess since then, all I ever...
After the Storm
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- Published on Thursday, 01 March 2012 15:59
- Written by Kevin Kizer
A city on the grow
Who bridged the streams, subdued the soil and founded a state - plaque on the "The Pioneers" in Elmwood Central Park.
If you go to Central Park in the center square of Elmwood and stand before the statue entitled "The Pioneers" you're immediately struck by two things. First, the delicate fluidity and exquisite rendering of Western pioneers created by native son and noted sculptor...
The Mid-Western Way
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- Published on Thursday, 01 March 2012 16:19
- Written by Paul Gordon
Jim McConoughey energized by the values he has found in his adopted community
To hear him tell it, Jim McConoughey's move to Peoria more than a decade ago could read like a love story.
"We found each other," he said recently when explaining how the dynamics of his job as CEO of the Heartland Partnership helped him to finally realize he could merge his development talents with a desire to serve the public.
A Two-Way Street
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- Published on Thursday, 01 March 2012 15:53
- Written by Paul Gordon
Carl Cannon strives to make respect 'the new cool'
He's loud and boisterous. He gets heard. He's also charming and kind to most, scary and firm when needed. People respond to him.
He's intelligent and knowledgeable. People listen to him, respect him.
Carl Cannon's mission in life is to get kids to stay in school and on the straight and narrow, to keep them from life-damning mistakes. He's getting...
Peoria's Surprising Architecture: Part Three
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- Published on Thursday, 01 March 2012 16:08
- Written by Dr. Peter J. Couri
Upcoming issues of The Peorian will feature walking tours of some of Peoria's more interesting areas. This issue is the third of three parts about Downtown Peoria.
In the last issue, we featured nine buildings that have made up Peoria's past. Our walking tour of Downtown Peoria continues this month from the Hotel Pere Marquette, walk down Madison to the end of the same block to find...
18. Sacred...
Retirement? What's That?
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- Published on Thursday, 01 March 2012 15:48
- Written by Paul Gordon
Glen Barton's post-Caterpillar 'career' is helping improve education in Peoria, grow new businesses
Some days Glen Barton isn't sure he is retired, even though that's what they called it when he left Caterpillar Inc. in 2004 after five years as the company's chairman and CEO.
He keeps finding things to do with his time, some of it what he seeks out and some of it what others ask him to do. But the bottom line...
