ReAnne Palmer – RLC Public Information 

INA, Ill.  – The Rend Lake College Foundation spent part of last week celebrating faculty and staff by awarding new We Are Warriors grants and recognizing those who go above and beyond with giving back to the college and RLC students. RLCF Board of Directors Chariman Brad Gesell and Director Mary Ellen Aiken, a former part-time RLC instructor, were on hand to personally congratulate and thank each faculty and staff member.

In total, the RLC Foundation gave away 10 grants totaling $10,550, which was solely generated by RLC employee donations and the Foundation. Each grant will go toward upgrading or purchasing new equipment, or professional development expenses.

WE ARE WARRIORS GRANT: The We Are Warriors grant recipients are, SECOND FROM LEFT, Chris Sink, Computer Networking / Wireless Professor; Margo Wagner, Director of Community and Corporate Education; Chris Edwards, Computer Networking Instructor; Barb Hampton, Associate Professor of Developmental Reading / English; Greg Hollmann, Associate Professor of Physical Sciences; Cindy Caldwell, Mathematics Professor; Tyler O’Daniel, Director of the Rec; Tracey Webb, Theatre Professor; Pete Wilce, Welding Associate Professor; and Mike Meinert, Welding Instructor. Also pictured is Brad Gesell, RLCF Board of Directors Chairman, LEFT, and Mary Ellen Aiken, RLCF Board of Directors Member, RIGHT.
(ReAnne Palmer / RLC Public Information)

The RLC Foundation also spent some time thanking individual faculty and staff for continuously giving back to the college and its students. Forty-one people were recognized for donating for 10 to 20 years. Another five were honored for more than 20 years of giving.

“It’s wonderful that we have so many employees who give back – not only of their expertise and time, but also their financial gifts. I think it sends a very powerful message to our constituents and our community that our faculty and staff know Rend Lake College better than anyone, and they believe so strongly in our mission that they too are generously making personal investments in our institution” said Kay Zibby-Damron, RLC Foundation CEO. “Our employees are already giving 100 percent in the classroom and in their departments, but to turn around and give back with charitable donations is a testament to me that RLC is much more than just their workplace.”

She continued, “When we talk about giving for 10 and over 20 years – that kind of longevity shows a dedication and commitment like none other. We often say the words, ‘above and beyond,’ but that doesn’t come close to describing it. It speaks to their passion for education and for our students.”

Zibby-Damron said there are over 100 RLC faculty and staff who are making annual donations to the RLC Foundation – further evidence that the college is more than just a workplace.

“The culture of Rend Lake College is very much about pride. People are very proud of what they do. It’s also a culture of generosity and philanthropy,” said Zibby-Damron. “Our employees don’t have to do any of this. They have a choice when it comes to their charitable dollars, but they believe in our mission and they value how the Foundation benefits the college, particularly through the number of students we’re able to help through scholarships. The Foundation is so appreciative for their level of commitment. They are truly our rock stars.”

OVER 20 YEARS OF GIVING:  Five faculty and staff were honored for making regular donations to the RLC Foundation for over 20 years each. They are Lynda Lanningham, THIRD FROM LEFT, Mathematics Professor with 25 years of giving; Tim Wills, CENTER, Health and Physical Education Professor with 24 years of giving; Jean Huie, THIRD FROM RIGHT, Executive Assistant to the Vice President of Academic Instruction with 25 years of giving; and Angie Kistner, SECOND FROM RIGHT, Vice President of Finance and Administration with 26 years of giving. Not pictured is Cathi Jackson, CCR&R Subsidized Child Care Specialist with 22 years of giving. They are all pictured with Gesell, LEFT; Kay Zibby-Damron, RLC Foundation CEO, SECOND FROM LEFT; and Aiken, RIGHT.  (ReAnne Palmer / RLC Public Information)

10 TO 20 YEARS OF GIVING
Forty-one individuals were honored for giving between 10 and 20 years to the RLC Foundation. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
(ReAnne Palmer / RLC Public Information)

• Elizabeth Bailey-Smith, Speech Associate Professor with 14 years
• Heather Bauersachs, Murphy-Wall Campus Coordinator with 13 years
• Sarah Bilderbeck, Office Systems Technology Associate Professor with 13 years
• Summer Braden, Records Specialist with 14 years
• Tranae Brockhouse, CCR&R Director with 13 years
• Kathryn Byars, CCR&R Subsidized Child Care Specialist with 13 years
• Cindy Caldwell, Mathematics Professor with 19 years
• Shari Carpenter, Computer Science Professor with 13 years
• Chad Copple, Dean of Communications & Marketing with 14 years
• Kathy Craig, Agriculture Associate Professor with 13 years
• Susan Cunninham, Title III Activity Director with 12 years
• Peggy Davis, English Literature Professor with 13 years
• Kelly Downes, Director of Student Records with 13 years
• Joe Ervin, English Associate Professor with 11 years
• Kelly Eubanks, Custodian with 13 years
• Trinda Heitmeyer, CCR&R Data and Technology Specialist with 13 years
• Greg Hollmann, Physical Sciences Associate Professor with 11 years
• Cary Hottes, CCR&R Professional Development Specialist with 18 years
• Jena Jensik, Director of Academic Advisement with 15 years
• Beth Mandrell, Reference Librarian with 19 years
• Stephanie McKinney, former CCR&R Subsidized Child Care Specialist with 19 years
• Daphne Mitchell, Cosmetology Associate Professor with 17 years
• Julie Oxford, Administrative Assistant with 13 years
• Shannon Perkins, Automotive Technology Professor with 12 years
• Lisa Price, Vice President of Student Services with 18 years
• Carrie Ragan, Biology and Anatomy & Physiology Associate Professor with 13 years
• Lori Ragland, Vice President of Instruction with 19 years
• Cheri Rushing, Director of Financial Aid with 13 years
• Vickie Schulte, Director of Enrollment Services with 12 years
• Kristina Shelton, Perkins Coordinator with 11 years
• Roy Simpkins, Custodian with 13 years
• Beth Stevens, Testing and Placement Specialist with 13 years
• Rodney Summers, Maintenance Technician with 16 years
• Nigel Thompson, Automotive Technology Professor with 12 years
• Deidra Traylor, TRIO / Upward Bound Student Advisor with 12 years
• Arvella Waugh, Administrative Assistant with 12 years
• Tracey Webb, Theatre Professor with 12 years
• Sandra West, Technical Services & Collection Coordinator with 13 years
• Kevin Weston, retired Architectural Technology Professor with 12 years
• Marcia Whitehead, TRIO Program Specialist with 14 years
• Terry Wilkerson, RLC President with 11 years

Benton, Ill. – Be a fan of brrr-avery! Support the Special Olympics athletes of Illinois by jumping into the waters of Rend Lake on Saturday, March 3 for the 2018 Rend Lake Polar Plunge. The funds raised from the Law Enforcement Torch Run Polar Plunge^® will benefit the athletes of Special Olympics Illinois. Check-in for the plunge begins at 10:00 a.m. located at 12220 Rend City Road Benton, IL.

All Polar Plungers are required to collect a minimum of $100 in donations. People are encouraged to come in costume and to form teams. A team must consist of a minimum of five plungers.  Each team member must also raise the minimum of $100 in donations; all team members’ individual fundraising totals will be merged to form a combined team total.

Plungers will receive incentive prizes based on the amount of money they raise. By raising the minimum of $100, you will receive an official Plunge hooded sweatshirt. Sweatshirts will be available on a first come, first serve basis the day of the plunge. All individuals who do not receive a sweatshirt the day of the event will have one mailed to them in April. Other prizes are awarded at the $250, $500 and $1,000 levels and will be mailed to participants in April.

Plungers can register for the Plunge at www.plungeillinois.com or by contacting Rhonda Knight at 618-383- 4400. Plungers are invited to join the conversation and share who they will #PlungeWith on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

This is the 19^th year of the LETR Polar Plunge. In 19 years, more than 66,000 plungers have raised more than $18.4 million. GEICO, RIU Hotels & Resorts, and Apple Vacations are proud to be the Statewide Presenting Polar Plunge Sponsors. This year’s Gold-Level Sponsors are WIthers Broadcasting/Dana Communications, WISH, WMIX, WDML WQRL, Southern Illinoisan, and WSIL TV3. This year’s Silver-Level Sponsors are Heartland Coca-Cola and Litton Ambulance. Thank you to all our 2018 Law Enforcement Torch Run Polar Plunge Sponsors.

About Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics

The Law Enforcement Torch Run^® is the single largest year-round fundraising vehicle benefiting Special Olympics Illinois. The annual intrastate relay and its various fundraising projects have two goals: to raise money and to gain awareness for the athletes who participate in Special Olympics Illinois.

About Special Olympics Illinois

Special Olympics Illinois is a not-for-profit organization offering year-round training and competition in 18 sports for more than 23,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities and nearly 20,000 Young Athletes ages 2-7 with and without intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics transforms the lives of people with intellectual disabilities, allowing them to realize their full potential in sports and in life. Special Olympics programs enhance physical fitness, motor skills, self-confidence, social skills and encourage family and community support. If you are interested in learning more about Special Olympics Illinois, volunteering or providing financial support to help make Special Olympics programs possible, contact your local Special Olympics agency, call 800-394-0562 or visit our website at www.soill.org. Follow Special Olympics Illinois on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Nadine Lacy and her daughter Nancy stand in front of their new home. (Source: Brittany Jacob/KFVS)

ELKVILLE, IL –  Wednesday will mark the one year anniversary of the devastating tornadoes that hit the Heartland region.

Many families lost their homes, their memories and even some of their loved ones. Despite the hardships the tornado brought, 80 year-old-survivor, Nadine Lacy, is holding up.

It was just one year ago when the city of Elkville witnessed one the most devastating tornadoes it had ever seen.

Please click on the link below for the story and video from Brittany Jacob and Carly O’ Keefe from KFVS-TV.

http://www.kfvs12.com/story/37551159/80-year-old-elkville-tornado-survivor-recounts-one-year-ago

WSIL image

BENTON – Water will be a bit more expensive for hundreds of thousands of people in southern Illinois.

The Rend Lake Conservancy District board passed a 2.5 percent rate hike Monday morning.

Rend Lake Conservancy District General Manager Keith Thomason said the increase gives the district flexibility down the road to complete repairs.

“The Rend Lake Conservancy District is attempting to make these repairs and never have a significant rate increase, which means we have to look into the future and that we will not ever go cash negative,” Thomason said. “We’re going to pay as we go and we are not going to take big debt which then burdens our children in the future years to pay that debt for us.”

Please click on the link for the full story from Joe Ragusa of WSIL-TV

http://www.wsiltv.com/story/37596447/rlcd-board-passed-25-percent-water-rate-hike

By ReAnne Palmer, Rend Lake College Public Information 

INA, IL – Thanks to the donation and dedication of one former Rend Lake College employee, the interior of the college’s Learning Resource Center (LRC) received a much-needed upgrade over holiday break. Andrea Witthoft, retired Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness, saw the need to improve the aesthetics and environment of the facility, and decided to help.

Witthoft, CENTER, poses before one of the updated interior walls of the LRC Tuesday afternoon. Also pictured is RLC President Terry Wilkerson, LEFT, and RLC Foundation CEO Kay Zibby-Damron, RIGHT.
(ReAnne Palmer / RLC Public Information)

Witthoft, a resident of Anna, retired from RLC in December of 2016, just before her 18th anniversary with the college. She was no stranger to higher education in Southern Illinois, having another nine years of service at Shawnee Community College. In addition to her years working on campus, in retirement Witthoft is a consistent donor to the RLC Foundation who specified a portion of her donations to improvements in the LRC.

Members of the RLC Physical Plant performed the updates during the recent holiday break so as to not disrupt students. It was completely shortly before students arrived on campus to start the Spring 2018 semester.

Terry Wilkerson, RLC President, said,” Rend Lake College and the RLC Foundation are very honored and humbled to have a supporter like Andrea Witthoft who sees the needs of the college and responds to them through personal donations. It’s particularly significant that she’s a retired employee who is continuing to be involved with the on-goings at RLC. She’s gone above and beyond to her commitment to the college, and she’s the perfect example of seeing a need, wanting to help, and making the solution a reality.”