Women to Women Giving Circle Hosts Pontiac Luncheon

By Illinois Prairie Foundation | August 4, 2021

The Women to Women Giving Circle hosted a lunch for 31 women on the plaza south of the Historic Livingston County Courthouse on July 14. The event was part of Block 59, sponsored by Pontiac Parks and Recreation. Edinger’s Filling Station provided box lunches.

Jodi Martin, CEO of Boys and Girls Club of Livingston County, is having a good time during the Women to Women luncheon.

Women to Women is a component fund of the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation, which includes Livingston, McLean, Logan and DeWitt counties. The Women to Women Giving Circle was founded 10 years ago with the goal of providing grants to projects and programs to improve the dignity and independence of women and girls and build a community of women philanthropists.

Judy Donze, a member of the steering committee for Women to Women, facilitated the program. Retired Judge Beth Robb and Development Chair Pat Grogg shared information with the group about the work of Women to Women and the goal to reach out to women in Livingston County to join the Circle and to expand grants in the county.

Each year, grants are awarded to programs that focus on the mission of the Giving Circle. Since 2011, 54 programs have received grants totaling $376,991.

Teresa Diemer gives a presentation on “Dare to Self Care” at the Women to Women luncheon. Diemer is the clinic supervisor for the Substance Use Program at IHR Counseling in Pontiac.

In 2021, a grant in the amount of $6,212 for The Plato Program was awarded to the Boys and Girls Club and Livingston County Commission on Children and Youth. Jodi Martin, CEO of Boys and Girls Club, and Chris Myers, executive director, Livingston County Commission on Children and Youth, gave a presentation at the lunch explaining how they utilized the grant funds and the benefits of the program to the children involved.

In keeping with the theme of Resilience and Recovery from the pandemic, Teresa Diemer spoke on “Dare to Self Care.” Diemer is clinical supervisor for the Substance Use Program at IHR Counseling Services in Pontiac.

For more information about the Women to Women Giving Circle, contact Michele Evans at [email protected] or 309-662-4477.

Top Photo Caption: Chris Myers, executive director of Livingston County Commission on Children and Youth, speaks at a recent Women to Women Giving Circle luncheon in Pontiac.

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