Director of Marketing and Business Development and Director of Development

Peoria, IL August 4, 2014:  IPMR recently announced the addition of Linda Beckman as their new Director of Marketing and Business Development.  As the premier provider of rehabilitation services, Beckman will be charged with business development, advertising, communications and social media for the organization’s 10 outpatient centers.   Beckman will join the IPMR executive  team at its North Sheridan location in Peoria, IL.    She previously held leadership positions at Proctor Hospital and Methodist Medical Center of Illinois and as a healthcare consultant, specializing in marketing and competitive positioning.  “We are excited to incorporate Linda’s marketing and business development expertise as we expand our services and presence throughout Central Illinois,” said, Rick Zehr, IPMR President.

IPMR welcomes Dennis McGann as the Director of Development at the Rehabilitation Foundation of IPMR.  His duties include all aspects of philanthropy and donor relations.   “We are pleased that Dennis has joined our executive team at this exciting and active period in IPMR’s history – at a time when our value proposition is more relevant than ever,” said Zehr.  Previously McGann was Director of Advancement at Peoria Notre Dame High School.  Dennis has extensive national database and direct marketing new business development experience along with having a patient care management background in the local healthcare industry at OSF St. Francis Medical Center.

About IPMR – IPMR, first opened its doors in 1950. What began as one small non-profit center for physical medicine and rehabilitative care has grown into one of the most comprehensive therapy institutes in the United States. With over 18 service locations throughout central Illinois.   IPMR continues to grow and expand its services as an independent non-profit organization. IPMR is a CARF accredited non-profit rehabilitation center.

Peoria – On Friday, August 8, the Peoria County Recorder of Deeds Office and Veteran’s Assistance Commission will participate in the 2014 Hiring Our Heroes employment event for veterans. The event will be at the Peoria Civic Center from 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., and is preceded by an employment workshop at 8:30 a.m. 

Nancy Horton, Peoria County’s Recorder of Deeds, encourages veterans to record their military separation papers: “By recording their DD-214, veterans are assured this valuable document is kept in a safe place and that free certified copies will be readily available when needed.” At Friday’s event, staff from the Recorder’s Office will be on hand to look up separation documents for veterans. If a veteran already has documents on file, they will be given a wallet card to help them remember where their documents are located. The card can then be presented at the Recorder’s Office in the Peoria County Courthouse to obtain certified copies of their DD-214. If a veteran’s DD-214 is not on file, the veteran will be encouraged to take his or her discharge papers to a county Recorder’s Office to file for safe keeping. 

For more information about recording military documents, please call the Recorder of Deeds Office at (309) 672-6090. For more information about Hiring Our Heroes visit HiringOurHeroes.org.

The Marcellus Sommerville Foundation is excited to be hosting their inaugural initiative – The Marcellus Sommerville “Back to School Bash”– Saturday, August 9, from 2:00 – 5:30 PM, at the RiverPlex Wellness Center in Peoria.

Open to children in Kindergarten through 5th grade, the Back to School Bash is designed to give kids at risk a fun filled afternoon with structured activities in a safe environment, presented by supportive role models. Our goal is to get the children mentally prepared to return to school with an enthusiastic, positive outlook.

Officer Daniel Duncan speaking to the kids about the risks and negative effects of bullying and Marcellus will close out the session with an inspiring message encouraging kids to do their best in school and have a vision for their futures.

Activities will include hair cuts and manicures for the kids, face painting, Fun on the Run, Magic by Yort, a variety of different games and, of course, food. Players from Bradley University will join Marcellus in hosting a 3-on-3 basketball challenge, as well.

Each child will also be given a book bag, school supplies, and a personalized bible to take with them when they leave.

The Back to School Bash is the first of many events that the Marcellus Sommerville Foundation will be undertaking this year.

For more information contact Brooke Sommerville, Event Chairperson Phone: 309-472-9901

Email: brookensommerville@yahoo.com.

SPRINGFIELD – Owners of all-terrain vehicles will be protected when using them on private property under a new law signed by the governor today.

In 2012, the Illinois General Assembly passed a law to help finance the Department of Natural Resources through a series of new and expanded fees – part of an effort to keep the desperately underfunded agency afloat. However, after hearing from a number of ATV owners who believe the fees for all-terrain vehicles are unfair, Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) began working with DNR to find a solution that ensures the agency gets the funding it needs, while ATV owners get a better deal.

“Many ATV owners I’ve talked to love state parks and are willing to help support them,” Koehler said. “But they didn’t think the system set up in 2012 was fair. I agreed. This new law makes much more sense.”

The flawed 2012 law failed to differentiate between golf carts, vehicles used by people with disabilities and ATVs used in state and local parks and preserves. It also charged a flat fee for all ATVs, failing to differentiate between adult ATVs and vehicles used by children.

The new law, which started out as Senate Bill 2633, cuts the current $15 registration fee to $10 for vehicles with smaller than 75 cc engines (normally used by children). It also provides clear exemptions for golf carts, vehicles for people with disabilities, ATVs used by governments and ATVs used by farmers. It clarifies that ATVs used only on a family’s own property are also exempt, as are vehicles used only in ATV competitions.

The law takes effect immediately.

Community Workshop Training Center, Inc. is proud to announce that it has been accredited by CARF International for a period of three years for its programs and services.

According to CARF, this accreditation decision represents the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to an organization and shows the organization’s substantial conformance to the CARF standards. An organization receiving a Three-Year Accreditation has put itself through a rigorous peer review process. It has demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit its commitment to offering programs and services that are measurable, accountable, and of the highest quality.

CWTC, Community Workshop and Training Center, Inc., provides programs and services to adults with disabilities; enriching their quality of life, promoting social change, and optimizing their potential for independence.

CARF is an independent, nonprofit accrediting body whose mission is to promote the quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process that centers on enhancing the lives of the persons served. Founded in 1966 as the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, and now known as CARF International, the accrediting body establishes consumer-focused standards to help organizations measure and improve the quality of their programs and services. For more information about the accreditation process, please visit the CARF website at www.carf.org.

For additional information, contact Patti Gratton, CWTC Executive Director, at 309-686-3300.

Join us at Peoria Zoo as we celebrate Superhero Day, Sunday, August 17 from 11 am to 2 pm. We will be celebrating comic book superheroes as well as real life heroes! Remember to dress up as your favorite superhero and come out to the Zoo for games, animal encounters and more! Plus you will have the chance to learn about our very own conservation superhero story—our Alligator Snapping Turtle Program!

Regular admission will be charged – Adults 13+: $9.00; Children 3-12: $5.25; Senior Citizens: $8.00. Consider a Family Membership and you’ll receive unlimited FREE admission to the Peoria Zoo for one full year, plus other great benefits!

For questions call the Peoria Zoo at (309) 681-3513 or check our website at www.peoriazoo.org.

The Peoria Park District will offer Happy Feet for ages 2-3 at Mossville Soccer Complex and Lakeview Rec Center starting the week of August 16. This soccer program is a perfect starting point for developing skills as it is non-competitive and uses fun techniques to train advanced motor skills, dynamic dribbling, shooting skills and fitness. The registration fee is $36 for both residents and non-residents.

A variety of Happy Feet practice times are available. To find a day and time that fits your schedule, visit www.peoriaparks.org or call Matt Suellentrop at 681-2866. You may also email Matt at msuellentrop@peoriaparks.org.

“This is our first Midwest Bizarre Buying Bazaar, so I’m excited to see what kind of oddities we can find here,” said Meyer. “We’re hoping to acquire relics, strange objects from science and nature, and unusual artwork – the weirder the better,” he added. 

Oddities are not limited to archeological artifacts or animal mutations – a two-faced calf and a six-legged chicken can be seen in the Museum’s The Science of Ripley’s Believe it or Not! exhibit. Meyer also collects odd artwork, as well as stories for Ripley’s publications and its long-running cartoon series.  

Ripley’s cartoons have featured local Illinoisans, such as Marcy Poplett of Peoria, who was knocked off her jet ski in the Illinois River by a silver carp, Tracker Bob Hiemenz, who owns the world’s largest 8-track tape collection, and Popeye the Sailor Man, a Chester, Ill. native. 

Some of the curious artwork that Ripley’s collects can also be seen at the exhibit, including portraits made from candy and burnt toast, a Transformer made out of car parts, microscopically small sculptures and a likeness of Abraham Lincoln etched onto the hood of a Lincoln Continental.  

For an idea of what’s weird, check out the Museum’s local oddities display. Borrowed oddities from Central Illinoisans include part of the world’s largest collection of 8-track tapes, a three-story bird’s nest with a golf ball embedded in the center, and a series of walnuts chewed by a mouse into smiley faces. 

Museum visitors are invited to find out the secrets behind the collecting of Ripley’s artifacts at a lecture by Meyer, August 10, 2 pm at the Museum’s Giant Screen Theater. Cost is $10 for adults, $5 for children (children under 6 free). 

Ripley Entertainment   – Ripley’s Believe It or Not! is part of the Ripley Entertainment Inc. family of worldwide attractions, the global leader in location-based entertainment. More than 12 million people visit its 90-plus attractions in 9 countries each year. In addition to its 31 Believe It or Not! Odditoriums, the Orlando, Florida-based company has publishing, licensing and broadcast divisions that oversee projects including the syndicated Believe It or Not! television show, best-selling books and the popular syndicated cartoon strip, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, that still runs daily in 42 countries. Ripley Entertainment is a Jim Pattison Company, the third-largest privately held company in Canada.

Riverfront Museum – The Peoria Riverfront Museum is the collaborative effort of eight organizations, with nearly 500 years of combined experience educating, entertaining, and supporting our diverse Peoria-area culture. Our mission is to inspire lifelong learning for all – connecting art, history, science, and achievement through collections, exhibitions, and programs.

For further information about the Museum also visit peoriariverfrontmuseum.org.

(BRIMFIELD, IL) – August 2, 2014, Brimfield will be closing down streets to showcase some the Tri-County’s finest vehicles in the area.  Brimfield is proud to sponsor the exciting 8^h annual Super Cruise In for Diabetes for the American Diabetes Association.

The day of the Cruise In will start with a bags tournament at 3:00 pm. Team register for $20 and will start at 2:00 pm behind the Brimfield American Legion.  There will be cash prizes for the winners.  From 4:00p – 8:00p the streets will be lined with vehicles shining with pride showing their support for the American Diabetes Association.  There will be a People’s Choice and a Committe’s Choice awarded to selected participants.  Please contact Joe Arbogast at (309) 678-3639 with any questions regarding the Cruise In.

Downtown Brimfield will be full of activities for the whole family.  There will be food (pork chop sandwiches, etc) available for purchase and an Ice Cream Social at Brimfield’s historic L.L. Guyer Cabin, which will also be available for tours, fun filled activities for the kids including games and fire prevention awareness provided by the Brimfield Fire Protection District.  The event has grown drastically since its inaugural Cruise In 8 years ago.  Last year, over 125 vehicles entered the event, while hundreds of people came out for entertainment, food, and to support the great cause. This family event has something for everyone!

There will be silent auction items available for everyone to bid on throughout the day with the winners being announced at 7:00 pm.

(Peoria, IL – July 31, 2014)  The Peoria chapter of Mended Hearts will meet Thursday, August 14, 2014 at 6:00 PM at the RiverPlex in Peoria.

Mended Hearts, a national nonprofit organization affiliated with the American Heart Association, has been offering the gift of hope to heart disease patients, their families and caregivers for more than 50 years.

Because Mended Hearts is made up of the very kinds of people it serves—heart patients, their families, and others impacted by heart disease, its members draw on personal experience as they help others. Recovery involves not only physical healing, but emotional and psychosocial healing as well.

For more information about Mended Hearts, contact nurse practitioner Tammy Sarmiento at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center at 309.655.7292.