Long time President retiring; successor named

After 13 years at the helm, Lois Hamilton will retire as president of the Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing June 30, 2011. Patti Stockert has been named president of the College effective July 1.

During her tenure, Hamilton has played a part in many exciting changes at the College. Under her leadership, enrollment has tripled and online Master’s and Doctorate programs have been added. Hamilton oversaw the renovation of the Greenleaf building, home of the College of Nursing, and the integration of simulated learning through the use of six state-of-the-art simulation labs.

“The changes have been the result of the commitment and hard work of our students, faculty, and staff,” said Hamilton. “The continuous growth of the College has led us to dream and plan for a new building. I am confident that even greater accomplishments, including the new building, will occur in the future.”

Succeeding Hamilton as president is Patti Stockert, RN, PhD. Stockert received her doctorate in nursing from Saint Louis University in 2000. She has been with OSF Saint Francis since 1976, beginning her career as a surgical nurse. While earning her master’s degree, she served as an instructor at St. Francis Hospital School of Nursing, and later became an assistant professor when the facility became the College of Nursing in 1986.

Sue Brown, RN, PhD, will succeed Stockert as Dean of Undergraduate Programs at the College. Brown began her career at OSF Saint Francis in 1996 as a critical care nurse in the cardiovascular intensive care unit.

Caring for the caregivers – public invited
SCOOPS FOR ST. JOHN’S ICE CREAM SOCIAL – an old fashion ice cream social to benefit
St. John’s Regional Medical Center employees affected by the tornado
Thursday and Friday, June 23 and 24,
Cafeteria 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. and 5:00-7:00 p.m. both days at Proctor Hospital

… and we’ve got the good’s from Spotted Cow baby …!
Public invited! Bring a friend, or two! Sponsored by Team Proctor!

Lakeview Museum of Arts & Sciences will open its Summer Book Sale on Friday, June 24, 2011 with a Members Only Presale. Memberships will be sold at the door for those wishing to join. The sale opens to the public beginning Saturday, June 25 and continues through Wednesday, June 29 according to the following schedule:

Friday, June 24 Members Only Presale 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Saturday, June 25 Open to the Public – Best Selection 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sunday, June 26 Open to the Public – Best Selection Noon – 5 p.m.
Monday, June 27 50% Off 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Tuesday, June 28 75% Off 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Wednesday, June 29 $5 Bag Day 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.

The Semi-Annual Book Sale boasts more than 10,000 books, videos, CDs, and magazines. This year’s sale features many first-edition signed Mysteries as well as an extensive collection of books about President Theodore Roosevelt. Proceeds from the Book Court and Semi-Annual Sales help support Lakeview Museum exhibitions and programs.

Lakeview Museum gratefully accepts donations of books all year. Volunteers are always needed for the Museum’s Book Court and Book Sales. For more information, contact Lakeview Museum at 309-686-7000.

Bradley University’s World of Wonder, a series of one week programs for gifted and talented youth, is underway this week on campus with kindergarten through eighth grade students participating.

Among the dozens of classes offered:

The Great Potato Launch, a class about the behavior of gases, chemical equations and much more. The class will culminate with a potato launching contest on Friday at approximately 10:45 at Meinen Field on campus.

Another class will result in 4th and 5th grade students producing the very first World of Wonder daily newspaper. Those students are learning how to interview, gather facts, and write like a professional.

First graders in the Busy Bees class are learning about the life cycle of a bee and how bees communicate. They will make a honeycomb and learn how honey is made.

The Institute for Gifted and Talented Youth has offered summer educational program opportunities for Central Illinois youth for 25 years.  The World of Wonder features a broad array of enrichment courses that enable students to explore and expand their interests and abilities in a university environment.

State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) was relieved that the General Assembly voted to allow the State’s capital construction program to go forward as planned.  The program’s funding was in peril due to the budget negotiations process.

“The capital construction program is vitally important to our state economy,” Koehler said. “It creates thousands and thousands of good-paying jobs during the summer construction season. Last year, those jobs helped Illinois recover the economy. This year, they will help us keep moving forward.”

The capital construction program, sometimes referred to as “Illinois Jobs Now!,” is a comprehensive plan to repair and upgrade Illinois’ roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, and state facilities. These repairs keep bridges safe, make roads passable, and create a modern setting for Illinois students to pursue their educations.

“The projects in the capital bill benefit everyone. In addition to making life better for individuals and families, they improve our business climate and help local companies,” Koehler explained. “Businesses rely on our highway system to get their products to consumers. They also know that safe, modern schools and hospitals help attract quality employees.”

While in Springfield, the General Assembly passed several other bills. One cut legislators’ pay by cancelling this year’s cost of living adjustment and instituting 12 furlough days. The other bills were largely follow-ups to legislation passed earlier in the year.

The Boy Scouts of America, W. D. Boyce Council honored Beth Mangold at the 2011 2nd Annual Ottawa Lawn Social. The Lawn Social, hosted at the home of Jerry Halterman, took place on Friday, June 10, 2011. The celebration was chaired by Larry and Bonnie McGrogan, the 2010 recipients of the Good Scout Award. The McGrogans and the W. D. Boyce Council honored Beth Mangold for her years of service and giving back to the community. Beth has been involved in numerous youth development programs including service as a Scout leader for the Ottawa Friendship Adventure Scouts. She has also served as the Executive Director of the Ottawa Friendship House.

In addition to honoring Beth with the Good Scout Award, nine special needs Venture Scouts from the Ottawa Friendship House will attend Camp Big Sky, located in Farmington, IL. While at Camp Big Sky, the Scouts will have the opportunity to fish, boat, and participate in other outdoor activities in a safe and accessible environment.

The event, which raised $30,000, will benefit Scouting in and around the Ottawa area. This includes: providing camperships, training, program supplies, insurance, camping facilities, local unit support, communication, day camp and summer camp.

This week, Peoria will host its largest convention in history – the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League. With roughly 5,000 members registered to attend the 34th Biennial Convention Thursday through Sunday at the Peoria Civic Center, the group will create an estimated economic impact of more than $2 million.

“The Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, along with our area hospitality partners, are both pleased and honored to welcome the national convention of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League to the Peoria area this week,” said Bob Marx, President and CEO of the Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. “While hosting this distinguished group – the largest group ever to hold a meeting in the Peoria area – is an economic windfall for our entire area, it will also show that the Peoria area can face-off with other national convention destination cities and host groups and events of all sizes.”

On the first day of the convention, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Thursday, members will participate in on-site “servant activities” to aid organizations in and around Peoria. Making fleece blankets, welcome and care kits, Braille books of the Bible, Meals on Wheels gospel lids, quilts, wordless gospel tracts, gospel bracelets and turning old hotel sheets into bandages are just a sampling of the work the women will perform. At 9:15 a.m. Friday, children of LWML attendees will deliver the fleece blankets tied Thursday to Peoria Rescue Ministries, 601 SW Adams St.

In addition, several agencies in Peoria and around the world have been chosen to receive Gifts from the Heart, which are quilts and care kits, consisting of toiletry items, for men, women and children. Convention participants will fill the bed of a semi-truck with the donations. Those gifts will then be given to homeless shelters and victims of disasters, such as tornadoes, earthquakes, floods and fires.

“I anticipate that the generous and caring LWML women gathered for the convention in Peoria will do their very best to ‘stuff the truck,’” said LWML President Janice Wendorf. “With all the recent natural disasters, the need for these items is great.”

At 7:00 p.m. Thursday, the convention’s opening worship service will be delivered by Dr. Ken Klaus, Emeritus Speaker of the Lutheran Hour. The public is welcome to attend the service. Keynote speaker Deb Burma will motivate Lutheran Women in Mission at 2 p.m. Friday to live out the convention theme, Being with Jesus – Living on the Edge. At 7:30 p.m. Friday, Katie Stam, Miss America 2009, will inspire the congregation. Sibling Harmony, a Midwest musical trio, will share their original Christian songs at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Wendorf will preside over the convention.

Contact Edie Norris with any requests for interviews with Wendorf or any other LWML personnel at (253) 973-1498. Media badges will be available from Norris or at the LWML convention information desk at the Peoria Civic Center.

The Lutheran Woman’s Missionary League is the official women’s auxiliary of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. For over 65 years, the LWML has focused on affirming each woman’s relationship with Christ, encouraging and equipping women to live out their Christian lives in active mission ministries and to support global missions. The purpose of the LWML is to develop and maintain a greater mission consciousness among the women of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod through Mission Education, Mission Inspiration, and Mission Service, and to gather funds for mission grants.

Washington man named to the position

OSF Saint Francis Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of Illinois are pleased to announce that Mike Higgins has been appointed interim president of Children’s Hospital effective Monday, June 20, 2011. Higgins has worked as a network development specialist and professional staff electronic medical records trainer in the regional development department since arriving at OSF Saint Francis. In addition, Higgins is a 6 Sigma Green Belt and participates in several team projects.

Current Children’s Hospital president Paul Kramer is retiring. Kramer has served in that capacity since 1998. “I want to express my appreciation to Paul Kramer who has taken Children’s Hospital to a whole new level,” said Keith Steffen, President and CEO of OSF Saint Francis Medical Center. “A national executive search has been launched for his replacement. In the meantime, I have the utmost confidence that Mike will be able to provide a smooth transition in the Children’s Hospital leadership.”

Higgins earned his bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University and is currently working toward his Masters in Business Administration with a concentration in Health Care Management. Prior to his tenure at OSF Saint Francis, he worked in the insurance industry focusing on business development. Additionally, Higgins has dedicated himself to charitable and community organizations serving on numerous boards of directors. He is a member of the 40 Leaders Under 40 Class of 2008 and a graduate of the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce Community Leadership School. Mike and his wife, Tiffany, live in Washington with their three children.

Heartland Community Clinic joined the Central Illinois Health Information Exchange (CIHIE) as a Charter Member. CIHIE is an independent nonprofit organization that has been incubated under the auspices of Quality Quest for Health of Illinois. Health information exchange (HIE) is the process of securely sharing patient information from electronic medical records, insurance claims and other sources (such as prescribing information) in an electronic format between healthcare providers. A patient must give consent in order for confidential records to be shared within an HIE.

“We are pleased to have another central Illinois healthcare provider join our effort to make patient care better,” said Dr. Gail Amundson, president and CEO of Quality Quest. “Sharing medical information between healthcare providers enhances coordination between caregivers, helps prevent duplication of services, and helps lower medical errors.”

In addition to the Heartland Community Health Clinic, the current Charter Members of CIHIE are: Advocate Bromenn Medical Center, Normal; Decatur Memorial Hospital; Easter Seals – Peoria & Bloomington-Normal & Decatur; Human Service Center, Peoria; Methodist Medical Center of Illinois, Peoria; OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, Peoria; Proctor Hospital, Peoria; St. Mary’s Hospital, Decatur; St. Mary’s Hospital, Streator; and the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria.

The Peoria Park District is proud to present its annual Fireworks Spectacular at the Glen Oak Park Amphitheatre on Sunday, July 3 from 4:00-10:00 p.m. Grab your lawn chairs and blankets and head over to Glen Oak Park to spend the day and celebrate with our great line-up of entertainment. There is no cost to attend. This event is sponsored in part by Times Newspapers and WCBU 89.9.

The Amphitheatre gates open at 4:00 p.m. with the PPD Explosion Cheer Team kicking off the festivities. At 5:00 p.m. the Community Children’s Theatre will perform. A special performance by the Peoria Ballet will entertain you from 6:00-7:30 p.m. The entertainment finishes with the Peoria Municipal Band at 8:00 p.m. and the fireworks beginning at dusk. Bring your own picnic or purchase food from the vendors.

Special packages are available for those wishing to reserve space at the event. All proceeds will help offset the cost of the fireworks. For reservations, contact Jodi McDuffee at 681-2854 or email jmcduffee@peoriaparks.org. The “Patriot Package” for $25 includes reserved bench seating for four in the Amphitheatre, plus two free meal tickets to the Peoria “Pork” District. The “Star Package” for $50 includes either reserved bench seating or a grassy picnic spot for four, two meal tickets, plus one reserved parking spot in the Glen Oak Amphitheatre parking lot. Companies or individuals can provide a “Red, White, & Blue Sponsorship” for $1,000 and be recognized on all promotional materials and have a commercial prior to the fireworks show.

For more information, contact Jodi McDuffee at 681-2854 or visit www.peoriaparks.org. Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PeoriaAmp.