Women Inspired Network

It's time to vote!

This year there are four finalists who presented their grant proposals at the WIN meeting on October 22nd. All but one is a pilot program. All four are hoping to make an impact in their communities, schools and with the families and students targeted. We ask that you read each short synopsis of what is being requested. I do apologize for not being able to convey their enthusiasm, passion and hope in my the words written! We ask that you look at the concept, the numbers being served, the impact the programs will have and that you call me if you have any questions!

All paying members are eligible to vote.

Votes must be in by no later than Monday, November 24.

Debbie Buffington, Grant Chair

815-343-7524

Candidates listed in Alphabetical Order

2025 WIN Grant Candidates

GROW SPRING VALLEY

Julie Rutgen’s Taliani Community Garden

This grant request is to expand the community garden that has been established on the property of Hall High School, where a greenhouse and raised beds are in place. The request is to help expand the use and community activity involving the project. The original goal of the garden was to help reduce food insecurity and promote community wellness with fresh produce, and to expand community involvement to include programs such as yoga, cooking classes, and various workshops and community-centered activities at and near the garden for adults and children. The goal is to foster physical and mental well-being, strengthen community, and provide fresh produce to homes where food insecurity is an issue. Last year, a well-received cooking class by a local chef was put together using produce from the garden. This request would help pay for and expand community involvement, add workshops to provide more cooking classes and family activities, and bring together people of all ages in the community.

PERU POLICE DEPARTMENT – SCHOOL RESOURCE DIVISION

(Pilot Program) - Haven’s Heroes

This program is designed to teach and enhance kindness and good behavior to over 1,500 students in the schools in Peru — i.e., Peru Northview, Peru Junior High Parkside, Peru Catholic St. Carlo Acutis Junior High, ROE 35 Safe School (at-risk students), and Circuit Breaker School (at-risk students from LaSalle, Putnam, and Marshall counties). It is named for Haven, the much-loved Peru PD therapy dog, who is based at SOAR/Circuit Breaker but visits all the schools. The concept is to work with teachers to make this a part of curriculums already in place to help encourage students to be kind and respectful in and out of school. Teachers will work with the Peru PD School Resource Officer and nominate a student or students who exhibit the qualities or who perform an act that goes “above and beyond.” When the attributes of a hero are exhibited by students — such as positivity, kindness, courage, helping others, showing integrity, and other heroic qualities — an announcement will be made, and from those nominations, “Haven’s Heroes” will be named.

The “heroes” chosen will be honored in as simple a way as being called in front of their class to be recognized for their positive behavior, all the way up to being brought before a school assembly to be recognized as a “Haven’s Hero.” The students will be given a shirt declaring them a Haven Hero, and possibly their class may receive a pizza, ice cream, or wings party. Local news outlets, school websites, the Peru PD police page, and social media will also be used to recognize the students chosen. Grant funds will be used to buy the awards, including t-shirts, pencils, trading cards, travel mugs, baseball or stocking caps, notebooks, etc., to recognize positive behavior in the students at Peru schools. The program will teach students positive, kind behavior versus negativity and bullying, and they will see that being positive will get them recognized and looked up to by their fellow students, teachers, parents, and community, as well as giving them a sense of self-worth and knowing positivity wins over negativity every time.

ROE35 ACADEMY

(Pilot Program) - Resilient Rockstars

The social worker at the ROE35 Academy, located in Peru at the old Roosevelt School, presented this grant project request. This pilot project will be used to teach the students of the Academy the importance of social and emotional wellness and to provide positive coping strategies to be used in the classroom, at home, and in the community. The program, named Resilient Rockstars, will combine the school mascot (an eagle) with the one word she told us best describes the students — resilient. She described to the members present how many of the students in the school have experienced significant trauma, poverty, and a lack of life’s common necessities and need to learn healthy tools to manage stress and conflicts, as well as how to maintain healthy responses in all areas of life and relationships through team-building activities with certain rewards that will help them build a positive and safe classroom or home.

The concept behind this program is that the students will learn to build each other up rather than tear each other down. Because many of the students come from low-income, one-parent households, they rarely receive the “extras” that most children take for granted. Rarely is there the encouragement at home that so many other students take for granted. The funds for this grant will be used to provide incentive rewards and positive outcomes during their school experience. With the strategies the students of ROE35 learn at school, the good behavior will “spill over” into their mental health at home and out in the community. Even something as simple as having a candy dish on her desk, the social worker said, sometimes encourages students to sit down and talk to her.

WALTHAM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

(Pilot Program) - “Waltham Here We Grow Library”

The new director of the Media Center/Library presented this grant program request to bring an actual library to Waltham School that can be used every day by all the students. This year, there are 157 students in grades K–5, with approximately 100 more in grades 6–8 who will be utilizing the library. The primary goal of the project is that the books purchased, cataloged, and put into the new library will instill in all students attending — and eventually graduating from Waltham — a love for reading and talking about the books they have read, being excited about how maybe a book changed their life, and even more importantly, how having a library program helped them with their educational goals.

The new director told those in attendance how she wants students to love to read and to find the joy in not wanting to put a book down. An actual checkout system is being created that will help determine if new books have been read and whether there is positive or negative feedback about the book. The goal is that all Waltham students will gain access to an active library that can be used every day. Upon returning their books, the students will be asked to fill out short surveys about what they have read. Another goal of the program is to encourage discussions about books they want to read — inspiring and further developing their love for the written word.

WIN Grant Finalist Vote

The finalists have been listed below in alphabetical order. For each finalist, please enter a number between 1 and 4, denoting your preference for their ranking.

Women Inspired Network

It's time to vote!

Candidates listed in Alphabetical Order

2025 WIN Grant Candidates

Read more about the finalists here. To vote, scroll down to the bottom of the page.

GROW SPRING VALLEY

Julie Rutgen’s Taliani Community Garden

PERU POLICE DEPARTMENT – SCHOOL RESOURCE DIVISION

(Pilot Program) - Haven’s Heroes

ROE35 ACADEMY

(Pilot Program) - Resilient Rockstars

WALTHAM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

(Pilot Program) - “Waltham Here We Grow Library”

WIN Grant Finalist Vote

Finalists:

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