“Nonprofit organizations are essential to our community, not only from the perspective of mission fulfillment, but also as a significant part of our local economy,” says John Stremsterfer, president and CEO of the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln. “The nonprofit sector is incredibly dynamic and fills vital roles for the betterment of educational […]
Newsletter – This Month SBJ
Posted inArticles
Association management trends for 2024
Springfield is home to 125 trade and professional associations, and you may belong to one or more of them. Association management companies offer the full array of resources and expertise needed to run the daily operations of an association, even those without any paid staff. As in many industries, technology, artificial intelligence and the human […]
Posted inArticles
Q&A with Dr. Traci Krause
Dr. Traci Krause came to Springfield in May 2023 to serve as the chancellor of St. John’s College of Nursing. She had spent a decade as dean of the School of Nursing, Health Sciences and Wellness at Minneapolis College and prior to that was the assistant director of nursing in the Minnesota Department of Veterans […]
Posted inArticles
Q&A with Robert Fair
Robert Fair is a Decatur native who holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science from University of Illinois Springfield. He originally envisioned having a career in government and worked on Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and for the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus before joining Habitat for Humanity – Sangamon County in 2023 as the community […]
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Vying to fill vacancies
A teacher shortage and a waning interest in teaching as a profession are both being addressed locally by two major grants. The Teacher Vacancy Grant pilot program provides resources to attract, hire, support and retain teachers in the state’s most understaffed districts, and the Grow Your Own grant awarded to University of Illinois Springfield’s School […]
Posted inColumns
Golfing for a cause
When coming up with ideas for fundraisers, nonprofit organizations often need to give a lot of “fore” thought about to how to attract donors and participants. The result may be a golf outing. Orthopedic Center of Illinois Foundation’s Chip in Fore Charity golf outing was “created as an opportunity to raise funds for the OCI’s […]
Posted inColumns
Buying a business
If you want to work for yourself, you may well be thinking about purchasing an existing small business. It could be a printer, restaurant or distributor, for example. The current business owner may be looking to retire or is simply tired of the stress of owning and managing a business. Chances are the business doesn’t […]
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You are more than your job
When you meet someone new and they ask, “So, what do you do?” how do you typically respond? If you’re like many of us, you share your job title and likely a few details about how you spend 40 or more hours per week at work – that’s over 2,000 hours per year, by the […]
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Pioneers of the UIS Prairie
About 100 people who helped to transform University of Illinois Springfield into a four-year university held their first reunion Feb. 24, at a breakfast on the campus. That visible display of support for UIS was a testimony to the impact felt by those first freshmen classes starting in the fall 2001, with many of them […]
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A Q&A with Rev. Silas Johnson
Silas Johnson was born and raised in Mississippi but has lived in Springfield for the past 50 years. He had a dual career for many years, working as a journeyman electrician in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 193 while also pastoring Community Baptist Church for a decade and then Calvary Baptist Church for […]
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To move or remodel?
To say the last three years have been interesting for the real estate market, including home builders, is an understatement. The pandemic changed how people go to work and how they spend time at home. Remote work prompted some to buy larger homes with more outdoor space, and some people remodeled existing homes to include […]
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Homes are selling quickly and cash is king
Whether you’re the homebuyer or the seller, the current housing market requires you to be prepared, decisive and ready to move forward swiftly. That was the message emphasized at the Chatham Area Chamber of Commerce’s February luncheon, held at Illinois Realtors, which focused on the area housing market. The panel discussion included Jane Hay of […]