PEORIA, Ill. – An initiative spearheaded by Illinois Central College and funded with federal and private grant money for this year is beginning now, looking at how poverty in South Peoria can be reduced, if not eliminated.
It’s called the “Cradle to Career” initiative. Data is being collected now to determine what the community needs in order to improve and have a better chance at living.
“We’re not sitting in an office somewhere deciding what the community needs,” Arnitria Shaw, Vice President of Workforce and Diversity at ICC said to 25 News. “We’re actually going out and listening to what the community says it needs.”
The college hopes for $30 million in funding to keep the initiative running over the next five years — something that they’ve tried to get before, but have been unsuccessful.
“We are, I like to say fingernails away,” said Sheila Quirk-Bailey, ICC President, said to 25 News. “We are always one of the top competitors. We haven’t been funded yet. At this point, it’s just all a matter of luck and some timing.”
And, Quirk-Bailey says, the collection of that data, going on now. She’d like to see, for example, help getting lower-income families into things like early childhood education, and even all the way up to help with higher education, among other things.
The data collection is specifically targeting residents of the 61605 zip code.
A kick-off was scheduled for 4-6 p.m. Thursday, March 23, at the Annie Jo Gordon Community Learning Center.
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