Newsletters
March/April 2025
CEO Message
On March 20th we celebrated 14 years of Bon Appétit with over 500 of our friends and supporters. This signature event has raised over $2 Million to keep our mission of empowering people and inspiring capabilities a possibility.
This year we welcomed renowned Chef Amanda Freitag of Food Network fame to create a one-of-a-kind meal for our guests. During her demos she interacted with the crowd giving insights into what makes the dishes great, along with anecdotes about her life and time on shows like Beat Bobby Flay, Iron Chef, and Chopped. Her excitement and genuine love of people shown throughout the entire event.
We are so thankful to the generosity of the community for the success of this event year after year, and this year was no exception. Thank you for investing in EP!C people.
See our social media platforms for more of the evening and share your photos with us using #EPICBA2025 https://www.facebook.com/epiccentralillinois/
Mark your calendars for the 15th annual Bon Appétit coming March 2026.
What talented Chef will we bring in next?
– Kim Cornwell, EP!C CEO
EP!C Advocacy
Earlier in March we were identified as a perfect location in Central Illinois for a stop on the “Standing Up For Medicaid in Illinois” press tour featuring Governor JB Pritzker.
One of our very own DSPs, Liz Montes, was invited to sit on a panel of other speakers including other front-line workers, family, and individual advocates to give testimony to the importance of Medicaid.
While the event was not a public town hall meeting and the press did question the Governor on other topics, the main focus was to shine a light on Medicaid and advocating for it. We were proud to host the Governor, his team, Care Can’t Wait, Caring Across Generations, and other agency partners like TCRC, Peoria Production Solutions, Macon Resources, The Arc of Illinois, The Institute on Public Policy for People with Disabilities, and more.
EP!C Employees
January Employee of the Month
Congratulations to Taylor Siedel, January Employee of the Month. Taylor is always ready to lend a hand, not just to her department but across multiple teams, creating an inclusive and supportive workplace where everyone can better serve individuals. Her dedication shines through. As an active member of YPGP, in leadership classes at the Chamber, and a part of our Culture Committee, Taylor truly embodies teamwork, leadership, and the EP!C mission every day.
February Employee of the Month
Will McCarthy, was named the February Employee of the Month because he ”is the kind of teammate everyone hopes to have—hardworking, kind, and always willing to lend a hand. No matter the task, he steps up without hesitation, ensuring things run smoothly and supporting both his coworkers and the individuals we serve. His positive attitude is contagious, making EP!C a better place for everyone.”
EP!C Harvest
We recently had to make the decision to scale back our Harvest Program.
While the scale of the program will be changing, a modified version will still be available to students in our transitions classes, and will continue to offer our horticulture classes at Illinois Central College. We will continue to work in partnership with Bink’s Bees, which is currently housing their hives at EP!C and staff will continue to welcome other community partners that help to engage in unique activities.
As we work through the changes, we wanted to thank the thousands of volunteers who worked in the garden, the customers who made purchases, and partners who supported this elective program over the years.
We hope you will spend time with us during other service opportunities.
