12-03-2025
Danville still in holiday spirit with Community Impact Awards
DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) — Tens of thousands of dollars to help children thrive in Vermilion County was handed out on Tuesday.
The people in Danville call it 'Christmas in March,' also known as the Community Impact Awards. The Ballons Over Vermilion non-profit organization, which also oversees The Festival of Trees event in the city, takes people to new heights, and the award ceremony hosted at Fischer Theater lifts up kids even more.
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'We wanted to be able to make enough money from the community, from our sponsors, from our patrons to be able to give some back to the community and give it back to children's organizations,' said Balloons Over Vermilion Board Chair, Pat O'Shaughnessy. 'Because our motto for our corporation is 'it's for the kids.''
This year's Community Impact Awards had a Christmas theme, and the gifts ranged from $1,500 to $21,000. Fair Hope Children's Ministry got $10,000 to continue their mission.
'We provide Pack 'N Plays for a safe place for babies to sleep,' said Director Karel Volpert. 'We provide convertible car seats and booster seats for families who do not own a car because we want those babies to be safe as well.'
Tuesday at Fair Hope they were switching out the winter clothes for the spring and summer clothes with help from the Danville Dashers hockey team. Besides baby equipment, they offer all sorts of outfits from toddlers to newborns, all the way up to high school age.
'We're just really grateful to the Festival of Trees and Balloons Over Vermillion for this wonderful donation,' Volpert said. 'It will be able to help us serve so many people in Vermilion County and the neighboring counties.'
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The event handed out over $150,000 to more 23 different organizations. Brittany Morris with Cross Point Human Services said the $10,000 they received will help kids grow confidence in public speaking.
'We will be able to give scholarships for girls to be able to come for the three-day weekend,' Morris said. 'They don't have to pay for food, they don't have to pay for entrance, and this past weekend, they actually got to go on [Fischer Theater's stage] and be able to perform their stories.'
O'Shaughnessy said they look for lesser-known groups who could use a boost in funding.
'That's the type we're trying to find, not the ones that get all the headlines and get all the money or a lot of the money out there,' he said. 'We want to reach out to the ones that are really out there, day to day, helping kids survive and grow, and prosper and learn great lessons.'
Since Balloons Over Vermilion started giving out the grants, they've been able to give close to $700,000 back to the community.
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