Every community is shaped by the people who choose to invest in it.
On National Nonprofit Day, we recognize the organizations that turn that investment into action — supporting students with big ambitions, helping local programs reach the people who need them and creating opportunities that can make a lasting difference.
For Christie Clinic, that work extends beyond providing exceptional care to patients. Through the Christie Foundation, Christie Clinic continues to support the people and organizations working to make East Central Illinois healthier, stronger and more connected.
Creating Opportunities for the Next Generation
A career in healthcare begins long before a patient walks through a clinic door.
It begins with a student deciding to pursue nursing, medicine, pharmacy, nutrition or another healthcare profession. It begins with years of education, training and preparation — and often with a community of people helping make that journey possible.
The Christie Foundation’s Health Education Scholarship program was created to provide that support.
Each year, the Foundation awards more than $100,000 in scholarships to students pursuing healthcare-related degrees. The program helps reduce some of the financial barriers associated with higher education while encouraging students from the region to pursue careers dedicated to caring for others.
The impact reaches well beyond an individual scholarship recipient. Every student supported today represents a potential healthcare professional serving patients and families tomorrow.
Helping Good Ideas Grow
Strong communities are built by organizations willing to identify a need and find a way to address it. That's where the Christie Foundation’s Community Grants program comes in.
The program provides financial support to qualifying nonprofit organizations and public schools for projects that promote healthcare education and improve access to healthcare resources throughout the Christie Clinic service area.
Whether an organization is working to address a specific healthcare need, educate community members or connect people with resources, even a relatively small investment can help move an idea from concept to reality.
The Foundation's approach reflects an important idea: organizations already working in their communities often understand the needs of those communities best. Supporting their work allows local knowledge, passion and innovation to become tangible results.
A Legacy of Giving Back
The Christie Foundation's work is made possible because people believe in the power of giving.
For decades, donations and charitable gifts have helped the Foundation support healthcare education and community initiatives. One important part of that history began with Cecilia W. Rapp, whose estate gift in 1996 helped establish a fund honoring her son, Richard, a Christie Clinic pharmacist.
That original gift continues to represent the kind of impact a single act of generosity can have.
A contribution made years ago can become a scholarship for a student today. A gift can help a community organization provide resources to people who might otherwise go without them. And a commitment to giving can inspire others to do the same.
That is the lasting power of philanthropy.
Celebrating the People Behind the Mission
National Nonprofit Day is more than a chance to recognize organizations. It is a chance to recognize the people who make their work possible.
It is the donor who chooses to give. The student who works toward a future in healthcare. The nonprofit professional who sees an unmet need and takes action. The volunteer who gives their time. The community member who believes that where we live can — and should — be better for everyone.
At Christie Clinic, we are proud that the Christie Foundation provides an avenue for those people to make a difference.
As we look toward the future, the Foundation will continue building on its mission of supporting healthcare education, expanding access to resources and strengthening the communities we are privileged to serve. Because healthier communities don't happen by accident.
They happen when people come together, invest in one another, and believe that even a small act of generosity can create something much bigger.
This National Nonprofit Day, Christie Clinic celebrates everyone who helps make that possible.
Click here to learn more about the Christie Foundation, its scholarship and community grant programs or ways to support its mission.