Grace McCormick joins Starved Rock Country Community Foundation team

Grace McCormick, of Peru, was recently appointed community outreach and donor engagement manager for the Starved Rock Country Community Foundation.

As such, McCormick will organize special events, social media and build relationships with local businesses and organizations.

McCormick graduated in May from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a bachelor’s in organizational and community leadership. A Bailey Scholar at UIUC, McCormick constructed a series of small food pantries across Champaign-Urbana.

While in Champaign, she was a recipient of the SRCCF’s Carol and Dick Janko Scholarship for Promising Entrepreneurs.

McCormick attended Illinois Valley Community College before transferring to the U of I. At IVCC, she earned the prestigious Matthiessen Award for academic achievement and exceptional community service and was the IVCC Foundation’s 21st Century Scholar. She also was the founding president of IVCC’s Rotaract chapter.

As part of her work with SRCCF, McCormick is planning to offer a philanthropy course to high school students and will promote local artists and their work via the foundation’s Arts of Starved Rock Country Fund.

“Grace has demonstrated high achievement and leadership at every level of her education,” said SRCCF CEO Fran Brolley. “We are fortunate she chose to return home and share her talents here.

“Along with her work on special events, such as our Nov. 4 Disco Ball, developing young philanthropists and promoting the work of local artists, she will enhance our social media marketing and bolster our outreach across La Salle, Bureau and Putnam counties,” Brolley added.

For information on SRCCF, contact Brolley at 815-252-2906.