General
Donations
There are lots of ways you can support Levee Park and the East Peoria Community Foundation:
- Make a donation – whether $5 or $50 or $500, any amount is appreciated!
- Designate all or part of your Heart of Illinois United Way direct gift or payroll deduction gift to the East Peoria Community Foundation (a 501(c)(3) organization).
- The East Peoria Community Foundation is a Caterpillar match charity. Eligible Caterpillar participants may request an annual total maximum match of $10,000 USD each calendar year. To initiate your Caterpillar Foundation match, go to https://www.caterpillar.com/en/company/caterpillar-foundation/matching-gifts.html to submit your request.
- Become a volunteer – from landscaping to maintenance, we need volunteers (ask a Board member!).
- Become a sponsor – as a sponsor you will have a permanent place in Levee Park (sponsorship levels below).
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Legacy Sponsor | $150,000+ |
| Promenade Sponsor | $75,000 - $149,999 |
| City Scape Sponsor | $50,000 - $74,999 |
| Landing Sponsor | $15,000 - $49,999 |
| Riverside Sponsor | $5,000 -$14,999 |
The Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall will be hosted in East Peoria September 25 through September 29 in our downtown Levee Park. The wall is a three-fifths scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. It stands six feet tall at the center and covers almost 300 feet from end to end. As of 2011, there are 58,272 names listed on the wall, just as it is in Washington, D.C.
Your financial contribution will allow people of all ages the opportunity to see this moving memorial. Admission will be free, and special ceremonies and a family event are being planned as well. In addition to funding the wall’s appearance, donations will also benefit the Greater Peoria Honor Flight which flies veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit the national memorial sites.
Donations are tax deductible, and no amount is too small. Those donating $250 or more will be considered sponsors. All sponsors will have their name on a banner which will be displayed at the wall and receive recognition on the City of East Peoria’s social media sites and website www.CityofEastPeoria.com.
Sponsorship donations will be accepted through September 1, 2024.
Park Details
Set in the heart of the Levee District, adjacent to City Hall and the Fondulac District Library, Levee Park will feature a spectacular water feature, venues for markets and festivals in an open multipurpose lawn, space for sporting and music events, and terraced seating areas. Designed to be family-friendly, the park will also accommodate daily activities, such as casual strolling, gathering, and outdoor dining from adjacent restaurants.
Most importantly, the park will become the new iconic face of East Peoria – green, growing, and family centered.
The goal of the new park is to draw people regularly into our downtown district to spur economic activity and growth, reconnect and beautify our downtown, and provide the infrastructure needed for community activities and events. The Foundation Board views this undertaking as being a once-in-a-century opportunity to develop a green, family friendly space right in the center of our downtown that will for decades be thought of as the iconic heart of the city.
In addition to private donations, the Foundation received a $500,000 Illinois DCEO Capital Development Grant and a $400,000 IDNR OSLAD Matching Grant.
The total Levee Park project is about $3 million. The initial phase, a Reading Garden (shown in blue above), has been completed. The second phase (in green) is in process and will be completed in Spring 2024. This phase includes a community stage, public restrooms, electrical infrastructure, walking paths, and landscaping. With thanks to businesses and individuals who’ve made generous contributions, the park has been fully funded through these two phases.
The last phase (in yellow) will include a splash pad/playable fountain for children and terraced seating for the community stage. It’s anticipated to cost about $1 million and will be completed in 2024. Another $500,000 is still needed to complete this last phase. The Foundation is in the last stretch of fundraising and hopes to close this $500,000 gap within the next six months. We are appealing to the citizens and businesses connected to East Peoria to help close this shortfall.
Why Build Levee Park?
After a major manufacturing company abandoned a large part of East Peoria near the Illinois River, the City set about reclaiming the concrete rubble to create a new downtown, the Levee District. It’s now home to many restaurants, retail shops, medical offices, hotels, and more. However, one element thought necessary to assure the long-term sustainability of the new downtown was missing – a community park. One and half acres were reserved for public purposes – for a community park called Levee Park. The City of East Peoria owns the land, and the East Peoria Community Foundation is raising funds to build the park.
We don't often have an opportunity to shape the future, but that’s what's happening in East Peoria … and a new park – Levee Park – is at the center of all that. East Peoria is being reborn. We can all appreciate parks and the value of public spaces, but what's special and unique here is that Levee Park will become the anchor to East Peoria's new and thriving downtown. It not only anchors our beautiful downtown, but embodies the new iconic face of East Peoria, green, growing, and family centered.
Board of Directors
Susan Yoder Portscheller, Board President
CEFCU, Retired
Cindy Reinhart, Board Vice President
Morton Community Bank, Retired
Dennis R. Triggs, Secretary/Treasurer
Miller, Hall & Triggs, LLC, Retired
Genna Buhr
Fondulac District Library Director
Robert Dittmer
Morton Community Bank, Retired
Matthew Mamer
CEFCU
John Kahl
Mayor, City of East Peoria
Diane Cullinan Oberhelman
Cullinan Properties, Ltd.
Gary Uftring
Uftring Auto Group
City Liaison
Ty Livingston
P. O. Box 2817
East Peoria, IL 61611
P: 309-670-2817
E: info@eastpeoriacommunityfoundation.org