Springfield
Lynn Ehmen is a mother of four from Springfield and a member of the Springfield Families Helping Families (SFHF) Facebook group. The group helps connect people in need by linking them with people who may be able to help. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Lynn started to see an overwhelming demand for food deliveries within her Facebook group. She wanted to make the process easier for families and began volunteering to fulfill requests.
Lynn raised nearly $20,000 dollars to create a total of 30 micro-pantries. Each pantry looks like a tiny house and is set up like a neighborhood library, except instead of books it’s filled with food. The micro-pantries are open 24/7 with no paperwork necessary to receive food, allowing for anonymous pickup.
As a result of the pandemic, many families have found themselves out of work and struggling financially. These families often do not have access to traditional food pantries, inspiring Lynn to create a resource that anyone could access and avoid food insecurity. She continues to work to expand the program and started a community garden at Washington Middle School last year. The garden continues to grow, and produce is donated to the micro-pantries.
Hero award sponsored by CEFCU
Champaign
On Thursday, October 22, 2020, a car drove into a 29-feet deep retention pond in front of Lori Camacho’s condo. Lori, a hospice nurse at Carle Foundation Hospital, knew someone had to help. She jumped in the pond and swam out to the car. The driver of the car was terrified, as freezing water poured in. The woman did not know how to swim. Lori calmly instructed her and was able to pull her out the window. Seconds later, the car sank to the bottom of the pond, and the suction from the vehicle against the water started to pull both women under with it.
Lori was able to swim her way to the surface, pulling the driver with her and back towards shore to safety, saving the woman’s life. After the incident, Lori didn’t skip a beat and went on to attend her 9:30 a.m. virtual COVID-19 safety meeting for work. The driver's husband came to Lori's home later that evening and shared with her that his wife had suffered a heart attack while driving and regained consciousness when the car plunged into in the water. Lori’s amazing heroic actions had saved her life.
Hero award sponsored by Pekin Insurance
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