A moment that has been two years, and a century, in the making.
Easterseals Central Illinois was humbled to receive two checks at their Board meeting on April 27th. This moment has been two years in the making, starting with an announcement at the Easterseals Century Ball in November 2019. In celebration of Easterseals’ 100th anniversary, Caterpillar Inc. pledged to match employee and retiree gifts made to Easterseals up to $1,000,000.
Joe Creed announcing the Caterpillar million-dollar match in 2019
“When Joe [Creed] announced the million-dollar Caterpillar match in November 2019, we had no idea what was in store for us over the next few years,” shared Jen Espinosa, member of the Easterseals Central Illinois Board of Directors and Caterpillar Inc. employee. “But that makes us even more proud to be standing here today, celebrating the generosity of our employees and retirees.”
The first check was for a total of $1,166,381.56 donated from Caterpillar Inc. employees and retirees over the past two years. The second is the $1,000,000 match from Caterpillar Inc.
The checks were presented by Art Tillman, Jamie Engstrom, Jen Espinosa and Joe Creed, all of whom are both Easterseals Central Illinois Board members and Caterpillar. As Jen Espinosa shared: “Caterpillar and Easterseals have a long history of working together to help children in our community. We are excited to present this check to help us serve our community for the next hundred years.”
Easterseals Central Illinois President and CEO Melissa Riddle accepted the checks on behalf of the organization. “We are so grateful to once again be embraced by Caterpillar’s leadership and employees,” stated Riddle. “For decades, Caterpillar has been a champion for kids and families in our community. Their continued support of Easterseals Central Illinois through financial, volunteer, and leadership contributions have created a solid foundation. We look forward to continuing to work together to ensure generations of families can count on Easterseals.”
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