By WMBD TV
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — The St. Jude fundraising office has a new address in Peoria.
The ribbon was cut on the new Central, Southern Illinois and Iowa office at 1320 W. Commerce Street. The organization calls it a living representation of the next chapter and a reflection of its continued commitment to supporting the mission of St. Jude.
The celebration of the new fundraising office comes about two weeks after OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois announced it was formally ending its affiliation with St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis.
That medical relationship officially ends on June 30. No new cases will be taken under the St. Jude Midwest Affiliate. The children currently being cared for under St. Jude protocols will continue to receive that care for three years.
Historic departure
The city of Peoria was the first St. Jude affiliate in 1972, eventually being named for the people who inspired it in Central Illinois, Jim and Trudy Maloof.
History holds that the Maloofs ‘ relationship to St. Jude founder Danny Thomas dates back to 1957, when the entertainer invited the successful Peoria real estate broker to a meeting in Chicago to raise support for Thomas’s vision to create a children’s research hospital.
Both men were of Lebanese heritage and apparently made a fast friendship. Jim and Trudy Maloof championed the St. Jude fundraising cause in Peoria long after 1972 and the creation of the first of its kind, St. Jude Midwest Affiliate Clinic.
Maloof remained a member of ALSAC, or American Lebanese and Syrian Associated Charities board, which is the fundraising and awareness arm of St. Jude, from its founding in 1958 until he died in 2013.
The new Peoria St Jude ALSAC Office
Molly Graham is the Area Executive Director for ALSAC`s Central, Southern Illinois and Iowa area office, with a staff of 10, which supports more than 100 different fundraising efforts a year.
“Our space before served us well for many years. We were just looking for a space that served our many events and the fundraising and awareness aspect of what we do, and to be able to host all of our board members comfortably for committee meetings,” she said.
Work on the building started two years ago, Graham explained. “The location positions the team to remain deeply connected to the Peoria community while advancing outreach efforts across Central and Southern Illinois and Iowa.”
No family of a St. Jude patient ever receives a bill. St. Jude also remains the nation’s largest comprehensive childhood cancer research hospital, headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. There are seven other affiliated medical centers and fundraising offices around the country.
The 45th St. Jude Memphis to Peoria Run takes off July 29, and returns to Peoria Civic Center with the other satellite on Aug. 1. The 20th Ride is Sept. 10, and the Corvette Drive happened earlier this month. Those three Peoria area events have raised more than $120 million.
“Our team is energized by this move,” Graham added. “It reflects where we`re headed and reinforces our long-term commitment to the communities that champion the St. Jude mission,” Graham said.
WMBD TV first reported this story. You can read the original story online at CIProud.com.
