Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.4 percent in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months the index increased 1.8 percent before seasonal adjustment, the first positive 12-month change since February 2009

Thank you to the following businesses and organizations that recently (through December 28th) renewed their membership with the Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce: AAA Chicago ~ Ace Hardware ~ Allegra Print & Imaging ~ American Cancer Society / Relay for Life ~ American Fire Service ~ Art's Ads ~ Bagley & Miller, Attorneys ~ Bard Optical ~ Champion Fitness Physical Therapy ~ Clifton Strode Insurance & Real Estate ~ Dr. Robert Ehrich, DDS ~ Elks Lodge ~ Dr. Mark Glesne, DDS ~ Golf Green Lawn Care ~ Jim Maloof Realtor ~ Johnson Mechanical Service ~ Jost, Becker & Jost ~ Knights of Columbus ~ Kriegsman Warehouses ~ McGladrey & Pullen ~ Otto Baum Company ~ Pekin Hospital ~ Pekin Park District ~ Pekin Township ~ Preston-Hanley Funeral Homes ~ Les Pulfer ~ Ray Dennison Chevrolet ~ Redbrand Credit Union ~ San Juan Pools & Spas ~ Schwartz & Miller Family Dentistry ~ Bob Small ~ Sonic America's Drive-In ~ Steger's Furniture ~ Dr. Dennis Stoller, DDS ~ Syngent...

Saturday, January 16, 2010 9:00am – 3:00pm Pekin Dragon’s Dome Don’t miss your opportunity to showcase your business or organization to thousands of area residents at the Pekin Area Business Expo ’10. This year's EXPO promises to be another great opportunity for chamber members to promote their products and services to the public. Exhibitors will receive: a 10’x10’ floor space with 8’ back drape and 3’ side drapes; one skirted table; two chairs; garbage can; free wireless internet access at the Expo; list of all vendors; list of all attendees who enter the grand prize drawing; and a listing on the map in the special EXPO ‘10 section of the Pekin Daily Times. CEFCU and Hallmark House will sponsor a free continental breakfast and hospitality room for our vendors. The Chamber will promote Expo ‘10 with advertising on Regent Broadcasting radio stations (WGLO, River Country, 105.7 The X, and Power 92.3), Comcast cable channels, an Adams Outdoor Advertising billboard, and in the Pekin Da...

You typed in “Pekin” and received 14,800,000 results! Not what you were looking for? We’ve got answers for you! Breakfast 2.0 Tips, Tricks and Info on Search Engines Friday, January 29, 2010 7:00 Breakfast; 7:30 – 8:30am Program Pekin Public Library You’ll Learn: * what the best search engines are for your business. *how to search more effectively for prospects or clients. *better ways to search out info on a idea you have for starting a new business or product. *find out how to save $$ on lists for your next fundraiser. …and much more! Cost is just $10 per person. Make reservations by calling the Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce, 346-2106

2nd Ambassadors Committee, CJ’s Café, 7:30am /8:00am 2nd Election Day - VOTE 3rd Member Promotions Committee, Chamber Office, 7:30am 3rd Executive Committee, Chamber Office, 4:00 pm 4th Pekin 1st Committee, Holiday Inn Express, 7:30 am 4th Business After Hours, Jim Maloof Realtor, 4:30~6:00 pm Reservations Appreciated 9th Member Services Comm., Chamber Office, 7:30 am 10th Transportation Committee, Pekin City Hall, 8:00 am 10th Board of Directors, Herget Bank, 4:00 pm 12th Puttin’ on Pekin Breakfast, PCHS Vocational Education Center, 6:45am Reservation Appreciated 15th President’s Day, Chamber Office Closed 23rd Business Advocacy Committee, Chamber Office, 7:00 am 24th Marigold Committee, Pekin Public Library, 5:30 pm / 6:30 pm

5th Ambassadors Committee, CJ’s Café, 7:30am /8:00am 6th Member Promotions Com., Chamber Office, 7:30am 6th Executive Committee, Chamber Office, 4:00 pm 7th Pekin 1st Committee, Holiday Inn Express, 7:30 am 7th Business After Hours, Sprint / Wireless Express 4:30~6:00 pm Reservations Appreciated 12th Member Services Com., Chamber Office, 7:30 am 13th Transportation Committee, Pekin City Hall, 8:00 am 13th Board of Directors Meeting, Herget Bank, 4:00 pm 14th Tazewell County Business After Hours, Embassy Suites, East Peoria 5:00 – 7:00 pm 16th Pekin Area Business Expo, Dragon’s Dome, 9am–3pm 18th Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Chamber Closed 21st Marigold Committee, Pekin Public Library, 5:30 pm 21st Marketing Com., District 108 Board Room, 7:30 am 26th Business Advocacy Com., Chamber Office, 7:00 am 29th Breakfast 2.0, Pekin Public Library, 7:00 am Reservations Appreciated

Business AFTER Hours Sprint / Wireless Express 3436 Court St. Thursday, January 7th 4:30—6:00 pm Take advantage of this great networking opportunity. You might start a new business relationship or meet your best customer. Enjoy the door prizes, refreshments, and visit with your friends, neighbors, and business associates. Admission is free to Chamber members ($10 for future members). Please RSVP to the Chamber at 346-2106 or e-mail us at chamber@pekin.net .

By Bill Fleming Marketing Campaign Update In the past seven years the Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce invested $175,000 in our Pekin What A Pleasant Surprise marketing campaign. We promoted the assets that make Pekin a great place to live: our schools, our health care facilities, our parks and recreational opportunities, and the overall value of our community. Our campaign used several marketing vehicles, including brochures, power point presentations and web pages. We developed these vehicles to deliver the message about Pekin to potential new residents and to the region. Our media advertising campaigns made thousands of impressions in central Illinois, influencing local and regional residents and opinion leaders. We reached out to make presentations to Realtors, clubs and organizations, and local businesses. Thousands of visitors at area home shows saw our message. Visitors, and perhaps most important, and our own residents, were reminded daily of the Pekin’s great attributes through...

Regent Broadcasting of Peoria is proud to announce that three Peoria area youth were selected as recipients of musical instrument courtesy of 105.7 The X and Flores music. In December, the radio station put out a call for submissions from listeners who have someone in their life who is deserving of a guitar or piano keyboard. Out of the many such entries received, three lucky people were chosen. In addition to the instrument, each child will also receive free music lessons at Flores Music. The students’ families and friends submitted their entries, explaining their passion for music, and opportunity to learn music with a gift of music. “It is very gratifying to give the gift of music with our terrific friends at Flores Music, these students are very excited and deserve this gift in economic hard times, I’m proud of this project, and we will do it again in 2010!” states Matt Bahan, Morning on-air talent and Operations Manager for 105.7 The X. REGENT - Peoria owns Radio stations WGLO...

The Hanna Drive extension was officially opened on December 22nd as a large crowd of people gathered for a ceremonial ribbon cutting. The half-mile extension runs east from Riverway Business Park to South 5th Street. Mayor Rusty Dunn, Congressman Aaron Schock, and State Senator Dave Koehler all spoke about the significance of the road. A diverse group of chamber, business and community leaders joined with members of the Pekin City Council and city staff for the ribbon cutting. You can see more pictures from this and other chamber events at: Http://picasaweb.google.com/PekinChamberr

Pekin's Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast for Equality will be held at 8:30 am on Saturday January 16, 2010 at Edison Junior High School, 1400 Earl Street, Pekin, IL. The public is invited. The cost is $8.00 per person, students attend free. Our speaker that morning will be Virnette House-Browning, Executive Athletic Director of Bradley University.

Pekin Hospital is pleased to announce Cheri Lawrence, RN, CCRN, has been named Nursing Director of ICU/CCU. Lawrence has been a dedicated employee of Pekin Hospital since 2000, where she has held positions as Staff Nurse, Charge RN for CCU, and her most recent position, Clinical Supervisor of CCU/7N. She graduated from Methodist Medical Center School of Nursing in 1986. She received her CCRN certification in 2004 and continues to maintain that certification every three years. Jo Ellen Patterson, RN, MS, Vice President of Nursing, says, “Cheri has done an outstanding job as a Clinical Supervisor over the past two years. We were very happy to promote her to this position.” As Director of ICU/CCU, Lawrence will work closely with physicians and staff to help develop and direct processes that assure the highest quality of patient care for the people in the communities we serve. Lawrence is a member of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. In her spare time, she enjoys spending...

Member from the East Peoria, Morton, Pekin and Washington Chambers of Commerce are invited to attend a county-wide Business After Hours on Thursday, January 14th from 5:00 - 7:00pm at the Embassy Suites in East Peoria. The event is sponsored by Fondulac Bank, the Embassy Suites, and the chambers of commerce in Tazewell County.

The Pekin Public Library is partnering with the Turner Center for Entrepreneurship (at Bradley University), the City of Pekin, Pekin Main Street and the Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce to present a programming series on how to start your own business in Pekin. The first in the series will be Tuesday, Jaunuary 19 at 6:00 p.m. titled “How to Start a Business in Illinois.” The second program will be held Tuesday, February 9 at 6:00 titled “Writing a Business Plan.” Both programs are about 2 1/2 hours in length. For more information, or to register, please call the Reference Desk at 347-7111 ext. 2.

Champion Fitness Physical Therapy would like to congratulate the newest members of the President’s Council: Danielle Edens, ATC of the Minonk and Streator clinics, Kristin Weiland, PTA of the Minonk clinic, and Luke Thompson, ATC of the Dwight and Pontiac clinics. These newest council members’ hard work and dedication have helped us make Champion Fitness Physical Therapy a great place to “GET BUSY LIVING!” Find out more about our knowledgeable and caring staff, located in 15 clinics across central Illinois at www.champfit.com

Please welcome J & J Consulting Firm as a member of the Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce. J & J Consulting Firm (309) 208-0767 Josh Hafliger and Justin Riley, owners josh82600@hotmail.com www.yourconsultingplace.com . Open by appointment. J & J Consulting Firm provides business and residential computer repair and networking. They also provide sound production for bands, concerts, stage shows, productions, etc.

SPRINT Customer Appreciation Day!!!!!!! December 19, 2009 Sprint wants to thank the Pekin community for doing business with us for over 2 years. Come and get 25% off any accessories. Enjoy hot chocolate and cookies with us. WIN DOOR PRIZES!!!! Come and help Sprint to: · Support our Veterans by giving donations. · Support the Bark & Purr Pet Pantry by giving pet food donations. We appreciate your business!!!!!!

The Pekin Public Library podcasts the audio from many of their programs and events as well as other community events. A recent addition to their menu is the Chamber's 12th Annual Business and Community Recognition Luncheon featuring the keynote address from Bradley President Joanne Glasser. You can find this and other programs on the PePOD page at: http://www.pekinpubliclibrary.org/index.php/pepod/

Please welcome to the chamber Great Clips For Hair, located at 3412 Veterans Drive, Pekin, IL 61554; (309) 346-5700; fax 800-691-2496; Dave Hands, owner. david.hands@greatclips.net ; www.greatclips.com ; Open Monday through Friday, 9am-9pm; Saturday, 9am-6pm; and Sunday, 10am-5pm. The least expensive haircuts in town by the most experienced stylists around! You'll get a great $12 adult and $10 kids/seniors haircut by only experienced stylists. Just walk right in without an appointment seven days a wee and you'll see why Great Clips is the #1 hair care provider in America. Great Clips is locally owned by David and Tanja (Wistehuff) Hands, originally from the Manito area. Also, visit their salons in East Peoria, Peoria and Normal.

Illinois American Water has completed its 2009 United Way employee-giving campaign, raising over $76,400 for United Way agencies across the state. Employee pledges and corporate donations increased by $3,500 over the company's 2008 United Way campaign. Illinois American Water employees volunteered to coordinate the local United Way campaigns in their communities, which ran through the month of October in every Illinois American Water district, from as far south as Cairo to as far north as South Beloit. Volunteers hosted informational meetings, offered bake sales and organized casual days and other events to raise funds and complete the successful campaign. "Illinois American Water has supported United Way for over 75 years," said Karla Olson Teasley, president of Illinois American Water. "Each year I am impressed by the generosity of our employees. Through United Way, we are able to touch the lives of individuals in the communities we serve everyday." Unit...

The Methodist College of Nursing announced its December graduating class. 2009 graduates were honored in ceremonies Saturday, December 14, 2009 at the College of Nursing on St. Marks Court in Peoria. Featured speaker for the ceremony was Jehan Gordon, State Representative from the 92nd District. Graduating students receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing included: December, 2009 Graduates Larry Davis II of Bloomington, Il. Brandon Houston of Normal, Il. Kimberly Hunter of Normal, Il. Brittiany Phillips of Normal, Il. Danielle Brownfield of Peoria, Il. Amanda Kline of Havana, Il. Marci Malec of Washburn, Il. (Dean’s and President’s List) Daniah Robb of Peoria, Il. Ellyn Jarvis of Canton, Il. Krystal Draher of Pekin, Il. (Dean’s List) Dana Feigum of No. Pekin, Il. (Dean’s List) Melissa Glass of Pekin, Il. (President’s List and Honor Society) Susan Collister of Peoria, Il. Brooke Forbes of Delavan, Il. ...

J.R. Greeley, Market Manager and Bob Swinehart, Director of Sales for REGENT BROADCASTING OF PEORIA, are proud to announce that November's Employee of the Month is Donna Bennet and Sales Representative of the Month is Chris Koller. "Chris has used his talents & enthusiasm for radio in contributing to our success in Peoria," states Bob Swinehart. "His growth in the sales department has been impressive!" Mr. Koller is a Peoria native. Chris spent 2 years as the First Assistant Golf Professional at Arrowhead Country Club in Edelstein, IL. Prior to that, Chris managed Kelleher’s Irish Pub in Peoria. “Donna is a key player in the Accounting function here at Regent - she contributes each day to our receivables and collections efforts and somehow manages to provide information to our employees on a timely basis. In all ways, Donna is a team player and we’re delighted that she’s on our team,” says Diane Burden, Business Manage...

ProCare, Pekin Hospital’s affiliated durable home medical equipment company, has achieved the Award of Accreditation from the Healthcare Quality Association on Accreditation, based in Waterloo, Iowa. This award is achieved only when home medical equipment companies demonstrate a high level of quality practices in their business operations and patient care techniques. ProCare earned the three-year accreditation after completing a comprehensive application that focuses on patient care, financial stability, and a commitment to quality operational practices and procedures. Accreditation by the Healthcare Quality Association on Accreditation assures Medicare and other payers that the highest levels of quality are practiced within all areas of the company. “We sought accreditation by the Healthcare Quality Association on Accreditation to demonstrate that our company is committed to providing excellent patient care and safety in a financially solvent environment,” says Scott Haynes, Director ...

Two awards were presented at a gathering of the Methodist Medical Center Foundation President’s Society held on Thursday, December 10, 2009 in the Atrium Lobby at Methodist Medical Center. The President’s Award, given for service to the hospital, was presented to Aubrey Atkinson. Mr. Atkinson has been a volunteer at Methodist since 1993. Since then he has contributed 16,600 hours of service, the equivalent of eight years of full-time employment with no time off. A native of Bartonville, Mr. Atkinson has volunteered in every area of the hospital from patient escort to lab deliveries. The Ward H. Eastman Award is given for professional excellence and service by a physician. Named in honor of Dr. Ward Eastman, this award has been presented annually since 1997. Dr. Charles C. Egley was presented with this award, in recognition of his status as one of the top 3% of all physicians in the United States as determined by Boston-based Best Doctors Inc. A perinatologist who deals with high-...

Methodist Medical Center has announced the December, 2009 Employees of the Month. Their peers in the areas of patient care, nursing, and non-nursing support recognize three separate employees. The three selected were Karin Maybanks, RN of Peoria Heights selected for the category of Nursing. She works with the Pekin In-School Health program. Also selected was Dan Ferguson of Peoria for non-nursing support. Dan works in Food Services. And for the category of Patient Care, Kelly Kentzel of Chillicothe was selected. She works in Nuclear Medicine. All three will be honored at a hospital reception on Wednesday, December 16, 2009.

CEFCU's Board Of Directors is pleased to announce that an extraordinary dividend of $7 million has been distributed to CEFCUmember/owners. This dividend was based on members' savings and loan activity during the year 2009, with $3.5 million going to borrowers and $3.5 million going to savers. The amount each member received was determined by dividends earned and interest paid during the first 11 months of the year, as of November 30, 2009. On December 14, dividends were deposited to members' Savings accounts. Since 2000, CEFCU has returned $40 million in extraordinary dividends to members. CEFCU Board Chairman, Reed Stuedemann, stated, "I'm extremely pleased to announce that, even in the challenging economic climate of 2009, CEFCU remained strong and provided over 265,000 member/owners with a safe financial shelter. Results such as that only validate the superior value and sustainability of CEFCU's member-owned cooperative business model, where borrowers h...

Representatives of the Board of Directors and the Ambassadors of the Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce recently held a ribbon cutting to welcome Time For You Salon to the chamber. Owner Sue Lance, and Angie Bennett, Deb McKeown, and Joy Evans were joined by their friends and family for the event. Located across from Pekin Insurance at 2506 Court, Time For You Salon offers cutting, color, hi lites, low lites, perms, updos, styling, wax, pedicures, manicures, gel polish, scalp massage, and high fashion color. They are open Tuesday through Saturday, 10am to 6pm.

Named No. 5 in Illinois, doubling its 2009 dollar production from the prior year Associated Bank moved to No. 13 in the nation for Small Business Administration (SBA) lending in fiscal 2009, up from No. 23 in fiscal 2008. In Illinois, Associated Bank moved to the number five spot for fiscal 2009 from number nine in 2008. From Oct. 1, 2008 to Sept. 30, 2009, Associated Bank made 69 SBA 7(a) loans to Illinois small businesses for a total value of more than $9 million. "Small businesses create jobs and help drive economic growth," said Associated Bank Regional President Gary Schaefer. “We continue to work closely with our small business clients and the SBA to find the right solutions for their needs.” Associated Bank was named the No. 1 SBA lender in Wisconsin for the fifth consecutive year in fiscal 2009. The company was recognized as the No. 3 SBA lender in Minnesota. In 2009, more than 160 new jobs were created and approximately 2,600 existing jobs were retained as a resu...

Associated Bank announced today that it is providing its Illinois customers with expanded access to surcharge-free ATMs. Through separate agreements with the STARsf® and MoneyPass® networks, Associated’s Illinois customers can use any of more than 2,000 ATM locations in Illinois, as well as nearly 50,000 ATM locations worldwide, without paying ATM surcharges. This expanded access to surcharge-free ATM locations is available to Associated Bank customers with current relationship checking accounts opened in Illinois. These Illinois customers will not pay any Associated ATM fees or ATM surcharge fees when they use ATMs in the STARsf and MoneyPass networks. Customers can find the closest surcharge-free ATM by visiting www.associatedatm.com . “We are pleased to offer cardholders the greater convenience of more locations and the additional benefit of surcharge-free ATMs when using either of these two networks,” said David Stein, executive vice president and director of retail banking for A...

Members of the Board of Directors and the Ambassadors of the Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce recently welcomed Gary Simpson of Acorn Properties and Investments as a new chamber member. Acorn Properties and Investments is a real estate investment company dealing in residential rentals, home purchases and remodeling.

Members of the Board of Directors and the Ambassadors of the Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce recently welcomed John Vespa as a new chamber member. He is a Peoria attorney who is seeking the Republican nomination for judge in the 10th Judicial Circuit. He is running for the seat that is being vacated by his oldest brother, The Honorable Judge Joe Vespa. John was born and raised in Peoria and has practiced both civil and criminal law in his private practice for the past 18 years. A former Police Officer, John is also an active volunteer in The Special Olympics, The LAMP Program that provides free legal aid to active duty military families, and is a coach and sponsor of multiple Park District and Christian Center Sports Teams.

Over 100 people attended the December 11th Puttin' On Pekin breakfast at the KC Hall. John Harmon won the early prize and Fred Lawrence accepted the late prize. The Blue Ribbon Award was presented to Jac's Dog House and the Spotlight on Business Award was presented to the Chateau on the Lake. Entertainment was provided by the Illinois Central College Vocal Jazz Ensemble. Congratulations to the winners of the big year end door prize drawings: Bill Link, Gregg Ratliff, Billie Moore, Dave Calhoun, Libby Holbrook and Dave Shields.

The Pekin Public Library will be honoring the retirement of longtime library employee Mary Alyce Hofsess with a public reception on Wednesday, January 6 from 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. in the library's Youth Services Department. Mary Alyce Hofsess, who has served the library for 23 years, has recently announced her retirement from her position as Head of Youth Services. The public is invited to this reception in her honor. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, please call Lori Parkin at the library at 347-7111.

Methodist Medical Center in Peoria announces two new staff changes. Joy Ledbetter of Hanna City has been named as Service Line Director for Human Resource services effective December 1, 2009. She most recently served as Director of Business and Human Resource Services for the Methodist College of Nursing and prior to that served as a Human Resource Service Benefit Specialist. Joy Ledbetter has been with Methodist since September of 1999. Doug Shambaugh of Peoria has been named Director of Human Resource Service for the Methodist College of Nursing effective December 7, 2009. Doug previously served as Human Resource Specialist. He was been with Methodist for 21 years.

Members of the Board of Directors of the Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce held their annual Christmas party on December 9th. The chamber staff, former board presidents, and spouses were also invited. The event was hosted by Mike and Patty Vonderheide. The guests brought stuffed animals which will be donated to the Tazewell County Children's Advocacy Center. A Christmas sing-a-long was led by Val & Greg Springborn, Rich and Nancy Kriegsman and Dan Taylor.

Mobile Mammography Schedule January-2010 The following is the schedule for the Methodist Medical Center Mobile Mammography Van for the month of January 2010. Methodist now features all digital mammography equipment providing improved, faster and more comfortable exams. January 4-Dr. E Rufus-12123 W. Farmington Road-Hanna City January 5-Methodist at Morton-1909 N. Morton Ave.-Morton January 6-Methodist Medical Group at Chillicothe-525 Sweetbriar-Chillicothe January 13-Cherry Tree Shopping Mall-Washington January 15-Methodist Medical Group at Farmington-158 E. Fulton-Farmington January 16-Wal-Mart-Allen Road-Peoria January 18-Taft Homes-Peoria January 19-Methodist at Morton-1909 N. Morton Ave.-Morton January 20-Methodist at M. Hawley-7725 N. Knoxville-Peoria January 27-Methodist at Pekin-1800 Broadway-Pekin January 20-Wal-Mart-Canton There is no need for a doctor’s order for a screening mammogram if you’re 40 or over. If your are uninsured or underinsured, tell us when you call for an a...

On Monday, December 14th at 4:30PM, Power 92.3 (WZPW-FM) will make a blanket donation to three area charities in the lobby of the Little Caesars Pizza on Sterling Ave. during the closing ceremony of the “Power Blanket’s Peoria” charity drive. The drive was designed to collect new blankets that will be donated to the Southside Mission, Crittenton Center and Children’s Home to assist in keeping people warm this winter. “The response from our listeners has been overwhelming.” Power 92.3 Program Director Jason Parkinson said. “We can’t thank the community enough for helping us provide warmth for so many.” New blankets can still be donated at RadioPlex in Downtown Peoria and at Little Caesar’s Pizza locations in Peoria and Pekin. The blankets will be donated on Monday, December 14th during a ceremony at Little Caesars Pizza on Sterling Ave. at 4:30PM. Regent Broadcasting of Peoria Vice President & Market Manager J.R. Greeley says “Central Illinois is always so generous this time of yea...

The following are times and locations for free public screenings offered by Methodist Medical Center during March 2010. Taking you well into the future. Free Cholesterol, Blood Pressure, and Spirometry Thursday, March 4, 2010 9:00-11:00 Essential Pharmacy-Peoria Tuesday, March 9, 2010 8:00-10:00 Mainstreet Café-Avon Wednesday, March 17, 2010 8:00-10:00 Riverview Retirement Facility Friday, March 26, 2010 8:00-10:00 Heartland Healthcare-Canton 9:00-11:00 Great Clips-Pekin Tuesday, March 30, 2010 9:00-11:00 First Choice Medical Equipment Wednesday, March 31, 2010 8:00-11:00 YWCA-Pekin A 12-hour fast is required for cholesterol screenings. For additional information call 672-5904 or for a look at our complete screening schedule, visit the Event Calendar at www.mymethodist.net

SAVE THE DATE!!!! The Tazewell County Children's Advocacy Center's Trivia Night 2010 will be on Friday, April 16, 2010 at 6pm at the Embassy Suites in East Peoria. More fun; great cause! Hope to see you there!

Methodist Medical Group has added Dr. Erin Martin to its staff of physicians serving the Canton area. Dr. Martin will be working at the Methodist at Canton practice at 2076 N. Main Street in Canton. She specializes in Family Medicine and graduated from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield and completed her Family Medicine Residency at Methodist. Dr. Martin is accepting new patients at Methodist at Canton by calling 647-6090.

Fifteen Nurses at Methodist Medical Center have recently completed special training for nurse specialty certifications. Kathy Fauth of Peoria and Cindy Pedersen of Bartonville passed their Hyperbaric exam, provided through the Baromedical Nurses Association. Ronold Brown of Peoria and Amanda Behrends of Chillicothe passed their Trauma Nurse Specialist (TNS) exam through the State of Illinois. Annie Kantz of West Peoria and Candace Phelps of Peoria completed their requirements for Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN) awarded through the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. Isabel Bales of Farmington passed her Nurse Practitioner exam (ACNP) awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Melinda Gangloff-Hickey of Peoria passed her Ostomy exam (COCN) awarded through the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Certification Board. Carol Pitcher of Peoria completed her Professional Development exam (RN-BC) awarded through the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Sheila Leininger of M...

Chamber members and their guests enjoyed the holiday hospitality of Pekin Hospital as they hosted the December Business After Hours. Pekin Hospital CEO Kevin Andrews also gave a brief update on several initiatives and projects at the hospital. You can see more pictures from this and other chamber events at: http://picasaweb.google.com/PekinChamber

Please welcome another new member to the Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce: Avanti's Ristorante 3610 Kelly Avenue Pekin, IL 61554 (309) 346-3400 fax 346-3402 http://www.avantispeoria.com/ avantisops@comcast.net Albert Zeller, owner; Stefan Zeller, Director of Operations Open daily from 10:30am to 10:00pm, Avanti's Ristorante is a full service restaurant offering a large dining room, private dining room, along with banquet services. They also offer carry-out and catering services.

The students of Suzuki Strings will be performing at the Pekin District 108, School of Music, Annual Suzuki Strings Christmas Concert on December 10. The concert will begin at 6:30p.m. in the Patricia Hackler Auditorium, Washington School, Pekin. The Suzuki Strings program began in 1973 through the efforts of Mrs. Patricia Hackler. Its purpose is to develop the students’ performance and listening skills to become responsible and well-rounded individuals. The Suzuki Strings program currently has over 100 students enrolled in the program. The Suzuki Strings instructors are Laura Balaban, cello and violin, Mary Billner, violin, viola and bass, Leslie Koons, violin, and Jan White, violin. The concert is free and open to the public.