“Be the change that you want to see”.
That was a quote that has inspired me for a while now, but I didn’t really know what it meant until 2017….
In summer of 2017, my friends and I had just arrived at WingFest on a beautiful day on the riverfront. As we sat down, over the microphone came the event’s director who said they are donating tens of thousands to the charity up the street. I said to my wife Ellen, “this is pretty cool! We were happy just having beers and wings and spending a day outside and we helped do something good! Right there! Peoria needs more of this!” And that’s when she gave me that look… One that said “challenge” to me and the one that said “oh boy, here we go” to her.
But that was the moment when I remembered that quote: “be the change you want to see”. I wanted to attend more charity events that were more of a party that happens to be a fundraiser than vice versa. It was time to stop saying that it was hard to get involved in something fun and time to DO SOMETHING. Because that is what it all comes down to: if we all do SOMETHING to improve our community, we will all reap the benefits. From donating our time to helping raise millions, Peorians are a generous group. We wanted to unite all social classes to make a difference right here in our back yards. What we wanted to help do is unite the community through their love of the Peoria area to be able to physically BUILD Peoria into a better place and leave a legacy for future generations.
So, if you want to help Peoria be a better place, sign up to be a part of BUILD Peoria! If you join, you can do as much or as little as you want. There is no commitment. We just keep you informed of how you can make a difference in the community and you help BUILD something that you can show your kids one day. Plus, we have a lot of FUN along the way! Come join us at BUILD Peoria.