Along with seventeen other community foundations around the state, the Effingham County Community Foundation and the Mattoon Area Community Foundation are exploring issues critical to the quality of life in Illinois: childcare, workforce development and land use and protection. Communityworks is a regional grantmaking program designed to take on significant challenges in the Effingham and Mattoon communities. It is a joint project between the two foundations for the benefit of the larger community. But what does Communityworks mean for this region?

Communityworks provides four exciting opportunities for the two communities:

• The first is relationships - the opportunities to engage residents in issues that affect their lives and connect leaders and partnering organizations that might collaborate in new ways.
• The second is issues - the opportunity to learn about and highlight important issues on the local agenda in the areas of child care, land use and protection and workforce development.
• The third is resources - the opportunity to bring into the community a permanent source of funding for projects and nonprofit organizations addressing the emerging issues.
• The fourth is impact - the opportunity to have a real impact on how we care for children, develop workers and protect our environment.