Grants Update

The Morris Community Foundation board of directors is pleased to announce a grant of $5,000 to Illinois Valley Industries (IVI) for their campaign to raise $27,000 for air conditioning in their facility on Third Avenue in Morris.

Grants Update

The Morris Community Foundation board of directors is pleased to announce a grant of $5,000 to Illinois Valley Industries (IVI) for their campaign to raise $27,000 for air conditioning in their facility on

On September 23^rd, Bonnie Joneson, coordinator of the air conditioning fundraising campaign, called to tell MCF that they raised 100% of their goal in record time – only six months!  Because the fundraising was going so well in June, the IVI board approved the installation of the air conditioning in July.

As you may know, IVI provides jobs, job skills training, and other life skills training for adults with developmental disabilities.  However, their facility is a big metal building that gets quite hot in the summer, which makes it difficult for some of the employees with varying health problems.  The new air conditioning is a new technology where, instead of traditional metal ductwork and vents, the cold air is pumped through long canvas tubes suspended from the ceiling.  The canvas allows the air to escape through the tiny holes in the fabric, which then dissipates generally throughout the air.  This alleviates the old problem of the cold air blowing through vents and creating cold spots in one area and leaving hot spots in others.

This technology is really a sight to see, so please feel free to call Kandy Cassetto, executive director of IVI, for a tour of the facility!