Photo by Ellen Ferrera
A Little Time is all it Takes
SES Mentoring Program Poppy Graham (l) and mentor, Janet Pasley.

Extending A Helping Hand

By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress

My assignment today is to interview Poppy Graham, social worker with Sullivan Elementary School. As she ushers me into her tiny office I notice that her door is covered with children’s drawings-almost all of them expressing love for Mrs. Graham.

Don’t we all remember the first teacher with whom we fell in love?

She offers me a seat and affectionately begins to describe her mentoring program which has 24 children in grades K through 5.

“These are children who need extra love, support both emotionally and academically, and someone to help facilitate their personal growth,” Graham said. “They are identified by either me or their teacher, and we then ask permission from the parents to pair them with a mentor.”

The program was actually begun by two other teachers, and Graham has been with it for six years.

The mentors are usually retired teachers or other people in the community who meet once a week with their wards during PE or music classes so they don’t miss regular classroom work.  Read More

Susan Love

•December 28, 2016•

C.E.F.S. Economic Opportunity Corporation announced the hiring of Susan Love of Mattoon as the Central Illinois Public Transit (CIPT) Program Director. As CIPT Director Love will serve as a key member of the agency’s management team and will be responsible for the day-to-day leadership and operation of the C.E.F.S. Central Illinois Public Transit and Effingham County Public Transportation Programs. Love will ensure effective program accountability, oversight, leadership, and performance outcomes of the transit operations with funders, grant recipients, partners, local communities and most importantly with the riders.

Love had previously been employed at Camp New Hope in Mattoon as the executive director responsible for day to day oversight and leadership of the not for profit agency. Prior to that position she was employed by Addus Healthcare in Charleston as the agency director responsible for leadership, program development, oversight and management of staff. Prior to that position, Love was employed at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Systems in Mattoon as a clinical applications specialist. Love obtained her Bachelor of Science degree at Millikin University in Management and Organizational Leadership and her master’s degree from Eastern Illinois University in technology with an emphasis on training and development. Read More