Molinalogo

06/29/2019

MolinaHealthcare of Illinois presented alocal unsung hero with its Community Champions Award at the annual event celebratingoutstanding leaders and advocates for underserved populations in the localcommunity. Marilyn Grant was selected as the 2019 Southern Illinois CommunityChampion for her outstanding work addressing homelessness in the region. She receiveda trophy and a $5,000 grant to donate back to the nonprofit she works with,Project Compassion, NFP.

Over 14 years ago, Marilyn Grant startedworking with Project Compassion, NFP as a volunteer and today leads theirvolunteer coordination and office operations. She dedicates 30 hours a week tothe organization where she processes and trains incoming volunteers, collectsand organizes donations for the organization and does everything in her powerto ensure that families in need can access the resources and support ProjectCompassion has to offer. As a result, every month approximately 100 clients areserved through the organization and receive necessities such as diapers, food,hygiene products and other basic supplies that are difficult to access due totheir situation.

Molina Healthcare of Illinois selectedMarilyn as the 2019 Community Champion given the incredible impact she makes onpeople experiencing homelessness in Illinois. To empower Marilyn and ProjectCompassion to continue helping local residents, Molina presented a $5,000 grantto the organization. 

In addition to honoring Marilyn, theevent focused on the importance of community volunteers, organizations andpartners and the role they play in helping Molina fulfill its mission ofproviding quality care to people in need. Molina also highlighted itsrelationship with a key provider partner, Southern Illinois Healthcare andpresented a $2,500 grant to support their involvement in the CarbondaleFarmer’s Market Double Value Program. This initiative was started by theJackson County Health Department and University of Illinois along with SouthernIllinois Healthcare and in 2018, served more than 1,239 people by providingfresh produce. Additionally, this program benefits local farmers and promotescommunity involvement in the Southern Illinois region.