The Illinois Great Rivers Alliance, LLC

On November 28, 2007, the Illinois Great Rivers Alliance, LLC (IGRA) was officially formed by 5 United Methodist social service agencies in central and southern Illinois. The Alliance is governed by representatives of the 5 owner agencies: United Methodist Children’s Home, The Babyfold, Chaddock, Cunningham Children’s Home and Lessie Bates David Neighborhood House.

This event was celebrated at the Illinois Great Rivers Conference Center in Springfield with Bishop Sharon A. Brown Christopher in attendance, along with several employees and board members from the Alliance agencies.

The Alliance was created to strengthen the collective impact of the agencies’ work for children and families. The alliance in no way impacts the independent functioning of any of the agencies. Rather, it enhances the connectional strength of our United Methodist heritage by offering numerous opportunities for operational efficiencies, collaborative program development, and further outreach to the church family.

The collective strength of this alliance is in the combined impact numbers of all 5 agencies:

  • 75 programs serving children and their families
  • More than $50 million in net assets
  • More than $4 million in benevolent care provided annually
  • More than 800 staff members
  • Provides programmatic services throughout central and southern Illinois

The Illinois Great Rivers alliance has targeted three key areas of collaboration:

  • Operational Efficiencies
  • Programmatic Collaboration
  • Outreach to Church family

The Board of the Alliance will meet to address priorities and monitor progress. The Alliance has formed workgroups, which will draw on the expertise of staff from all agencies. The Alliance Board members will report back to respective agency Board of Directors regarding programs and outcomes that extend their impact by working collectively.

The forming of the Illinois Great Rivers Alliance, LLC is significant because the United Methodist heritage and faith-based values of the five agencies allow them to have a common voice in many areas. The Alliance can extend the impact for children and families by approaching opportunities or areas of concern as a collective unit. Finally, from a stewardship perspective, it allows the members to maximize their resources in carrying out their individual missions.