- Will you consider this, especially ladies, when we put ourselves together, it's basically a construction project, right?

Be honest.

I'm Christine Zak-Edmonds.

We check out a magazine for women, by women, as well as a refresher on nonprofits in our area.

(gentle, cheerful music) Sometimes the urge tickles and niggles at you and that's exactly what happened to Elizabeth Hinnen and Mary Delgado and they went headstrong into Construction Beauty magazine, a very different approach to womanhood and all the stuff that we do.

So, you started this last fall, and why?

Why did you wanna do a magazine during COVID?

- That's a great question.

And it was actually a combination of a couple different things that had happened.

It first started out as a project, I'm a cosmetologist and I have been for 10 years, and there was just his common reoccurrence with women, you know, they sit in their chair and they tell you about everything and it's just, there's always these struggles, you know, not feeling as pretty as they should, or maybe the right weight that they wanna be at and we keep waiting to arrive, right?

We keep being like, "When I reach my goal weight, "when I feel pretty, when," or, "back in the day, this," and I just, I found it so frustrating, you know, and I'm like, "You are beautiful.

"You are amazing, you have so much to offer."

And I wanted them to realize it and to help in more than that hour and a half time in my chair.

And so this project started out as wanting to take really beautiful photos and combining hair and makeup and make the woman feel beautiful in this journey of life she was in currently.

And then COVID happened.

So (laughing) we went from, you know, our daily life, everything, obviously, was shut down, but we turned more to sweatpants and leggings and not really getting all dolled up, even more so.

And so it kind of, it had me kind of reevaluate, you know, I still started taking some photos and having some fun with it, and I just thought, "This isn't enough," you know?

I wanted to make it look like a magazine cover and in COVID, when we had some time to think, I thought, you know, "What if, what if it could be more?

"What if it could be a magazine?"

And dared to dream a little bit bigger and I took the idea to Mary and she was so supportive and so exciting and she just really helped take it from that seed into an actual idea and then-- - So Mary, you're the older sister, one of 'em, what is your background?

She's cosmetologist and?

- That's a great question too.

I have been mostly involved in writing and editing.

Long time ago, acting and music and so taking, really, my love of story, and my love of connecting people, I think that's really what I could offer her is, "I can help you craft these stories "as your writers bring in their articles, "and as they are trying to make their voice heard, "I can help with that."

So that's my job, as the editor of Construction Beauty magazine.

- So, how do we come up with the name, Construction Beauty?

I mean, it's very different, you wouldn't know to, just by the name of it, you see the cover and there's a, you know, very attractive women on the covers and things, but the name, I don't know.

How did you do that?

- Again, combination of a couple of things.

I loved your introduction and that's, honestly, part of it.

We are all in a different journey of where we feel beautiful, you know, kind of like construction.

Sometimes we need little upkeeps, sometimes we need a re-haul, sometimes, but we're always working towards something-- - [Christine] Sometimes we need a dump.

- Yeah.

(women laughing) And just finding beauty in that process.

And then the other thing, too, is I wanted something that would stand out.

I wanted something that would be its own, it's own identity.

It's hard to find something different in beauty to where you type it in and, you know, you don't get, you know, sift through the 50 pages to find it.

And so, I love the uniqueness of it and I love the meaning behind it as well.

- Okay, and she talked you into that and it was pretty easy sell?

- She knew what she wanted from the beginning.

She had her vision, she had her mission and I jumped on board.

- Well then, where did you find some of your contributors?

Did you put an ad out for them?

What exactly did you do?

I mean, it's obviously a lot of contact, people sitting in your chairs probably too, right?

- Yeah, so it started with our conversation and then talking about what we would like and what we would like to see and then who do we know that would, you know, fit that mold or maybe would be excited about it.

And our first call was Mary Burton, she's our fearless cook, and, you know, just all nervous, just to talk about this idea.

And we called her up, she's like, "That is fantastic, I am in, let me know what you need."

And that was our first person.

And then we just kind of followed the breadcrumb trail to, we talked to this woman, she said, "Oh, you have to talk to so-and-so."

We talked to that woman, and she would lead us to five more women.

And it was amazing to see who God put in our path for us to be able to bring into this project.

- So not too many headaches or nightmares or anything?

- [Elizabeth Hinnen] No, all perfect, no struggles.

(women laughing) - And you did, I mean, you launched the first one, were you still pregnant at the time?

- Oh my goodness, so I was in the hospital, having my daughter, when we were supposed to turn everything in.

And so when I came home, I came home with her and the first issue was delivered a day later.

So I have a picture of my daughter in the first issue.

So I said, "I have twins."

(women laugh) - You basically do.

All right, so we have about five minutes left, where do you get this magazine, where do you pick it up?

- So we currently have it at V and E Studio, right on Brandywine Drive-- - [Christine] Because you're the E of the V and E-- - Yep, yep, no plug there.

It is at Leonardo's on War Memorial-- - [Christine] Okay, that's another family-owned business.

- True.

Not pulling in any favors at all.

And then we have Primitiques on Main, and the Picker's Daughter in East Peoria.

- Okay, good good good, and what has the feedback been from people who have picked it up and, are they calling you with suggestions or other places to have it available for readership, for followers?

- The response, I think, has been really positive.

It's been really exciting.

And when people sit down and read it, they're getting a lot out of the content.

It's been called everything from beautiful to disruptive, believe it or not, that it's making a splash, it's making a difference, and hopefully that impact and that ripple will go much farther.

- What are you most looking forward to then, in the near future, let's say the next year?

You'll be celebrating an anniversary in September?

- [Women] Mmhmm.

- So what do you look forward to from that point, making it to the first year?

- Right.

- Yeah.

- [Christine] For starters?

- Honestly, the best part of this, and that I don't see changing, has been getting to know women in our area and getting to have experiences like this and to see and hear everyone's story.

It just makes, at least my world, that much more exciting and that much more inspiring and it's been really, (chuckles) it's been really fun.

- Mmhmm.

- So.

- For you, the brains behind the operation, and you're the vision behind, or the, the visionary with the pictures and things.

Is that what you look forward to also?

- She's the brains.

- Well, not the brains, I like the words, I put the words together.

I am looking forward to just growing.

I think, as people become more and more aware of what's available in this product, which is just a reflection of what's available here, in our community and what the women and the small businesses have to offer here, I'm just looking forward to that growth and that impact.

- Yeah, well that's really noble of both of you and I hope you don't suffer any headaches or anymore headaches or anything.

So we're all published local, everything is written local, published and-- - Printed local, yeah.

- Printed, well that's good.

And did you know how to do that before you started all this or that was just another learning curve?

- We've learned a lot.

- Mmhmm, mmhmm.

- [Christine] Yeah, what else is there left to learn or do you have any idea?

- Oh I'm sure a lot.

(laughing) - The more you know, the more we realize we don't know.

So it's been one of those, but we have had an amazing team.

Lime Light and Chili Coffee has been so fantastic in helping us through this whole project.

I feel like they've taken us under their wing and really-- - Yeah, they're not just a design team, but they've taken us on, like they're our mentors-- - Mmhmm.

- And they've been amazing.

- Well that's nice, that's rewarding.

- Yeah.

- It really is.

- Well I congratulate you on all this.

I look forward to picking up a couple more copies and flipping through because it is, it's beautifully done.

So congratulations, ladies.

- Thank you.

- Okay, thanks for being here.

And Construction Beauty, how'd I do?

(women laugh) To continue with Peoria magazine's comprehensive collection of non and not-for-profits in Central Illinois, we check in with Tom Zimmerman, WTVP's director of philanthropic relations.

Tom, good to see you.

- Good to see you as well.

- [Christine] You've been a busy guy.

- We sure have been.

It's been a wonderful, I've been here for a little over a year and we've been very busy with the most recent launch of the Peoria magazine.

- And it is a different look, a different everything, but it came together pretty well, in just a couple of months.

- And in just a couple months, actually yes, there's been a large team of people all working on this together.

We've got the great writers, we've got the great editor, and all the staff behind the scenes that don't get any credit, but should get credit, all really pulled together to get this up and ready to go and we are all very, very proud of it and looking forward to continuing to grow and build on the strengths of what it is.

- So one thing about Peoria magazine is that it had several different, specific issues and we're going to continue that as well, the 40 under 40, the Women in Leadership, that sort of thing?

- Absolutely, Women of Influence, 40 Leaders Under 40, we have Local Legends as well as the Community Impact Guide.

- Right, and that's what I'd like to speak to you about because that'll be coming out for the summer and explain to people what that all entails because maybe they had never seen that issue before.

- Sure, well the Community Impact Guide will be bundled together with our May issue.

So it won't be a separate posting, it'll simply come with the magazine.

And what that is, is it's an opportunity to highlight all the great work that our Greater Peoria area nonprofits are doing.

So, if you will, I've spent, prior to coming here, I've spent my whole life working for nonprofits.

So getting that kind of exposure is invaluable for everybody.

- Mmhmm.

- What the magazine does is it gives a brief profile of each organization, tells about how to contact them, a little bit about who they are, what their mission is, and what it does then, it brings our readers the information that they may seek out those services from those organizations.

They may be looking for opportunities for volunteering or there are those who may want to do all of the above as well as donate to these organizations.

So it's a broad way of getting a great amount of information out there, and the idea is also to help foster relations between them.

In addition to the guide, on May 2nd, we will have a Community Impact Guide function here at the studio in which, again, this is going to be all these different nonprofits getting to talk together and find out some different ways of best utilizing those limited resources that we have out there.

Our grant makers will be there, potential donors will be there, and looking for those opportunities for collaboration.

It's all about providing services for the people here in our area-- - Mmhmm.

- We already know Peoria and the Greater Peoria Area is a great place to live, work and play, and all of these organizations help make it much better-- - Mmhmm.

- And help fill in, not only for the specific services they have, but the other gaps that we have in the social services throughout the area.

So wonderful opportunity.

Now this is not, the guide is not limited, simply, to one or two organizations, we have over 50 right now.

We're hoping to get a few more, maybe a lot more-- - Okay.

- Into the (mutters) magazine and this will be a springboard, I think, for a renewal in what's been going on with our nonprofits.

I think most people know that nonprofits took a big hit during the COVID years-- - Correct.

- We had people who weren't able to come to different services, whether it was for medical reasons or health services or other functions that nonprofits weren't able to provide because of the restrictions, and because of the close, interpersonal contact people had, but now that things are opening up again, this is, again, remind everybody that these great organizations are out there.

- Life goes on.

- Absolutely.

- And it's interesting to do the networking and the collaboration because nonprofits, sometimes, I guess, the perception is, maybe they're a little territorial.

And there's no reason for that.

It's good to have them connecting with one another and for all of us to know what they're doing and how those services are available.

What is available to all of us?

- Absolutely, I couldn't agree with you more.

You know, my background, as I mentioned, in nonprofits, I worked in international, humanitarian relief in Africa and the Middle East, and there wasn't a day, going by, where I wasn't interacting with other NGOs, we specialized in certain things, they specialized in other things, but to provide the assistance that we needed for individuals in Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, the different places that I worked, it was invaluable that we could get together and actually combine our resources together to have a much greater impact.

And although it may not be as dramatic as Ethiopia or Somalia, that same impact we can still have that same kind of bigger impact on the people that we're trying to help by doing this kind of collaboration.

- Do you see any specific areas where we're really lacking with all of your experience, or have suggestions for how to get that bug in that bonnet?

(Tom laughs) - Well I think donors are a savvy group of people and they understand that collaboration, we're no longer an island unto ourselves.

Things are interactive and they're looking for those organizations that actually have a genuine collaboration spirit as well as practical implementation.

But if you will, it's hard to see where we are because I'm not a beneficiary of a lot of the different services that are out there.

Remember, a lot of the nonprofits are on entertainment, environment, even our four-legged friends-- - Mmhmm.

- Health.

So there's quite a number of them out there and a rich bed on which, you know, which we will be sowing the seeds for these services, but the interaction we have is where you may find a number of youth-related organizations or youth-focused organizations.

It makes sense that they would collaborate to work together.

When you have health related services and things like that, one would expect that they would be interacting with local health providers as well as other nonprofits, focusing on their different specialties-- - Mmhmm.

- So, Parkinson's is very different than alcoholic, you know, there may not be a natural connection there, but they may be working with 211 out of the United Way, or so-- - Right.

- That kind of collaboration is there.

So sometimes it may be very direct, sometimes it may be indirect or part of a larger system, but I would have to dive into each of their individuals to kind of comment on that.

- But you've seen a lot of evolution already and how that evolution of all of this is working in terms of getting people to keep them up and running.

- Evolution, maybe-- - Well, to have your organizations that are evolving and are making sure that the Parkinson's and that the other services know who's doing what, the right hand's knowing what the left hand's doing even though they're not on the same, specific body, I guess.

- Sure.

I think what you've had, in all the different organizations, they've had to maintain their own standards and they've had to maintain, sort of, industry standards.

You see that more pronounced in humanitarian work, but you also see that in health services as well.

They agree to certain standards and then it's really the internal political will and management will to then reach out across this table and say, "We recognize that you're really great with this "and we'd like to bring this to the table to help you out, "and this way, we can do a much better job together."

- Let's get together, correct.

- Exactly, and that's more of a political will as well as a management, whether the leadership wants to do those types of things.

- All right.

Well, so, you're the philanthropic officer here, what does that mean to the people out there that, you know, philanthropist's a big word, we know that it means philanthropy.

(laughs) And I think, in "The Wizard of Oz," the wizard couldn't even pronounce the word, he said, "A good deed doer."

- A good deed, yes-- - So that's what you do here, for channel 47.

- Yes well, we're trying to raise, for me particularly, but in the station in general, we're trying to raise the awareness that, yes, WTVP is a nonprofit organization.

We do depend on the generosity of our viewers, of people who are of like-minded, who want to support the different types of programing that we have available.

So part of my role is, then, is to develop those relationships with individuals or with individuals in certain companies to help recognize the value that we bring to the company, to the company and to the community.

So by working together with these different organizations and individuals, we can help meet the financial needs of the WTVP and continue our great tradition of providing quality educational and informative entertainment to Central Illinois.

- Mmhmm, are you happy in mid-move?

- [Thomas Zimmerman] Oh, absolutely.

- Mmhmm.

- Absolutely.

- What's your biggest challenge ahead, right now?

- Uh-- (Christine laughs) - We got the magazine up and running.

- The magazine was out and running-- - Right.

- I think it's, sort of, returning back to the, building those relationships again.

What's been nice is seeing that the state, at the state of Illinois, things are starting to open up, different functions are now being held and that's the opportunity for people to meet and greet.

We have a lot of different things that we're gonna be doing again this year to help raise more awareness for WTVP.

Those are in-person items.

What was wonderful is we brought state and water back again, which filled our studio here with musicians as well as music enthusiasts and we would like to, to have more of that.

And so that's really that challenge, is creating those interesting events that different people are gonna enjoy, come to-- - Right.

- And make sure it keeps people reminded that we are relevant and we are a force that's going to be with us, a very positive force for the community as well as for the business community as well.

- Mmhmm.

So that's not much of a challenge.

(pair laughs) Because things have opened up and that's great, but it is good for state and water.

You get people from all different walks of life-- - Oh absolutely.

- And they come together for a common interest, and that in itself is rewarding.

- That's right, and very much like philanthropy, if you will, it's bringing people together with common interests and common, shared values and seeing how we can work to help each other.

- All right, so for people watching this program, and if they want to get a Peoria magazine, with the Community Impact Guide in it, where do they find it, where do they get their subscription, that sort of thing?

- So online, there'll be a, on the Peoria magazine's website, there should be a way to subscribe and the subscription comes at a very low cost.

You'll find these magazines at magazine racks all over town.

In fact, actually, I ran a few of them on Friday to a number of different places and in about half the places I went to, I didn't even get to the rack before people were grabbing 'em out of my hands.

And so it was a neat way of, they could say, "Oh, I couldn't wait for this to come out.

"I've been looking for it," you know, so, they are all over Peoria, you know, from Calahurst to River City to Cyd's in the Park, there are numerous locations (mutters) Look for it, if you don't see it, ask for it and-- - Call the station here.

- Call the station, we're happy to get some out to you guys.

- Okay, that sounds great to me.

What other vision do you have then for the Klystron, is that the pronunciation?

- Klystron, yes.

- Yeah, society?

- The Klystron Society, so, the Klystron Society is a special group of donors for WTVP that give $1,000 or more and what we've been working on is last summer we had a garden party that was-- - It was beautiful.

It was at your mom's house.

- That was at my mom's place which was-- - Gorgeous.

- Fantastic.

- Mmhmm.

- It's always amazing to see what she does out there.

- [Christine] Mmhmm.

And we're gonna be looking for some new venues for another garden party because we'd like to show some different viewers, different gardens, different ways of approaching gardening-- - Mmhmm.

- As another event.

We may do one or two.

We have the Rondo, which is a large car focused event, coming up in June, which is one of my favorites.

(pair laughs) - You're one of those?

(laughs) - [Thomas Zimmerman] Yeah, I'm one of those, yes.

- [Christine] Get under the hood.

- That's right.

But again, it's also in support of WTVP and getting our name out there and also an opportunity for people to be here at the studio.

For Klystron, we are looking at a number of different, new items this year.

I'm not gonna tell them to you now, but-- - All right, it'll be a surprise.

- It'll be a surprise, but there'll be more coming down the pipeline, some neat ways to interacting with our donors.

- Perfect, okay.

Well, I'll come up with an idea or two as well.

- [Thomas Zimmerman] Always welcome.

- Thanks so much for being here.

Thanks for being on the staff here and making things happen, Tom.

- Thank you, Christine.

- And thank you all for joining us.

Let's see, I think you need to stay safe and healthy.

(gentle, cheerful music)