(upbeat music) - Will you consider this?

There's something that's been going on, like, for the last nine years, that I used to think that I knew a lot about what was going on in town, but somehow I missed that memo.

However, I've known about the program that's involved.

And Cindy Morris, who is the president of the Peoria Public Schools Foundation, knows all about what's going on at Woodruff.

Tell me the exact name of it.

Woodruff.

(laughs) - It's the Woodruff- - Culinary school.

- Well, the former Woodruff as a high school is now the Woodruff Career & Technical Center, and they have a culinary program that's in the 12th year.

- Yeah.

Well, see, I knew about that much.

After the 12th, then I kind of missed until last year.

- So yeah, the culinary program's been around 12 years.

And it's really a cool thing for our students because these are high school students that are at their regular high schools.

So from Richwoods, Peoria High, and Manual.

They have their regular high school hours, and then they go to the culinary program in addition to that.

And when they graduate from high school, they have their culinary license.

So a lot of these students are learning, you know, the skills in the kitchen and cooking and learning about various hospitality things in the restaurant business.

A lot of the students have, in addition, internships at restaurants.

But, you know, when they graduate, they have a high school degree and a culinary certificate.

So they are fully ready to go work at a restaurant.

You know, I think a lot of them are, you know, hoping someday to be a restaurant owner or, you know, be in the hospitality business.

- And probably many of them have never been to some nicer restaurants.

I mean, they're young kids, so they go to the fast food, and that's about it.

So this is really, really a learning experience for them all the way around, from the minute somebody walks in the door to all of the food prep, safety, and everything.

- Yeah.

Chef Jetty and Chef Kevin are the leaders of this program at WCTC, and they are absolutely wonderful.

They really take on the kids and really try to help them, you know, be the best versions of themself in this program.

And the other thing about this program is they do a cafe.

And they do that, usually, it's twice a month, on Thursdays.

And anyone in the community could make a reservation.

But you go to WCTC during the lunch hour, and you have a full cafe experience, all for $8.

- Wow.

- And, you know, it's neat to see the kids in action, because they prepare the food, they serve it.

You know, that interpersonal connection with the people attending the cafe.

So yeah, it's a wonderful thing.

If you want a nice lunch or to take colleagues or friends, you can't beat the eight bucks, and it's always a delicious meal.

So it's two Thursdays a month.

The last one will be on April 10th.

- So just during the school year, then.

- During the school year.

- So how would somebody make a reservation to go to that?

Do you know what the menu is beforehand and?

- You do.

And you can follow them on Instagram or Facebook, and they put the menu out that way, or through the school's website.

You do need to make a reservation.

I mean, I do think they take walk-ins, but the other thing is they do takeaway too.

So you could even pick up lunch to go for your office or home.

And you usually get the menu the week before.

We had our foundation board meeting last month.

So instead of a four o'clock meeting, we moved it to noon.

And we all had a very nice lunch and then just had our meeting.

So we had the most delicious chicken pot pie and salad.

They always have soup and then a nice dessert.

- Wow.

So what's the capacity, then?

Where do they serve it?

In the old gym?

- It's the old, well, it's the cafeteria for Woodruff.

So there's plenty of seating.

I mean, you know, I think when we were there, it looked like there were at least 100 people in there.

So really it was full.

- Great.

Great, great.

How many other places have a career center like this?

How many other schools around the country?

Is this rare?

Where did you get the idea?

- So, you know, the superintendent, Dr. Sharon Kherat, you know, when Woodruff was closed in 2010 as the more traditional high school, and we still have the three.

It's, I think, really good for Peoria that they repurposed it.

And they did close it for a year.

I mean, I think a lot of it was her idea.

I don't think there are a lot in the country.

I don't know.

But for our community, we're very lucky as far as this, you know, they have other programs, too.

But, you know, I know ICC does a culinary program as well.

But for a high school to do it and for a high school student to graduate and have this, it's unique.

- It really truly is.

And Sharon, it's easier just to say her first name, (Cindy laughs) she just won Superintendent of the Year in the state of Illinois.

- She did, and I was privileged to be there.

So she, you know, has been doing the superintendent for 10-plus years.

And it was a big honor, you know, for the state of Illinois for her to be recognized.

- For that innovation.

All right.

Now, the one thing that I didn't know about until just last year was the 365 Breakfast that these kids prepare, too.

So tell me about that.

And what's the goal?

- So the 365 Breakfast, this is our 10th year, and I have- - Big one.

- It's a big one.

And I have to share, Dr. Kherat does get credit for helping us with this event.

I think the first meeting I had with her, I said, "You know, we always do a golf outing and then kind of reach out to funders through letters and things like that."

But she came from Danville, and they did this breakfast.

So the concept was an early morning in-and-out breakfast and for the people that attend to give $365, dollar a day.

And we started immediately and super excited in our 10th year.

We do have a large goal, because it's the big 10, of 100,000.

And last year we raised 81,000, so we're- - [Christine] And your goal was only 55,000 last year?

- Yes, yes.

So I know right now we're already halfway to reaching that goal.

And it's unique.

And there are so many wonderful nonprofit organizations and events, but I think ours is unique because one, it's a breakfast, and then we really showcase our students through the culinary program preparing a delicious breakfast.

- Right.

So tell me about that.

So they prepare not just the standard eggs and bacon?

- No.

I would call it a gourmet breakfast.

And so it is, you know, like a egg casserole and yogurt parfaits, and they make french toast casserole.

It's really a nice breakfast.

- All right.

So do they plate the food and you get it, or do you go through a buffet line?

- It's a buffet.

It's a buffet.

And I know we expect to have at least 300, if not more, at the breakfast.

- Wow.

- So it's a big one.

- How many kids are in the program right now?

So how many kids will be there just doing the food and the prep and the serving and all that?

- Well, there's 65 kids in the program.

So I think it's all hands on deck when making and preparing the food.

The day of the breakfast, because it's so early, I would say there's 20 or 25 that come and serve and, you know, are there.

But it's special.

They're all a part of it.

Even the setup.

Setting up the tables.

They're all there, you know, folding the napkins.

And so it's very good experience for them.

- It really is.

What do you hear from some of the kids who've been through the program, a lot of them are adults now, and why they chose to go that route?

- Well, you know, the best part about the program is seeing kids that were in it and now in restaurants and having success.

And that happens 'cause, you know, I would call myself a foodie, and I'm at local restaurants a lot.

So I do run into kids that have been through the program.

And, you know, they know it's unique, that program and that opportunity.

And I think they know that, you know, in the state, there really isn't, I don't think, any others like it.

So I feel like our kids that go through it and are in it, and I think with the leadership of Chef Kevin and Chef Jetty, who are their leaders, and then, you know, they have a wonderful principal, Mr. Arnie Spiker, you know, they felt very supported, and it's just a great place for them to be.

- That's pretty exciting.

So if somebody wanted to go to the breakfast, now is the time for them to get involved.

So how do they find that information?

- So they could go to our website at www.ppsfoundation.org, and they can make a reservation there.

I have to give a shout-out to our breakfast chair.

She's been doing this for nine years.

Cheryl Sanfilip, a lifelong educator and foundation board member.

And she puts her heart and soul into this.

But, you know, she helps a lot with the fundraising and everyone that attends the breakfast.

And you do need a reservation.

You get, you know, a wonderful breakfast.

You get the best goodie bag.

Everyone gets a really nice goodie bag.

Starbucks donates the coffee.

So it's just a really, really nice breakfast.

- So you also showcase some of the other kids from other schools as well, a little bit of entertainment.

So it's not just about food, because you don't wanna talk with your mouth full.

So you have some entertainment.

- Yes, we have entertainment every year.

So we'll choose a school.

I'm not sure who this year is quite yet.

Last year we had Charter Oak students, and they were absolutely adorable.

You know, people like to see kids singing and entertaining, and they were phenomenal.

The other thing about the breakfast is we try to make it short, because most people, you know, are working.

So we're in and out.

Usually, the doors open at 7, 7:30 the program begins, and usually we're out by 8:30, 8:45 at the latest.

So you're at work.

But every year we bring back a Peoria Public School alumni to speak.

Keynote, 10 or 15 minutes.

We've had a lot of Manual speakers, alumni, come back and talk.

Last year we had Chris Reynolds from Bradley.

This year we have- - I think you know who it is.

- I know, I know, I know.

So this year we have the CEO of the Peoria Riverfront Museum, John Morris.

And he is a Richwoods alum.

A proud- - [Christine] Okay.

And actually her husband, so okay.

- And he's a very proud Richwoods alum.

And I call him Mr. Peoria because, you know, what he's done at the Peoria Riverfront Museum.

And they have a very strong relationship with the school district, with the ESI, Every Student Initiative.

Our students in Peoria Public Schools go to the museum for free every year.

So, you know, I think he'll do a great job.

- I think so.

And do they just talk about their experience in the public schools?

And where it's led them, obviously.

Any twists and turns that you've been surprised by?

- No.

I mean, you know, of course, it is a fundraising event, so, you know, to give, you know, kind of to let people know what Peoria Public Schools did for them and then, you know, kind of just a big push for what we do and supporting our public schools.

- So tell me about.

So let's say you're gonna raise your 100,000.

And what do you do with that money?

Where do you use it?

Where do you focus?

- So our foundation, we have ways that we've traditionally supported the school district.

Classroom grants for teachers, scholarships for students, mostly seniors.

We have a 11-year program.

It's called our Horizons Club.

It's sixth, seventh, and eighth graders lunch and learn where we talk to students about career professions and college.

So that's a big area of focus for our funds.

It's an amazing thing to help children think about careers and know about different options.

We oversee the Adopt-A-School program in the district.

That's the over-a-30-year program.

And then we do a lot of basic need support.

Our- - [Christine] Do you have Little Free Pantries?

- We do.

We have Little Free Pantries at almost every school.

We have snack packs for kids on the weekends.

We provide uniforms and clothes for kids, and we also do a lot of rent and utility assistance.

We have a 78% free and reduced lunch ratio.

So, you know, a lot of our kids have a lot of need.

- And so the money is there to assist them?

- Yes, yes.

- Wow.

- And that's just some of the things we do.

But yeah, so it's really good stuff.

- Okay.

Is there anything special this year because it's the 10th year?

A special focus that some of the money, a portion of the money will go to?

- So it would be our Horizons career programming, because we do have a lot of part-time staff with that.

And they're in the schools, you know, with the kids working directly.

So a goal for that program is to always have more students to reach.

And, you know, the last couple years we've kind of been, you know, this is how many people we have working in the schools, and, you know, getting more kids impacted by it.

- So all right.

Well, we talked about all of the culinary stuff.

And you call it WCTC, so it sounds like a TV or radio station.

- Yes.

- But what else goes on at the Woodruff Center?

Well, the Woodruff- - Career & Technical Center.

- Career & Technical Center.

I'll get it.

You know, I'll remember it at three o'clock in the morning.

I'll get it right.

- That's okay.

There's a lot going on.

They also have a cosmetology and barber school.

So that's another really unique thing because, you know.

And there's barbering and cosmetology schools in the area, but, you know, it's like- - [Christine] This is part of their school day also.

- It's part of their school day, and they get their licensing upon graduation.

So they save that money of going in probably one or two years.

- [Christine] Is that what it is?

A two-year program?

- I think it's one or two years.

I'm not sure, but yeah.

So basically, the district is covering that, and then they have their high school degree and their license for- - When they graduate, they can do the work.

- For that.

Yeah.

Yeah.

- Yeah.

Wow.

- And they do some other things, too.

I'm trying to think.

- Do they have shop there also?

- They do.

They do.

- But not as much.

Is it more technical because that's where everything is right now?

- Yes.

Yes.

- Computers.

I need to come.

- Yes.

- I need that class.

- And also, at Manual High School, they have wood shops.

So I'm glad they had that option for our students.

- Yeah, it was kind of lost there for a while.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

- Yeah.

So back to, sorry, just wrap around.

Back to the culinary school.

Is it a one or two-year program, or more than that?

- [Cindy] It's two years.

- Okay.

- Yeah.

So it's a two-year for juniors and seniors.

- And the guidance counselors kind of steer the kids in that direction?

Or how does that work?

- I think that the WCTC does a really good job of going into the high schools and talking about the programs they offer.

And then if kids have the interest, then they go from there.

- So do they do that freshman year or sophomore year, or when do they do that?

- I think they start exposure early on.

- Okay.

- So.

- Well, and then a lot of the kids probably know just because some of their friends or older brothers and sisters have gone through.

- Yeah.

It's very special.

And that's the thing about Peoria Public Schools.

I feel like there's so many opportunities for our kids and that people don't know, like the IB program, the Special Needs program.

So we have a special school, Jamieson, that students can go up to the age of 21.

You know, there's the JROTC program.

You know, not all the schools in the area have that.

And, you know, for kids that want to get in the military they have that, you know.

- They have that option.

- They have that option.

- Right, right.

So you've been with the foundation for how long?

- 15 years.

- 15 already.

Wow.

Where do you hope to see things go in the future?

- For the foundation?

- Yes.

- Well- (laughs) - You can talk about your personal life if you want to, but I'm thinking the foundation.

Let's start there.

- Yeah.

You know, and it's funny because I've been there 15 years.

They're starting to ask the R word.

I'm like, "I'm not ready to retire yet."

But, you know, I feel like our organization, we make such great impact, and it's so exclusive to our school district.

I feel like, you know, besides the basic needs stuff that we support, growing and continuing our career and college readiness, I feel like it's so impactful.

And I remember, you know, 14 years ago, having conversations with Glen Barton, the former CEO of Caterpillar, when we wanted to start this.

He said, you know, "I'm all on board, and I fully support this."

And, you know, I know he'd be smiling that, you know, we're in year 11 and just thriving and booming.

But, you know, there are, you know, some other things, maybe, you know, that come up.

And again, Dr. Kherat started The Wraparound Center, which is for social-emotional learning and treatment.

- And how is that doing?

That's in the old Trewyn School.

- It's going very well.

But, you know, maybe that's an area we look at, too, for some expanded supports.

Because we know that social-emotional learning is real and, you know, the impact of it.

- Absolutely.

- So.

- Yeah.

But then where do you start?

I mean, you have your thinking cap on all the time.

- It's always, really, for us, what I've learned, is piloting, like we did for the Horizons.

We started in three schools, 75 students, and, you know, now we're 800 to 1,000 students a year.

So, you know, whatever we do in the future, it's starting small and learning from that.

- What are you looking at in terms of other schools around the country?

And you get little snippets of things that might be working.

So you put your feather to plan, you know, ink and write it out, and say, "Okay, this is a wishlist.

This is something that could be done."

Because the makeup of Peoria Public Schools is unique.

- It is.

And I'm honored to serve on a national education foundation board, so I talk to people that are in positions like mine across the country.

And I am blown away that we're in a place with our foundation that exceeds far more than any other in the country.

So I'm very proud of that fact.

And, you know, I have a lot of people, mostly in the state of Illinois, contacting us on what we do and how they can emulate that.

So we are in a very, very great place.

I have a wonderful staff and team and board.

We do have a great superintendent.

All those things make a big difference.

But extremely proud of where we are.

- So what other ways do you raise money?

You still have the golf outing.

- We do.

We do a golf outing every year.

And that's something, you know, I inherited.

But, you know, golf outings are popular, and I feel like for us, that event is definitely like a well-oiled machine.

The same people come every year and support.

And then we do this breakfast.

And then, you know, the old-fashioned way of a letter once a year.

And I love development and, you know, kind of donor relations.

So it's, you know, going to lunch with people that care about the school district, or coffees.

So that's the way I do it.

- [Christine] The old-fashioned way.

- The old-fashioned way.

- Yep, yep.

You know, person to person, which is amazing.

Rather than sending an email or something very impersonal.

- Yeah, exactly.

- Okay, so you're gonna continue to do this until the big R. Maybe.

If you were to retire at any time, what do you think you would do after that?

Still be involved with the school somehow?

- I don't know about that because I do think I will work as long as, you know, I feel major impact.

And I am okay with the thought of retiring, but I do have a retirement job in mind.

I started four years ago, very tiny.

I call it a micro business.

I have a little cookie business.

It's called Cindy's Confections.

- I think I tasted some of that.

Yeah.

- And I do farmer's markets.

And then I started my own farmer's market this last year.

So that's my little side hustle.

I love it.

I lost both my parents several years ago and, you know, empty nester, so I wanted to get a passion project.

I love baking.

I like kind of being outdoors.

So when I retire, I'll probably just keep that up.

And then I just like being outdoors.

- Well, you know, do you find you're relieving some stress when you're also baking?

I mean, that is your comfort zone?

- Yeah, well, you know, and I grew up with a mom that was a homemaker.

She was, you know, trained to be a nurse, but she stayed home and raised my sister, brother, and I.

And she cooked.

We didn't go out to dinner.

Like, my mom was a real homemaker and baked.

And my grandmother was a baker, and my sister is.

And we just really like it in our family.

I don't call myself a modern girl, but I do have some definitely old-fashioned qualities.

- Okay.

Well, I like that.

That's good.

That's good.

Okay.

Well, where do people find you to have you do a little extra baking for them?

- Oh, no.

I really just like to do the markets because the work that I do is, you know, very, very busy.

So I have a system set up.

I do a market on Wednesday nights, and I bake on Tuesday nights.

But I'm very content with that.

I don't need extra cookie business.

Yeah.

- Well, Cindy, thanks so much.

How exciting.

And you get to spend a lot of time in the schools and doing all that, and then at the Riverfront Museum to support John with everything that he does.

And how exciting.

Can life get any more exciting for you?

It could.

- Yeah, it could.

Maybe grandkids, someday.

- (laughs) Yeah, grandkids.

And they're fun.

- I know, I know.

- They are worth it.

Somebody said, yeah, "Why are they grandkids?

Because they're grand."

- Yeah, exactly.

- So it'll happen.

All right.

Well, thanks so much for sharing the story about the WCTC.

I'm not gonna attempt it.

I got that down.

You know, it's some of my media training.

And I hope that the 365 Breakfast is a huge success.

And people can look that up on the website.

And in the meantime, stay well.

- Thank you.

- And you stay well.

Thanks for joining us, too.

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