Why I Serve: Tim Cunningham
By: Grayson Bourke
The East Bluff Community Center today is filled with programs that promote youth development,
nutrition access, and other critical community services. However, it took dedication and hard work to
recruit partner agencies, find effective board members, and locate enough funding to maintain
operations since our founding in 2011. Dedicated board members like Board President Tim Cunningham
make all the difference for community organizations like the EBCC.
Tim has been on the EBCC Board of Directors since 2013. Having been approached at St. Bernard’s
Catholic Church by former EBCC Executive Director Jim Combs, Tim agreed to Jim’s request to join the
Board as Assistant Treasurer. Shortly thereafter, Tim was elected Treasurer. Tim said that when he
realized there was room for growth for the EBCC’s finance recording, professionalization, and structure,
he got right to work. His passion for the organization grew, and in his current role as Board President, Tim
is a strategic thinker and a loyal EBCC advocate, and he has been vital to shaping the EBCC’s trajectory.
When asking Tim why he serves on the EBCC Board of Directors and why he has put so much heart into
this organization, he stated that he is “intrigued by the opportunity to make use of a marvelous, iconic
building in Peoria that had been vacant for years”. His wife went to the school that is now the EBCC, so
he understands the personal connection that East Bluff residents have to this place. He recognizes that
the EBCC’s work is truly having an impact and making a difference in the community. He says that he
wants to “leave the East Bluff Community Center better than (he) found it,” knowing that a stronger
EBCC will lead to a stronger community.
When asking Tim to envision the future and the EBCC’s role in it, he stated that “we could be the agent
for change, the facilitator and the entity that brings people and various parties together to ideate and
brainstorm. We need to let the programs define themselves and let the community’s needs be met in
that way.”
Thanks for all you do, Tim. The EBCC is grateful for your work ethic, your dedication, and your service.
If you, like Tim, are intrigued by the EBCC and our work, we invite you to get involved! Explore our
website ( www.eastbluffcommunitycenter.org ) to find out how you can participate in activities, provide
services, or financially support the EBCC!
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Tim speaking at the EBCC Brand Launch on February 25th, 2021.
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PEORIA, IL 61603
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