Our Mission Statement
The mission of T.O.U.C.H. is to empower families, children and adults with congenital heart defects. We believe that through emotional support, education, information sharing and public awareness, we can make a difference.
Our History
Originally called The Organization for Understanding Children's Hearts, T.O.U.C.H., has been serving Central Illinois for more than 30 years. The group was created by Nurse Gail Eaton, now retired, as a support group for the heart families she worked with everyday as they received care at OSF Saint Francis Children's Hospital of Illinois. In 2014, the organization officially underwent a name change to The Organization for Understanding Congenital Hearts in order to better encompass the adolescent and adult CHD patients in care at the Congenital Heart Center. Under Gail's leadership, T.O.U.C.H. has grown to include thousands of members who anticipate annual events like the picnic or the baseball game at the Peoria Chiefs. In recent years, we have added a symposium held at Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center and the Heart of Illinois Congenital Heart Defect Walk.
At this time, we are trying to construct a more complete timeline of events to share with our members. If you have pictures from older events, such as our annual picnic, please forward your stories to us at touchhearts365@gmail.com. With your permission, we will share your pictures and memories on this page and on our other social media sites. Thank you!
Meet Our Board
Feel free to e-mail one of the board members if you have a question or would like to volunteer for one of the committees. Contact us at touchhearts365@gmail.com Please put the name of the board member you wish to contact in the subject line.
Becky Todd
Executive Director
Megan's Lodge Committee Chair
HOI CHD Walk Committtee
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Stephanie Anderson
Co-Chair
Scholarship Committee Chair
Outreach Committee
Connection Committee
Rendi Ray
Co-Chair
Outreach Committee Chair
Connection Committee
HOI CHD Walk Committee
Erica Wright
Treasurer
Finance Committee Chair
Scholarship Committee
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Kristen Anderson
T.O.U.C.H. Picnic Committee
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Tracy Bond
T.O.U.C.H. Picnic Committee
Scholarship Committee
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Amy Orwig
Secretary
T.O.U.C.H. Picnic Committee Co-Chair
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Stephanie Epperson
Outreach Committee Co-Chair
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Gina Hulett
T.O.U.C.H. Picnic Committee Co-Chair
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Meredith Rensberry
Connection Committee Chair
Outreach Committee
HOI CHD Walk Committee
Rick Farnan
HOI CHD Walk Committee Chair
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Our board is made up of adult CHD patients, parents or guardians of patients, and employees of the Congenital Heart Center at OSF.
*The Outreach Committee is in charge of TOUCH Merchandise, the Chiefs Game, Symposium, PICU events, community events
**The Connection Committee is in charge of the TOUCH newsletter, social media, website, and peer-to-peer support
If you have an interest in serving TOUCH by joining the Board of Directors, please fill out the TOUCH application provided. Applications will be kept on file for use when a seat on the board becomes available.
Please remit application to :
TOUCH
P.O. Box 5578
Peoria, IL 61601-5578
Megan's Lodge
Vacation Near Home
Megan's Lodge is a cabin located in Wildlife Prairie Park near Peoria, IL. It is only 20 minutes from OSF Saint Francis Medical Center and the Children's Hospital of Illinois. The lodge sleeps 8 and is completely furnished. You need to provide your own towels, sheets and food.
Make a Reservation
The cost for a heart family to stay at Megan's Lodge is $100 per stay, for up to 7 days. This fee includes a one year membership to Wildlife Prairie Park. To make your reservation, please call the park at (309) 676-0998.
A Memorial
The lodge was opened May 21, 2006 in memory of Megan Fawver. Born with a complex congenital heart defect, Megan had several surgeries, including a heart transplant. She, along with many others, donated the funds to make this lodge a reality. Thank you to all who contributed to this building for our heart heroes to enjoy!
The Stella Wilson Memorial Scholarship
The Wilson family memorializes Stella every year with the presentation of a $500 scholarship to a T.O.U.C.H. college student.
The deadline for submission of the 2021 scholarship has now passed. Stay tuned for the announcement of this year's recipient!
The application and eligibility requirements for the 2022 scholarship will be posted on the website in coming months.