January 26, 2024
The Embarras River Basin Agency (ERBA) is excited to receive an anonymous donation of $15,000. The grant is to be used by ERBA’s Housing Counseling Department for mortgage assistance and past due property taxes.
The donor requested the grant be named after ERBA’s former Executive Director, Marsha Roll.
Jerry Pacholski, ERBA Board President, reflected upon Marsha’s dedication, loyalty and genuine devotion to ERBA. “She deserves the credit for the huge jump in our corporate value as well as the expansion of our programs to more people, not only in our service area, but through programs like Weatherization to other parts of Illinois. She started as a bookkeeper as a teen, and ended up a teacher and role model for other program directors. The agency grew under her direction and this is what her legacy is. I truly enjoyed working with Marsha.”
Namesake, Marsha Roll commented “I am very honored to have this grant named after me. It is very humbling. It is rewarding to know that so many families have been helped by this donation.”
Cathy Feltner, ERBA Executive Director, started working at the agency under Marsha’s leadership. “Marsha taught me so much and many others within the organization. This proves her legacy and character to have a local philanthropist want to honor her in this way,” Feltner said. Feltner also indicated it is easy to donate to ERBA if anyone would like to do that. All donations to the agency are tax deductible. Why not give to help those in need within your own community instead of giving your hard-earned money to the government. All donations are used within the nine counties served by ERBA, and they can be specified for a certain county or a certain use.”
“Since the pandemic we have seen a huge increase in the number of families struggling to make their mortgage payments and property tax payments. Seniors living on a fixed income are really struggling with the high cost of food, utilities and gasoline. They often have to choose which bills will not get paid. We are very thankful for this donation which has helped 17 families remain in their homes,” says Sandy Deters, ERBA Housing Counseling Coordinator.
If you would like to consider donating to ERBA, please contact Cathy Feltner or Sandy Deters at ERBA at 217-923-3113.
Sandy Deters
217-923-3113
