Compass in the Community – 2025
February 2025
In the media
Compass for Kids Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Molly Berendt was featured on WICS Newschannel 20’s Women without Limits segment in February 2025.
View the full story here: https://newschannel20.com/…/women-without-limits-molly…#
UIS Alumni Rising Star Award
We celebrated Molly Berendt, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, at the 2025 UIS Alumni Annual Gala, where she received the inaugural Rising Star Alumni Award for her innovation and early career success.
The gala also recognized remarkable individuals for their contributions and impact. Former Rep. Cheri Bustos was honored with the Alumni Achievement Award, Professor Emeritus Charles N. Wheeler III received the Distinguished Service Award, and Julie Pryde was recognized with the Alumni Humanitarian Award.
Compass in the community
One in a Million Inc. hosted its annual Black History Ball, a special event that brings our community together to honor and celebrate Black history and culture. Our YLDP youth always look forward to this meaningful celebration and love being part of such an inspiring evening. It’s a powerful opportunity for them to connect, learn, and take pride in the rich history that shapes our community.
January 2025
Thank you, HDR Foundation, for choosing Compass for Kids as the recipient of this incredible grant which supplies BrickLAB STEM Kits and Curricula for Camp Compass. We appreciate your commitment to inspiring young learners and building brighter futures!
The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce Annual Gala was a lovely event! We celebrated Taylor Mullin, Administrative Assistant, as she completed her Leadership Springfield program.
UIS Basketball and Compass for Kids Partnership
We had so much fun at the UIS basketball games in January! We hung out with our friends from Bank of Springfield, and our Club kids made the welcome tunnel and played games on the court during breaks. We are especially proud of our YLDP, multi-talented youth, Marcus, for singing the National Anthem! Way to go, Marcus! Thank you to UIS Athletics for including us as your first community partner of the season!
Club Kids visit WICS Studio
The Graham Elementary Club Compass kids were treated to a field trip to Channel 20 WICS television studio in early February to get a behind-the-scenes look at broadcasting. The green screen was a huge hit—maybe we have some future broadcasters in the making!
