The Human Resources Center of Edgar and Clark Counties (HRC) named the Helping Hands Soup Kitchen the recipient of its 2026 Community Service Award — an honor reserved for organizations outside HRC that help carry its mission into the community.
The soup kitchen earned it the way it earns everything: one meal, and one neighbor, at a time. Beyond the food, it offers a welcoming, inclusive place where the people HRC serves and other community members are met with dignity and respect. HRC staff have regularly worked alongside the kitchen, meeting people there to help them apply for Medicaid, find housing, obtain identification, and connect with other services. In presenting the award, HRC pointed to the kitchen’s kindness and consistency as the reason its impact reaches well beyond the meals it provides.
The Community Service Award was one of several presented at HRC’s annual Employee Appreciation event, which recognizes staff and partners serving both Edgar and Clark Counties. This year’s individual honorees were Michelle Creech (Mission Award), Steve Walls (Vision Award), Chelsea Edmonds (Outstanding Leader Award), Bobbie Myers (Client Ambassador Award), Dean Bailey (Employee Ambassador Award), and Alison Kelsheimer (Director’s Choice Award).
The team at Austin House, one of HRC’s residential homes for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, was named Workgroup of the Year for FY2026. Kelsheimer, who received the Director’s Choice Award, marked 25 years with the agency this year and played a central role in HRC’s spring 2026 CARF accreditation, the field’s top-level, three-year accreditation.
Twenty staff members earned Shining Star Awards, given to employees nominated four or more times by their colleagues. HRC also marked service milestones, including 25 years for Kelsheimer, 10 years for Casey Craig, and five years each for eight more employees.
HRC, incorporated in 1970, is the region’s nonprofit behavioral health agency, providing mental health counseling, substance use treatment, intellectual and developmental disability services, employment support, and the free, 24/7 Living Room Program for anyone in crisis.
To learn more, volunteer, or give, visit hrcec.org or call 217-465-4118. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available by call or text, 24/7.
Local coverage supported by
