The Orthopedic Center of Illinois Foundation (OCIF) today announced that the Central Illinois Fellowship of Christian Athletes was selected to receive $20,000 as the beneficiary for the 19th Annual OCIF Open: Chip in fore Charity. The grant will be funded through proceeds from the OCIF annual golf outing scheduled for September 19th at Illini Country Club and support the Central Illinois Fellowship of Christian Athletes 2023 coach and athlete leadership trainings, camps, and scholarships for junior high, high school, and collegiate athletes in the area.
“Orthopedic Center of Illinois, in the year of our 50th Anniversary of serving the community, is proud to once again contribute $20,000 to such a worthy organization as the Central Illinois Fellowship of Christian Athletes,” said OCIF Board President Tim VanFleet, M.D. “We are proud to support an organization that promotes athleticism, teamwork, and individual integrity for the betterment of the young athlete in our communities.”

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) is a ministry to people of sport! One of the best tools of FCA is FCA Camp, a week of inspiration and perspiration. Over the years thousands of Central Illinois athletes and coaches have attended and benefitted from the FCA camp and leadership programs.

Kevin Elliott, FCA Central Illinois Area Director said, “The Central Illinois Fellowship of Christian Athletes is incredibly humbled and thankful for the opportunity to partner with a great organization like the Orthopedic Center of Illinois.” Kevin Elliott added, “Dr Billy Graham once said, and we firmly believe, that ‘a coach impacts more people in one year than most people do in a lifetime!’ Subsequently, we believe that coaches are the greatest influencers of our day, outside of parents in the home.”
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Kevin Elliott explained how FCA will utilize the grant funds by stating, “Our plan will be to utilize these funds to conduct numerous coach and athlete leadership camps and trainings throughout the year. We will also use these funds to bless coaches and their spouses with FCA Coaches Camps & Marriage retreats as well as providing resources, scholarships and FCA camp opportunities on many different levels for the junior high, high school and collegiate athletes in our area.”

This year marks the 19th Chip in fore Charity and to date, OCIF has granted nearly $400,000 to Springfield area organizations. Past grant recipients include: Lincoln Land Community College Foundation (2022) Springfield Zoological Society (2020), YMCA of Springfield (2019) Girl Scouts of Central Illinois (2018), Compass for Kids (2017), Special Olympics (2016), ThinkFirst (2015), Illinois Senior Olympics (2014), genHkids (2013), Springfield Sharefest (2012) and Camp Care-A-Lot (2011).

For more information on the Foundation or to be a sponsor at this year’s event, please visit the OCIF
website: www.ocif.net or call (217) 547-9100.