Hepler receives IACAA Grey Warner Award

[May 17, 2017]  LINCOLN - Dr. David Hepler receives the Grey Warner award from the Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies (IACAA) on Tuesday May 9th, 2017.

Community Action Partnership of Central Illinois (CAPCIL) recently nominated Dr. David Hepler for the Grey Warner award from IACAA. IACAA is the membership organization that provides a unified voice and support to the poverty fighting network of Community Action Agencies across Illinois. The ceremony was held at the Wyndham Hotel in Springfield, IL with over 200 people in attendance.

The Grey Warner award is given to individuals who share the challenges of Community Action by striving to raise the health, education and economic standards of Illinois’ citizens. Dr. Hepler has ran a successful chiropractic office in Lincoln, IL for 34 years and is a member of the Logan County Board. In addition, he is an avid supporter of youth sports, veteran’s causes, and all things Community Action. For these reasons, both IACAA and CAPCIL found him deserving of the 2017 award.

“He is a fierce advocate for all those who cannot or are not able to advocate for themselves. He came from humble beginnings, and never forgets how difficult the challenge can be without people in the community rallying around individuals and programs that give low income persons a hand up,” stated CAPCIL’s Executive Director, Alison Rumler-Gomez, regarding the reasoning behind her nomination. “He is a continuous advocate in helping to keep people from falling into poverty and by helping people in poverty to escape it.”

Dr. Hepler graciously accepted the award on behalf of the entire Logan County Board saying, “We on the board have had our differences, but CAPCIL has shown us what we have in common rather than what we have apart.” In thanking the association and CAPCIL for the award Dr. Hepler remarked, “Without disparaging any of our hard-working people in Logan County, I’ve never seen anyone do so much for so many people with so little to work with as CAPCIL.”

Dr. David Hepler and CAPCIL Board Member Phyllis (Phib) Hedden

Attending alongside Dr. Hepler was Executive Director Alison Rumler-Gomez, as well as several CAPCIL directors and a member of their governing board. Phyllis Bell-Hedden, governing board member for CAPCIL and former member of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, was very happy to be in attendance for the event. She stated afterword’s, “This is such a great network to be involved in. I swell with pride being a part of the Community Action world.”

“In the last election cycle one of the campaign slogans was of the forgotten man or the forgotten woman. And being around the group here and the energy in this room I can stand here as an outsider and say that with the community action associations of Illinois there is no such thing.”

– Dr. David Hepler

It is the mission of CAPCIL, in partnership with communities in our service area, to empower persons with low income and the aged by creating and implementing poverty-fighting initiatives for those in crisis and those that endeavor a life of lasting independence.

CAPCIL serves Logan, Mason, Fulton, Menard, DeWitt, and Piatt Counties. For additional information please visit CAPCIL’s website at www.capcil.info, or by calling Katie Alexander at 217-732-2159.

[Katie Alexander
Director of Agency Development
Community Action Partnership of Central Illinois]