Land bank donates building to United Way

DANVILLE — The Central Illinois Land Bank Authority (CILBA) recently donated a vacant building at 801 W. Fairchild St. in Danville and a vacant lot across the street for parking at 816 Grant St. to the United Way of Danville Area.

The CILBA’s board approved the land bank’s donation at a November 2022 board meeting.

United Way of Danville Area’s CEO Mary Surprenant said, “We are thrilled to be able to work with the land bank on this forward-thinking opportunity. This is a not only an opportunity, but a statement of confidence and security for our future. Ownership will allow our organization to both minimize and stabilize future operating costs – which will allow for United Way to better serve local programs that are vital to residences of Danville and surrounding communities. We are very grateful. This is a great way to start 2023 and are very excited to move into the property.”

The land bank took title to the property in 2019 through an OSF HealthCare donation. Initially, CILBA had a three-year lease with another small non-profit that didn’t use the building. CILBA Executive Director Mike Davis recognized the other non-profit, which leased property from 2019-2022, wasn’t positioned to care for the property long-term if it had less than $10,000 in the bank for maintenance and other needs.

Prior to leading CILBA, Davis worked at Local Initiatives Support Corporation – which is a national non-profit community development financial institution that supports community development initiatives across the country.

“From my time at LISC, I learned the importance of setting up non-profits for long-term success. At LISC, we partnered with the United Way on financial literacy and credit building initiatives, so I have a ton of respect for United Way and the great services they deliver to communities. United Way of Danville Area is lucky to have Mary Surprenant – she’s an amazing leader and I was excited to partner with her on this project,” Davis said.

Danville Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. was supportive of CILBA donating 801 W. Fairchild St. to the United Way.

“Although the land bank could’ve sold the property for a profit, I really appreciate that they pushed for an equitable outcome and donated this property to one of the city’s strongest non-profit partners. I hope this will allow United Way of Danville to deepen its impact and continue serving residents that need help the most,” Williams said.