Effingham Center Hosts 93 Outside Events, Feeds 950 Meals a Day After Fire

Lake Land College | August 17, 2026

Article Summary: Jerry Tkachuk, director of Effingham and regional educational centers, told Lake Land College trustees on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, that the Effingham Technology Center hosted 93 external events in roughly nine months and opened its kitchen to a caterer whose building burned, enabling delivery of more than 950 meals a day.

Effingham Technology Center Key Points:

• 93 separate external events hosted between late October 2025 and Aug. 1, 2026.
• Current enrollment of 467 duplicated students on the day of the meeting, against a target of 500.
• Non-allied health elective enrollment grew from 223 students in 2023 to 314 in 2026.
• CORE program enrollment grew from 53 unduplicated students in year one to 112, representing over 160 enrollments.

EFFINGHAM — One year into operations at the Effingham Technology Center, the facility is drawing outside organizations, growing enrollment and — since a fire destroyed a local caterer’s building — serving as a commercial kitchen for a Meals on Wheels operation, trustees heard on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026.

Jerry Tkachuk, director of Effingham and regional educational centers, delivered the update with a supporting PowerPoint at the board’s meeting, held at the center itself.

Since opening conference spaces to outside groups in late October 2025, the ETC has hosted 93 separate external events through Aug. 1, Tkachuk reported. Notable groups included the Regional Office of Education, the State Board of Education and the Illinois Association of School Business Officials. An upcoming event, Coffee and Cars, is set for the third Saturday in October.

Following a fire that destroyed the building of Debs Catering — which provides Meals on Wheels to seniors, nursing homes and children’s daycares — the college opened the ETC kitchen to the caterer, “enabling delivery of over 950 meals per day to those in need,” according to the minutes.

Enrollment and Operations

Allied health enrollment has grown from 287 to 299 students over four years, limited by seat capacity, while non-allied health elective enrollment grew from 223 students in 2023 to 314 in 2026. On the day of the meeting, current enrollment stood at 467 duplicated students, not yet including GED and ESL students registering that evening and the following night, against a target of 500. Tkachuk reported significant recent growth in high school graduate enrollment, driven in part by the new facility and expanded offerings.

Operational changes in year one included relocating the campus police officer’s station from the lower level to the main lobby to ensure reliable cell phone and radio reception and improve visibility of the officer on duty, and reimagining the traditional “Kluthe Day” as an open house.

During a March tornado warning, staff and students evacuated to the lower level without prompting, confirming the weather siren is audible in the building. Students discovered amenities on the lower level, including a workout room, for the first time during that evacuation. Tkachuk said the center will now provide students with a full building tour at the start of each semester so they know all available resources.

CORE Growth and Coming Goals

CORE — Creating Opportunities for Regional Employment, formerly the Effingham Regional Career Academy — has grown from 53 unduplicated students in its first year to 112 in the current year, representing over 160 enrollments. Automotive technology, allied health and CDL courses are at full enrollment, and Tkachuk said Lake Land is the only college in Illinois offering CDL courses to high school students. All CORE courses remain tuition-free, and a new CORE director has been hired.

Goals for the coming year include expanding criminal justice courses at CORE beginning in the spring, developing an electric vehicles course targeted for spring or fall of next year, expanding after-hours and weekend availability for incumbent worker and adult learner training, using HyFlex rooms for expanded instruction, exploring the ETC as an event host for area schools, and reaching out to the homeschool population.

Separately, Tiffany Gibson, Innovation Center assistant, reported on programming from January through August 2026 including five STEM professional development events, three school visits — to Cumberland, Brownstown and Morrisonville — two Tools for Kids game development camps, three collaborative visits with the Douglas Heart Nature Center, and a 3D printing session for 4-H youth ages 8 to 16 through a University of Illinois Extension partnership. She reported that demand for STEM professional development exceeds supply, with attendees traveling more than two hours and booking hotel rooms to attend.