The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Meridian Society has announced the recipients of its 2025 awards, providing $22,794 in funding to seven innovative projects that serve the campus and broader Metro East community.

“The most distinctive aspect of our 2025 awards is that we go beyond donating to known community organizations,” said Marian Smithson, Meridian Society member and Awards Committee chair. “We’re providing funds to launch unique events and projects that will open new experiences for youth and adults in the Metro East, as well as SIUE students.”

The Meridian Society received 11 applications totaling more than $47,000 in funding requests. The awarded projects reflect careful consideration by the Society’s committee, which prioritized mission alignment, long-term impact and sustainability.

“The Meridian Awards committee faces a challenging task with limited funding,” said Julie Babington, senior director of annual giving.

“The committee takes a thoughtful and strategic approach, carefully evaluating each proposal. Key guiding principles include alignment with the Meridian Society’s mission, project sustainability and the overall impact on the community. These factors help ensure that the selected projects are not only meaningful and innovative but also capable of creating lasting change.”

While the Meridian Society continues to support women-led and community-focused initiatives, Babington emphasized the group’s broader role as a launchpad for transformative ideas.

“Funding is not limited to women-focused projects. The Meridian Society is often the seed money to get a new project off the ground, and our members make it possible for the campus community to bring ideas to life,” said Babington. “The philanthropy of our members helps shape and empower the next generation of leaders, innovators and changemakers.”

To date, the Meridian Society has supported 158 projects with a total of $430,319 in funding. With the addition of the 2025 Meridian Awards, these figures will increase to 165 projects and $453,113 in awarded funds.

“My hope for the future of the Meridian Society is to secure more members so that we can expand our reach and provide more impact to SIUE community-based projects,” said Babington.

This year’s awards will be celebrated at the Society’s annual spring reception on Wednesday, April 2, at Birger Hall from 5-7 p.m. The theme, Tie a Bow, is a fitting tribute to the award recipients. The reception will bring ideas to life and wrap them in purpose, impact and community connection.

Together, the 2025 recipients reflect the remarkable range of proposals the Meridian Society supports—from law enforcement partnerships with the Illinois State Police to sensory-inclusive training led by KultureCity, from grassroots arts initiatives like Tessitura Music’s opera festival to high-tech tools made accessible from the STEM Center. The awards demonstrate how innovation and service can take many forms, all rooted in a shared goal: creating positive, lasting change for SIUE and the surrounding community.

2025 Meridian Society Award Recipients

• “Cougar KickBots”
  SIUE Center for STEM Research, Education and Outreach and Student Athletes Leading Tomorrow
  $4,000: A youth development pilot program at Alton Middle School combining soccer drills, robotic design and life skills mentoring by SIUE student-athletes. The program is designed to foster STEM interest and socio-emotional development in middle schoolers.
  
  
• “Insight for All”
  SIUE STEM Center and Statewide Independent Living Council of Illinois
  $2,599: Funds a 3D printer to create tactile, accessible STEM materials for blind and low-sighted students. The models will be available through the STEM Center’s lending library to educators and students throughout the region.
  
  
• KultureCity Sensory Inclusive Certification & Training”
  SIUE Police Department and KultureCity
  $800: Supports sensory-inclusive training for officers, certification through KultureCity, and accessibility resources to foster a more inclusive campus environment for neurodivergent individuals.
  
  
• “Marking History in East St. Louis”
  SIUE Department of Political Science and East St. Louis Historical Society
  $4,395: Installs up to 24 new signs recognizing positive historical contributions in East St. Louis, with digital access to research content that builds on previous efforts to honor the city’s Black heritage and resilience.
  
  
• “Night Out with the Cougars”
  SIUE Intercollegiate Athletics and Edwardsville YMCA
  $2,500: Reestablishes community events to deepen connections between local youth and SIUE Athletics. This is part of a broader partnership to increase community engagement and foster college-going aspirations.
  
  
• “SIUE Summer Opera Festival”
  SIUE Department of Music and Tessitura Music
  $5,000: Launches a nearly three-week opera festival blending professional productions, community outreach and young artist development. The debut production, Susannah, addresses themes of justice and identity while spotlighting emerging operatic talent.
  
  
• “SIUE-ISP File Accessibility Project”
  SIUE Department of Criminal Justice Studies and Illinois State Police
  $3,500: Supports student-led digitization of unsorted open case records, bridging gaps between outdated police systems and modern investigative workflows. Enhances file accessibility for the Illinois State Police.

PHOTOS: 1-The Meridian Society members including President Ethel Shanklin, EdD, and Marian Smithson, 2- Julie Babington, 3- Event flyer for the awards reception.