Rend Lake College Hosts Community Enrichment Week
The Fall 2026 series offered students presentations on wellness, mental health, financial guidance and community resources.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Financial Aid
Rend Lake College hosted its Fall 2026 Community Enrichment Week, a series of student presentations delivered by college staff and community partners. Sessions covered wellness, mental health, financial guidance and available community resources.
Why it matters
The programming gives students access to counseling, prevention and financial management education alongside their coursework. Its emphasis on self-care and budgeting addresses issues that can affect students' ability to remain enrolled.
Presenters included Sarah Draper, coordinator of student success and wellness, with 20 years at the college, and Becca Chavez, a licensed professional counselor with 15 years of experience. Prevention educator Molly Donoho covers Jefferson, Hamilton, Washington, Wayne and White Counties. Attendance figures for the week were not reported.
The players
Rend Lake College
A public community college in Ina, Illinois, serving students across southern Illinois.
Banterra Bank
A regional community bank headquartered in southern Illinois that offers consumer and business banking services.
SAFE
A regional nonprofit providing prevention education and support services related to domestic and sexual violence.
The details
Draper presented on community resources on Monday, and Chavez led the session "Running on Empty: A College Student's Guide to Self-Care" on Tuesday. Midweek, Donoho and Regina McKinney of SAFE co-presented a "Healthy Relationships" prevention program, while on Thursday Melissa Webb and Jacey House of Spero Family Services presented "Grief is More Than Goodbye" and Banterra Bank hosted a financial management workshop.
Timeline
Monday: Sarah Draper presents on community resources during Fall 2026 Community Enrichment Week.
Tuesday: Becca Chavez leads the self-care session for students.
Midweek: SAFE presents the Healthy Relationships prevention program.
Thursday: Spero Family Services presents a grief session and Banterra Bank holds a financial management workshop.
Roadmap
Rend Lake College's week of presentations places wellness and financial education inside the regular academic calendar rather than as standalone services. This model of pairing counseling, prevention and money-management sessions with student life reflects how community colleges in Illinois have expanded support beyond classroom instruction.
Students at Rend Lake College gained access to free sessions on self-care, healthy relationships, grief and budgeting during the week. Those who attended could apply the financial management guidance to their own spending and the self-care strategies to academic stress.
The takeaway
Campus wellness and money-management resources are most useful when students can reach them during regular school weeks. Students facing financial or emotional strain can check with their college's student success office for similar sessions.
Further reading
Explore more on Financial Aid for context on how students manage costs alongside campus programs.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Southern.
