This fall Riverside Healthcare directed $12,480 to 18 area high schools through a season-long program that ties community support to on-field results, sending small but meaningful checks to teams across four counties. The initiative — run with Riverside Orthopedic Specialists — rewarded touchdowns, volleyball victories and soccer goals with cash that schools can use for equipment, travel and other athletics needs.
The program, called Scores for Schools, pays schools based on specific home-game achievements: $25 for each home varsity football touchdown, $20 for each home varsity girls volleyball match won, and $10 for each home varsity boys soccer goal at schools without a football team. By linking dollars to game results, the campaign converts athletic success into direct budget relief for participating programs.
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Riverside officials say the donations reflect the hospital’s broader community role. Dr. Snigdha Kalidindi of Riverside Orthopedic Specialists described the effort as a way to back students and help districts cover costs they might otherwise struggle to afford, from new gear to travel expenses. Benjamin McLain, Riverside’s vice president of operations, framed the payments as recognition of student achievement and local investment in future leaders.
The 18 schools received amounts ranging from a modest $140 to more than $1,300; Wilmington High School topped the list with $1,330. In total the program delivered $12,480 to local athletic departments this season, distributed unevenly according to each team’s on-field performance.
- Wilmington High School — $1,330
- Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School — $1,280
- Coal City High School — $1,155
- Bishop McNamara High School — $1,100
- Beecher High School — $830
- St. Anne High School — $865
- Manteno High School — $925
- Clifton Central High School — $905
- Reed Custer High School — $645
- Watseka High School — $540
- Grant Park High School — $490
- Kankakee High School — $490
- Momence High School — $460
- Peotone High School — $425
- Herscher High School — $405
- Iroquois West High School — $335
- Kankakee Trinity Academy — $160
- Grace Christian Academy — $140
For schools with tight extracurricular budgets, these checks can cover a single budget line — new practice balls, a travel stipend for an away tournament, or replacement uniforms — rather than transform an entire athletics program. Still, administrators say predictable, performance-linked contributions build local engagement and deliver tangible benefits to student-athletes.
Riverside’s fall distribution is one example of how nonprofits and community institutions are increasingly looking for ways to support schools beyond traditional grants. By making donations visible and tied to seasonal results, the hospital aims to spotlight local teams while directing modest funding where it can quickly be spent on athletes’ needs.
