This May, graduation is coming for many students at IVC High School in Chillicothe. There have been many ceremonies before, but during Brianna DeBacker’s four years of high school, COVID struck and she lost one and a half years of having a normal high school life and lost a beloved grandfather to the disease. However, that did not stop her from wanting to make a difference. Brianna, who has lived in Chillicothe all of her eighteen years, is an honor student who participates in band, choir, and IVC dance team. She is an Illinois State Scholar and a Sterling Merit recipient. She worked at Pearce Community Center last year as a camp counselor and is very involved with her church.

As life slowly started “normalizing” in Brianna’s junior year, she decided that she wanted to give back and do something. Since she loved to bake, she decided to form Bri’s Bakery. In the fall of 2021, Brianna sent forms out and started advertising her product: Homemade Pies! She offered various flavors of pies and the money received was donated to Picket Fence Foundation. For those that are unfamiliar with this organization, Picket Fence Foundation is a local nonprofit organization that provides training and employment opportunities to individuals with disabilities. 

As Valentine’s Day ‘22 approached, Brianna offered a selection of cupcakes (with delivery) for students, parents, and IVC employees and administration. She continued the tradition of pie selling for Thanksgiving ‘22 and donated both of these fundraisers’ efforts again to the Picket Fence Foundation. Over a thousand dollars was raised by Brianna for the foundation in this manner. During the summer of ‘22, she volunteered at Picket Fence as well. 

Brianna also baked for the IVC band and choir fundraisers right in school. Often, there are tables set up at IVC school concerts and programs to put out baked goods afterward in hopes of receiving donations to provide the choir and band with equipment and other essentials for their programs. 

Brianna is president of the JOI Club (Junior Optimist International) which is a student-led organization with the goals of learning leadership skills and serving the needs of others in the community. During this time with the club, she also tied blankets that were donated to community nursing homes. 

For 2023, Brianna wanted to revive a past IVC student-led fundraising event that supported children called the Princess Project which had been canceled for a few years due to COVID. Mrs. Christie Aldrich, an IVCHS math teacher, graciously said yes to being Brianna’s sponsor for this event that would be held at the high school. Brianna organized thirteen students, including herself, to become Disney Princesses and a Prince. She outfitted them in their proper Disney attire, making sure their dresses fit properly, even asking her grandma to help tailor some of the dresses for the girls. Brianna advertised with social media and eventually had to close her admissions as she had 70 children signed up for this day of “Princess Action” on March 25, 2023. Brianna planned and organized this three-hour event. She made stations for each of the Princesses and the Prince with “events” ranging from coloring, to making each child feel like a Princess, to playing games, having a cupcake, and so on. Mrs. Aldrich—the master of ceremonies—dressed in fairy godmother regalia. Highlights of the event can be viewed on Facebook: IVC High School Presents: The Princess Project. 

The day was a great success and Brianna took the proceeds of 2023’s Princess Project—over a thousand dollars—to the Children’s Hospital of Illinois in Peoria where it will help buy toys for children to play with while going through treatments. Brianna has hopes of taking the Princesses and the Prince to the hospital to say hello to the kids if safety protocols permit. 

After graduation, in July, Brianna will be going on a  mission trip with Grace Baptist Church to Lilongwe, Malawi, in East Africa, where she will work with children. There are 26 members going. Best wishes to the group as these people, both young and not-quite-as-young, take on this endeavor.

Brianna’s future plans include attending Truman State University in Kirksville, MO, where she has been accepted to attend this fall. She will major in Communication Disorders and then go for a master’s in Speech-Language Pathology, with the goal of helping people with speech disabilities after an accident or illness, and children with speech disorders. 

Though young, Brianna has already given a lot to her community in Chillicothe. This can’t help but inspire others, stimulate their ideas, and make them want to give back to such a great hometown, too! The word “determination” is what we would say about Brianna DeBacker and looking at all these life experiences that Brianna has created makes her a Hometown Hero in anyone’s book!