Beyond sending students across the country on bicycles, the Illini 4000's other large endeavor is the Portraits Project - a multi-year effort to document the cancer's effect on the lives of ordinary Americans.  In the past two years, we have interviewed over 30 people whose lives have been changed by cancer and plan on conducting more during the year.  The end result can take many forms, and we are excited to announce the shape that they will take in the coming year.

Our fledgling project was recently boosted by a grant generously provided by the Hillel Foundation and the Academy of Entrepreneurial Leadership at the University of Illinois.  This grant was awarded in recognition of our entry in a competition for philanthropic ventures sponsored by those organizations.  This grant will provide us with the resources needed to conduct more Portrait interviews, present them in an effective manner, and to further spread a positive message in the fight against cancer.

In the coming semester, a dedicated team of Illini 4000 members will be nurturing and helping the Portraits Project take off.  Their first major milestone will be the release of portraitsproject.org, the official website of the Project. - We plan on unveiling the website in May and hope to have a preview out in March.  Keep checking back on our website for news and developments!