This tribute to the late Sen. Scott Bennett is also a thank you to Stacy, Emma and Sam Bennett for so graciously sharing Scott with all of us who benefitted from his loyal, intelligent, passionate service for us, his constituents, and ultimately the state of Illinois. His devotion to public service reached far and wide, and this writing examines his legacy that specifically benefits Vermilion County, as he served us so extremely well. Scott did not just say he loved Vermilion County — he embraced Vermilion County with the beneficial programs and bills he championed for us here, enhancing thousands of lives.

Basic to how he lived his life and rendered his service, Scott always listened to all sides of any issue. His legacy revolves around his unique accomplishments in these areas:

Higher Education — he kept in close touch with school superintendents and President Nacco at Danville Area Community College to address educational funding needs.

Workforce Training — he met regularly with local labor and industry leaders to address workforce preparation needs.

Economic Development — he fought hard to deliver a multitude of infrastructure and public safety grants to local governments all through Vermilion County.

Environment/Agriculture — he championed the Coal Ash Bill to safeguard the Middlefork River near Kickapoo State Park, so families can continue to enjoy safe recreation there and tourism could thrive.

Children, Youth and the vulnerable — He rolled up his sleeves and worked with youth groups like Danville High Future Problem Solvers, the DACC All-Star Jaguars, and Project Success of Vermilion County. Early in his tenure Scott championed a bill to provide Comfort Dogs trained for easing a child’s fear when testifying in a court room. From that he became entrenched in seeking information about Child Advocacy Centers (CAC’s) in Illinois. At that time there were 98 CAC’s in Illinois out of 102 counties — Vermilion County did not have one. His passion for children led him to travel to two counties that had CAC’s to learn more about establishing one in Vermilion County. Working with the Executive Director of the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Illinois Kim Mangianracino, Scott then fought valiantly to establish a Children’s Advocacy Center in Vermilion County — now a successful service for children who have to give court testimony in Vermilion County. Scott remained faithful to the Center and served on their Board of Directors, recognizing the value of their services to help children in their traumatic time of need. In 2015, shortly after his Senate assignment began Scott became familiar with the United Way of Danville Area’s program with Dolly Parton’ s Imagination Library wherein young children could receive free books sent to their homes monthly. When Scott learned of this program, he immediately saw the value of it and approached AT&T with their Invest in Illinois grant opportunity, affording United Way a gift of $2,000 on September 30, 2015.

Veterans — Scott was a team member of the annual wreaths across America at the Danville National Cemetery and a strong supporter of programs for military veterans and their families who sacrificed for their country.

Through the COVID Pandemic, he kept his ear to the ground on core safety-net needs in Vermilion County, securing personal protective equipment for schools and healthcare providers. He also kept in close touch with human service providers trying to address funding shortfalls during a time of increased need for their services.

In addition, during his tenure, he conducted over 25 community drives for food, clothing and socks, phones for Veterans, dictionaries for inmate students, blood drives, baby diapers, and well wishes cards for seniors in nursing homes.

Scott worked tirelessly for the good of Vermilion County, Champaign County, and the State of Illinois. He was a true Servant Leader for us, his constituents. We are deeply grateful for us having been blessed by his dedication and accomplishments for us.

Jeanne Mulvaney, Danville