The Phoenix Center in Springfield began 23 years ago as a small group of people looking to find acceptance and community in each other. They had no permanent meeting place, gathering in the basements of churches, meeting rooms of community centers, libraries, garages or wherever they could find space that would accommodate them.
Today, the Phoenix Center, 109 E. Lawrence Ave., has grown into a central paragon of Springfield’s queer community. It offers a haven for the homeless, a place of comfort for individuals exploring their sexuality, a helping hand to those addicted to harmful substances, and a community for anyone looking to find individuals of open hearts and minds.
At the core of this transformation is director Jonna Cooley. Since joining the Phoenix Center in 2006, she has been the main force in building what began as a two-person operation into a 23-person crew influencing change. Her love of what she has built is palpable as she speaks about her experience growing up in central Illinois.
“I grew up in a small town of about 1,100 people,” Cooley said. “So, I have a real passion for working in these small and rural communities because I know that in a town where everybody knows everybody, it’s really hard to be who you are. So, it’s important to make sure people have access to services, to be able to ask questions and not feel that isolation.”
Cooley spends her time as the first person in and the last person out. She is the center’s full-time grant writer. She is a personable figurehead for people needing help, going out of her way to make sure they are safe, even if it means driving two to three hours outside the city to get them.
Even though this role keeps her immensely busy, she is a leader who loves what she does with a passion so fierce it infects her colleagues, said Teresa Silva, the center’s director of human resources and LGBTQ services.
To Silva, Cooley is more than just a boss. She is a friend who will take their concerns to heart. At the Phoenix Center, everybody operates as a force of change in their own way, and Cooley makes it a point to hear all of the thoughts they may bring.
“There isn’t any idea that one of us has that we can’t take to Jonna, and she’ll be like ‘Let’s try it,’” Silvia said. “That open-mindedness and that willingness to try anything for the population that we serve is just a really special quality to have in an agency … and that’s why I’m in love with it.”
Silva began working for Cooley as a volunteer when the Phoenix Center was in its infancy. She worked as a volunteer for over 15 years before she became officially employed at the center. In that time, she has seen Cooley’s passion grow the center into what it is today.
“I’ve told her several times, I can’t imagine you without the Phoenix Center and I can’t imagine the Phoenix Center without you,” Silva said. “… And honestly, she’s been the driving force behind all of the growth that we’ve seen. If it wasn’t for her, we wouldn’t be expanding our services like we are, we wouldn’t even be able to be expanding our services at all.”
An example of the center’s impact can be seen in the story of Eli, who found the organization online after living without consistent health care, education or adequate shelter. Eli, who didn’t share their last name to protect their privacy, had been a high school dropout and was not receiving homeschooling. They were at a point where their health was declining so drastically that the daily thought of suicide was a closer future than going to college. It only took one phone call for Cooley to drive out to pick them up and get them the help they needed.
“They came up to get me. … I did not have ID,” said Eli. “I barely had my birth certificate. When I was in the car with them, there were just so many questions that were asked about my future from Jonna specifically, like, ‘Have I ever considered college?’ And it was the first time a person had asked me anything like (that in) my adult life. She wanted to know if I had any future prospects beyond what I was doing at the given time.”
In the years since, Eli attended college for the first time at Lincoln Land Community College, eventually moving to the University of Illinois Springfield and graduating with a bachelor’s degree. Today, they’re a fully independent individual, pursuing a master’s degree from their own apartment. Eli’s experience with Cooley and the Phoenix Center inspired them to pursue a career in policymaking.
“I deeply admire the impact that she’s had on such a large number of people,” said Eli. “Jonna will always have a legacy in the community as an all-encompassing mother figure for everybody and just doing everything she can to just help that next person.”
It is success stories like Eli’s that Cooley lives for. It’s what keeps her going amid the days of endless writing and paperwork.
“[It’s] all of the success stories, all the good things that happen, all the positive things that happen, all the people we’re helping, the lives that we help to change for the better,” Cooley said. “Just seeing those things happen and seeing that the staff be so successful at making that happen. It’s a lot of work, and it’s been a long journey to watch the agency grow and evolve and change so much, but there’s a lot of reward, too.”
Logan Bricker is a graduate student in the UIS Public Affairs Reporting program.
