July 10, 2025
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Anne Baker Charities in Peru looking to fund local nonprofits

The charity expects to distribute $150,000 this year

By Olivia Doak

Anne Baker, in this file photo, looks at the plaque honoring her late husband, Donald Baker, who was the Peru mayor for many years. The plaque is at the bottom of a decorative clock that sits in front of Peru City Hall.

Anne M. Baker Charities, Inc, a nonprofit organization in Peru, is seeking applications from local nonprofits in need of funding and is planning to distribute a total of $150,000 this year.

The goal of the Anne Baker Charities is to provide funds to fill the needs of local nonprofits in La Salle, Bureau and Putnam counties. It was created according to the wishes of Anne Baker, a Peru resident, and funded through money from her estate after her death.

Last year, the directors were able to fund the nonprofits they were aware needed funding. This year, they’re looking to diversify the charities they help and put the money where it’s needed most. To do this, the directors ask any nonprofits in the area to apply for it. Anne Baker Charities does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion, etc. in any of its activities or operations as noted on its website.

“We want to have the community involved in how the funds are spent and we want to go where the needs are,” Rorie Schweickert, a director of the Anne Baker Charities and family friend of the couple, said.

The charity was founded in 2021 after the death of Anne Baker in 2020. Anne Baker was married to Donald L. Baker, who served as a Peru alderman from 1957 to 1961 and later as mayor from 1965 to 2009.

Schweickert said the couple was always charitable and generous when it came to the community. In 1995, Anne Baker created the Anne Baker Foundation and made donations for years, her final gift being the clock tower outside Peru City Hall. Baker also was an active member in her church and created a club that made handmade quilts for those in need.

Additionally, after she lost her daughter, Dee, to cancer, Baker set up nursing scholarships through the Illinois Valley Community Hospital (now St. Margaret’s-Peru) in Dee’s name. Schweickert said in a statement on the charity’s website the Anne Baker Charities was her last act of philanthropy to serve the needs of the local charities and community.

For more information on the charity or how to apply for funding, visit their website: https://www.annembakercharities.com/about-us