Freedom House remembers Nedda Simon on its Founder’s Day

Freedom House celebrated Founder’s Day on Friday, May 9, marking the life and enduring legacy of Nedda Simon, who died last year on the agency’s 42nd anniversary.

The organization reflects on the vision and dedication of a woman whose compassion sparked a movement for safety, dignity and justice in the region.

Before 1983, the closest shelters for battered women were found in Peoria, Streator and the Quad Cities – far from reach for many rural residents. Finding this unacceptable, Princeton resident and family counselor Simon took action.

With the support of her husband, Don, and many community allies, she led the effort to establish Freedom House. First located in Wyanet and later moving to 314 N. Euclid Ave. in Princeton, the shelter eventually settled at its current location at 440 Elm Place.

Over the decades, Simon remained the heart of Freedom House. She spearheaded community outreach across five counties, rallied financial and in-kind support, guided the agency’s expansion into Henry County with offices in Kewanee and the Cambridge Courthouse, started a foundation, and much more. In 2018, she was named an emeritus director by the board of directors, a title she humbly lived up to each day, Freedom House said.

Simon never stopped serving, according to the agency. She greeted every new class of domestic and sexual violence training graduates; wrote heartfelt thank you letters to major donors; mentored staff; championed agency events; advocated for victims’ rights legislation; and, with her family, renovated three shelter rooms for survivors.

Today, Freedom House employs 42 full-time staff members and serves about 1,000 victims of domestic and sexual violence annually. Every success, every life touched, every moment of peace and healing that takes place traces back to Simon’s dream – and her resolve to make it real, according to the agency.

“Founder’s Day is not only a time to reflect on our past, but a call to action – to carry Nedda Simon’s legacy forward and continue the fight for a world free of violence,” the agency said.

Freedom House, a nonprofit organization, is the domestic and sexual violence agency primarily serving Bureau, Henry, Marshall, Putnam and Stark counties. Freedom House has no residency requirement to receive services. The agency has its main administrative offices and shelter in Princeton, with additional offices in Geneseo, Cambridge (Henry County Courthouse), Kewanee and Lacon.

Freedom House provides free, confidential and compassionate services to victims and their families, including a 24/7 hotline at 800-474-6031; an emergency shelter; medical advocacy; legal advocacy; adult, teen and child psychotherapy; substance-use recovery support and counseling; awareness programming; kindergarten through 12th-grade prevention education; and volunteer and professional training.

For more information about services or to donate, call 815-872-0087; visit www.freedomhouseillinois.org; and follow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.