Why We Love Living in Peoria: Couple Returns to Their Hometown Roots

©Journal Communications/Jeff Adkins

Jennifer Rosa, an opera singer and entrepreneur, lives a life that’s far from ho-hum. After more than a decade in New York City, she and her family moved back to their hometown of Peoria, IL. 

“There are a whole bunch of seemingly serendipitous full circle moments that have just kind of all led back here,” Rosa says. 

Rosa knew from an early age that she wanted to perform music and move to New York City. 

“I had vibrato at a young age, so when I sang, I sounded very mature for my age,” she says. “I knew I wanted to perform and produce music.” 

Rosa worked with the local opera company, singing her way through high school and college. She took voice lessons at Bradley University while in high school and attended Bradley for her undergraduate degree. She majored in music business with a minor in performance, and that’s where she met her husband, J Scott Hinkley. 

Rosa jumped into an internship with the New York City Opera and finished her degree, while her husband moved to New York to study music business at New York University. Several years later, they had two daughters and were living in a 500-square-foot apartment, but they were starting to imagine returning to Peoria. 

“We always kept tabs on what was going on,” she says. “We are proud to be from the area, and we didn’t want to forget what we had.” 

A Peoria Homecoming 

In 2016, while the family was in Illinois for the holidays, their oldest daughter developed debilitating neurological symptoms. While they knew that in New York, they might have to wait weeks to see a neurologist, at OSF Children’s Hospital of Illinois – a Level I pediatric trauma center and the only Level IV neonatal intensive care unit in the state – they were able to meet with a team of physicians right away. 

“That was shocking, in a good way,” she says. “While we were figuring out diagnoses, we were given lots of other options with therapies for her initial rehabilitation with Easterseals. It all sounded really great, but we lived in New York. We were staying with my sister, and the house next door was up for sale. While on vacation, we put a bid on the house.” 

The family returned to Peoria, with Hinkley commuting to New York for work. Eventually, he got a job working with OSF HealthCare’s Innovation system, part of OSF’s Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center. 

“It was a shift, but it was like all these paths had come our way,” she says. “New York served its purpose for many years, but when a crisis hits you like that, it makes some situations crystal clear. Coming back has served our family immensely. It’s brought back a lot of neat, nostalgic things for us, reuniting with people we knew before and meeting new people.” 

©Journal Communications/Jeff Adkins

Budding Entrepreneurs

Larkin and Willa, the couple’s daughters, always talked about wanting to have an art shop when they grew up. When Willa, was really little, she would ask her parents to play “pretendly” with them – and the word became the name of their store. The family was working with Easterseals, the only CARF-accredited pediatric specialty outpatient medical rehabilitation program in central Illinois, which always invites family participation. 

“Our oldest daughter is neurodivergent and autistic, and her younger sister is neurotypical, and they asked Larkin if she would like to be an ambassador for something and do art projects with her sister,” she says. “It was a neat thing they would do together, and they loved making things for other people, and I didn’t want to squash that.” 

Rosa says that Easterseals would post their art online, and it would be seen by lots of people, which sparked the idea for them to create Pretendly, an online shop where they sell T-shirts, totes and tumblers with their artwork on it. 

Today, Rosa’s schedule is split between helping her daughters run Pretendly, her own performance gigs, and producing events. She says that moving back to Peoria was a great choice for her family, and it’s largely because of what the community offers. 

“I’m always surprised by the talent of people I’ve met who are either from here or who have moved here intentionally with the hope of making something worthwhile for people to make the culture better, to make the environment better, to make the community better,” she says. “That never ceases to amaze me.” 

Support for Those With Disabilities 

Residents often say that one of the best things about living in Greater Peoria is the strong sense of community and support they experience. Families dealing with disabilities have a wealth of resources available to them, thanks to organizations like Camp Big Sky, Easterseals and EP!C. 

Camp Big Sky: Camp Big Sky, a Heart of Illinois United Way agency, has been offering wide-open experiences to any person of any age with any disability as well as their families, friends and caregivers for the past 20 years, free of charge. Campers of all ages and abilities can experience the outdoors by participating in activities like fishing, kayaking, nature study, crafts, campfires, cookouts and hikes, among other options. The camp hosts some 2,500 guests each year to spend time in the area’s beautiful outdoor spaces. 

EasterSeals Central Illinois: Easterseals provides services for children with developmental delays and disabilities so they can reach their full potential. The organization offers pediatric therapy and rehabilitation, autism services and support, camp and recreation programming, and educational programs. Easterseals strives to give participants confidence, new skills and a sense of accomplishment. 

EP!C: Since 1950, this group has worked to offer individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families unique educational, residential, employment and clinical programs. The innovative approach emphasizes ability over disability. Some of EP!C’s programming includes placing individuals in housing, helping them find jobs and offering life skills classes, art programming and job training.