Neil Blakeslee left his mark on our organization, serving as a board member in the 1990s and a member of the capital campaign committee several years ago. He has a way of galvanizing others to take action.

Jerry Coon, a former board member, reflects on working with Neil:

“Neil Blakeslee came to me one day and said, ‘I think it’s time for you to be more involved in the community.’ One of those involvements was North Kent Community Services. I met with the executive director, Tom Pearce, and was put on the board, serving along with Neil in the 1990s. He saw that I could bring some talent to North Kent.”

“I would describe Neil as persuasive, visionary, community-minded, and persistent. He’s good at being able to see the big picture and had this vision of what Rockford as a community should look like. Improving North Kent Community Services was one of them. The Chamber and Rotary were others. I’m really glad that I met Neil when we moved to Rockford in the late 1980s!”

~Jerry Coon
Past board member, North Kent Community Services
Former owner of Action Tax Services
Current president of the Rockford Rotary Club