Passenger Link – January 2026

CityLink Christmas Trees

Christmas cheer filled our workplace last month! On Friday, December 5, 2025, members of our CityLink team gathered to decorate the main tree in our lobby. With classic Christmas music playing in the background, the team joined forces to deck the halls and welcome the holiday season. Visitors were greeted to this sight as they entered our administrative building during the holiday season.

CityLink staff kept the festive cheer alive by hosting a Christmas tree decorating contest throughout the building! Explore below to discover how our team members infused holiday cheer through their creative trees and festive decorations.

And congratulations to the winner of the contest, Maintenance! Your tree stood out among the rest! Thank you all for unleashing your creativity and helping to transform our office into a space filled with Merry spirit!

Ugly Sweater Contest

Our team embraced the holiday spirit on Friday, December 19, 2025, with a festive ugly sweater contest, bringing some fun and cheer into the workplace. Congratulations to Fatina for winning with the ‘ugliest’ tinsel sweater!

Stuff-A-Bus Wrap Up

The final Stuff-A-Bus donations were delivered to the Peoria Friendship House on December 10, 2025, marking the successful completion of the campaign and the delivery of an incredible 14 tons of donated food and essential items. These generous contributions, collected from across our community, reflect the compassion and support of everyone who participated. Since receiving the donations, the Peoria Friendship House has been carefully organizing, sorting, and restocking its food pantry to ensure items are readily available for individuals and families in need. Thanks to this collective effort, the Peoria Friendship House is well equipped to continue providing critical resources and support to our community throughout the season and beyond.

A special thank you goes to our Maintenance Team for their constant support throughout the campaign. We are incredibly grateful for all the heavy lifting they took on, from collecting overflowing donation bins to transporting and delivering the final loads. Their hard work and dedication made a huge difference and were essential to the success of this effort.

The Marketing & Community Engagement team would like to sincerely thank the Amaglamated Transit Union (ATU) #416 members, board members, and management team for your unwavering support and assistance throughout this year’s Stuff-A-Bus campaign. Marketing our 38^th year, the campaign exceeded all expectations, achieving remarkable success and results. We collected an impressive 14 tons of food, surpassing our initial goal of 10 tons. Your generous contributions, whether through financial donations, providing food, helping load supplies onto buses, or driving buses at various locations throughout the campaign, were essential to the success of this effort. We cannot thank you enough, as these donations will sustain the Peoria Friendship House of Christian Service for the coming months, enabling them to provide daily food assistance to many individuals in our regional community who are in need. Thank you once again, and warm wishes for a happy holiday season.

Back to School

As students return to campus after winter break, we’re excited to welcome them back aboard our buses! Those who purchase tickets through their college or university can take advantage of special discounted rates. We wish everyone the best of luck this semester and encourage our local students to give CityLink a try, which is always an affordable, reliable way to get around town.

College students can purchase discounted bus passes at these locations:

Illinois Central College

East Peoria Campus
Enrollment Services
One College Dr.
East Peoria
(30-Day Pass & Day Pass)

Peoria Campus
Enrollment Services
5407 N. University
(30-Day Pass & Day Pass)

Bradley University

Financial Services Cashier
Window
Located in Swords Hall
1501 W. Bradley Ave.
(30-Day Pass & Day Pass)

National Blood Donor Month

As we step into 2026, and we start making our New Year’s resolutions, consider the life-saving resolution of donating blood. January is National Blood Donor Month and donating blood is one of the most impactful ways to start the year with purpose. 6.8 million Americans donate blood every year, and January is the perfect time to honor the people who help others through the simple act of giving blood.

Donating blood takes just a little time but can make a world of difference to someone in need. Every 2 seconds, someone in the world needs blood. Approximately 36,000 units of red blood cells are needed every day in the United States alone. Whether it’s in an emergency, during surgery, or for those with chronic conditions, your donation could be the lifeline they’re waiting for.

Blood consists of several components. Those most needed by patients are:

· Whole Blood contains red cells, white cells, and platelets suspends in plasma. Used most often in major trauma situations or in surgery. You can donate whole blood every 56 days, and have a 42 day shelf life.

· Red Blood Cells carry hemoglobin, which are essential for oxygen exchange in the lungs. Red blood cells help with anemia, surgical blood loss, and chemotherapy.  Double red blood cells can be donated every 112 days, and have a 42 day shelf life.

· Platelets are small cell fragments whose main function is to interact with drifting proteins to stop or prevent bleeding. Platelets can be donated up to 24 times a year, and have a 5 day shelf life.

· Plasma is a fluid, comprised of about 92% water and 8% proteins, minerals, salts, sugars, fats, hormones and vitamins. Plasma helps with liver disease, burn victims, and bleeding disorders. Plasma can be donated every 28 days, and can last up to one year when frozen.

Having a diverse blood supply is important to meet the medical needs of an increasing diverse population. Blood given to patients with rare blood types of conditions such as sickle cell disease must be matched closely to avoid complications. A patient is more likely to find a compatible blood match from a donor of the same race or a similar ethnic group. By indicating your race when you donate, you can help the Red Cross best meet the growing need of patients from all backgrounds.  

To learn more about donating blood, or to find the nearest blood drive, call 1-800-RED-CROSS (733-27677) or visit www.redcrossblood.org.

Winter Dry Skin Prevention

Moisture is essential for the skin barrier to perform well. ResearchTrusted Source has shown that there is less moisture in the skin during winter than in the summer, as well as fewer lipids in the skin barrier. These differences contribute to dryness and irritation.

Preventing winter dry skin

When the seasons start to change, people can avoid getting dry winter skin by taking the following steps:

· Adjusting skin care regimens: Skin requires different treatment during colder weather, including the use of a more protective moisturizer. Cutting back on exfoliating scrubs, face masks, and steam treatments will also reduce damage to the skin barrier.

· Staying hydrated: Drinking plenty of waterTrusted Source boosts skin hydration, which helps it stay smooth. Eating foods or taking supplements that contain omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids might also help.

· Using a humidifier: This device can introduce moisture back into the air, helping rehydrate the outer layer of skin. Alternatively, a person can place a bowl of water on top of a radiator so that as the heat rises, it carries water vapor along with it.

· Limiting exposure to heat: People can do this by taking a lukewarm bath or shower rather than a hot one and avoiding sitting in front of a fire or heater. Excessive heat can draw vital moisture away from the skin.

· Protecting the skin with clothing: Many people experience dry skin on the hands, particularly now that regular hand washing and sanitizing have become more commonplace. Wearing gloves in cold temperatures and when washing dishes will help prevent the skin from drying out.

When to contact a doctor

The use of home remedies can improve most cases of dry skin. If they have no effect, a person can contact a healthcare professional, such as a pharmacist,  doctor, or dermatologist. These professionals can prescribe the right products or recommend next steps.