DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Anna Waters has a big presence on Decatur's wall of fame.

Waters' name is also attached to the local head start program. Waters, who is best known for being a community organizer with the Decatur Macon County Opportunities Corporation. She dedicated her life to serving the next generation.

The DMCOC told WAND News there will be a name change to the head start program. Bret Robertson, with History for the Heartland, said it's for rebranding purposes. This is something he believes would diminish the icon's legacy. 

"People get on the wall [of fame] for different reasons, but there's another kind of person that's up on the wall," Robertson said. "Those are your people who gave their lives to helping other people. And that's the kind of person Anna Waters was." 

For more than 50 years, the Anna Waters Head Start Program served as a child development program. It provides educational workshops for parents, services for children with special needs and literacy programs. Cassandra Brown was a student there in 1968. Brown is a Stephen Decatur alumnae and graduate from Tuskegee University. 

"Anna Waters Head Start is why I am sitting in the position that I am today," Brown said. "Really it's [head start] a lot of supplemental learning, especially for low-income children." 

The Decatur native has since started a petition to retain the program's name. It's garnered more than 200 signatures. Brown said Waters is part of a "rich cultural legacy." It's a legacy she and Robertson believe does not need rebranding. 

WAND News reached out to the DMCOC for further comment. We're expected a response soon.Â