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Trinity donation for senior meals, balloon rides for vets, kittens, Habitat home for Senters family, Peacekeepers ride, Latham United Methodist sale, Logan County Herb Guild

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[July 29, 2013]  Community Action Senior Nutrition receives donation from Trinity Episcopal Church

Trinity Episcopal Church recently presented a $1,250 donation to Community Action's Apple of My Heart Senior Nutrition program.

The Rev. Mark Evans presented the donation to Jacob Sexton, Community Action's executive director, at the Community Action Partnership corporate office in Lincoln.

The funds will be used to supply meals for seniors in Logan and Mason counties who depend on the nutritious, balanced meals provided by the program. The program provides over 30,000 meals to local seniors each year.

According to the Rev. Evans, members of the church were asked to suggest organizations they would like to include in their outreach. Community Action's Senior Nutrition program and Habitat for Humanity were both selected to be local recipients of Trinity Episcopal's generosity.

The church also provided assistance to a diocese in Peru that they have formed a relationship with over the years, allowing them to spread their outreach globally as well as locally.

If you or your organization would like to donate to the Apple of My Heart Senior Nutrition, or any of Community Action's other programs, call 217-732-2159.

Community Action Partnership of Central Illinois provides programs and services in Logan, Mason, DeWitt, Piatt, Menard and Fulton counties. For more information, visit www.capcil.org.


Chamber partners with Elks to offer vets free balloon rides

The Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce and the Lincoln Elks Veterans Committee are offering free tethered balloon rides with free admission passes to veterans for the 2013 Lincoln Art & Balloon Festival.

For the free passes, veterans can stop at the Elks Pro Shop between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. any day of the week, at the Lincoln American Legion between 1 and 9 p.m. any day, and at the chamber of commerce office between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Only 150 ride and admission passes are available, so they will be distributed only as long as they last.

The 2012 festival was the first year of the partnership between the chamber and the Elks to offer free balloon rides for veterans in Logan County. George Lacefield, chairman of the Elks Veterans Committee, along with Andi Hake, executive director of the chamber of commerce, both wanted to continue this partnership to honor our veterans.

"We are providing additional locations for veterans to pick up the passes in hopes that this year we have more people take advantage of this wonderful opportunity," said Hake. The Elks committee is donating all the tethered balloon rides, and the chamber board of directors is donating the admission passes to the festival, so veterans can have a great weekend of fun virtually free.

"As a veteran myself, I truly value what these men and women have done for our country and feel this is just a small way to show our local veterans how much we appreciate their service and sacrifice," said Lacefield about why he wants to offer the free rides.

The passes are available to any veteran in Logan County who has served in any branch of our armed services.

Each veteran who comes to one of the designated locations will receive one free weekend admission pass to the Lincoln Art & Balloon Festival on Aug. 23-25. The admission pass will get one veteran a wristband that will allow access to the activities at the Logan County Airport both Friday and Saturday. Veterans will also receive one free tethered balloon ride pass good for one veteran to ride in a main attraction of the weekend -- a hot air balloon. This year there will be two tethered balloons, one being sponsored by local State Farm agents and the other by the chamber of commerce.

Details on times of rides and a schedule of activities during the weekend are available with the Lincoln Art & Balloon Festival's new mobile app, so download it today, or go to www.lincolnillinois.com. Contact Andi Hake or Meghan Hough at the chamber of commerce at 217-735-2385 if technology is not your thing.


HSLC seeks foster homes for special-needs kittens

The Humane Society of Logan County has an immediate need for special, caring homes to be foster parents for two adorable special-needs kittens. Ideally, there would be no other pets in the house.

HSLC takes care of their health and brings litter and food.

For more information, call 217-737-4042 or 217-648-2703.


Habitat breaks ground for home; the 18th goes to the Senters family

Amber Senters is a young single mother. She has three children: Anthony, Hayden and Ciara. She works a full-time job at a school for special-needs children in Springfield and rents a home in Lincoln.

Amber does all that she can to provide her family with a good life, and though it may be a struggle sometimes, she gets along. But, there is one thing that she has not been able to give her children -- a home they can call their own -- at least not until this week.

When Habitat for Humanity of Logan County had its 18th groundbreaking ceremony, it was for a home that will become a permanent place for Amber and her kids.

The groundbreaking ceremony was Sunday afternoon at 705 N. Madison. Several friends and family as well as Habitat volunteers came out to help turn the first shovels of dirt on the home and offer a ceremony of blessing on the build.

The event began with a welcome from Mike Irwin, Habitat president, who spoke about the agreement between Senters and Habitat. The Habitat homes are not gifts; the homeowner performs many hours of work for Habitat before the build begins.

There is also a mentor assigned to the homeowner to guide them through understanding the responsibilities of homeownership. When the house is built, the homeowner enters into a purchase plan with Habitat and over the next 20 years makes mortgage payments to the organization.

They also take on the responsibility of paying property tax to the county.

On Sunday, after Irwin spoke, city council members Kathy Horn and David Wilmert, in whose ward the home will be built, offered words of encouragement and congratulations to Senters.

Horn first told Senters that as a single mom herself, she understood fully the work it takes to provide a home, and she is happy and proud that Senters has accomplished this. Horn also noted that homeownership and a newly constructed home are good for the city of Lincoln.

Wilmert also congratulated Senters and talked about having construction for a new home in the city. He went on to mention that one of the many ways Habitat makes this possible is through fundraising efforts, such as the electronics recycling program one Saturday each month at the Habitat warehouse.

Tiffany Worth has and will continue to be Senters' mentor. After Wilmert finished speaking, Worth led the group in the Litany of Purpose. Then Ron Otto, minister of Lincoln Christian Church, offered words of encouragement through the Scripture.

Tom Wachtel will be a leader in the construction of the Senters home. He told the group there were a few plans that Senters would have to choose from, and once that was done, Habitat would be ready to commence construction. He invited everyone in attendance to come out and get involved in the build.

The building of a Habitat home is done by volunteers, which helps keep the construction costs down.

Wachtel also introduced Pastor Mark Evans and Bob Chamberlain, Habitat treasurer. Pastor Evans is with Trinity Episcopal Church in Lincoln. The church has an outreach program and recently decided to donate funds to Habitat. The pastor presented Chamberlain with a check for $1,250.

Next on the program, Karen Sams-Davis of Habitat along with Senters and her three children led the reading of the Litany of Hope. Then Horn and Wilmert led the Litany of Faith.

Then it was time to break ground. The first group up to the shovels consisted of the clergy in attendance, Habitat board members and other program participants. The second scoop of dirt was thrown out by Senters and her children. And then everyone in attendance was invited to come up and also throw out a shovel of dirt, if they wished.

The timeline on completion of the home depends greatly on weather conditions and the manpower available for the build, but it is expected that the house will be ready for Amber and her children to move into later this fall or early winter.

[By NILA SMITH]


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Peacekeepers ride includes stop in Mount Pulaski

MOUNT PULASKI -- Over 200 motorcycles and 350 riders participated in the ninth annual Central Illinois Peacekeepers Ride & Rally on Sunday. The ride began with opening ceremonies at Springfield's Camp Lincoln, where Gen. Reeves had the Illinois State Historic Museum open for riders to get an up-close view of some of the most sought-after military artifacts in the country.

At 12:29:59, the ride commenced to American Legion Post 447 in Mount Pulaski, then on to Middletown and Athens. The riders would then return to Springfield for an early evening of food and live music.

This annual event helps fund two Illinois organizations, the Illinois Law Enforcement Education Foundation and the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund for deployed soldiers, according to ride coordinator Mylas Copeland, general manager of Springfield's Green Toyota, Scion, Volkswagen, Audi. Copeland said the ride was developed several years ago to assist men and women who protect the residents of Illinois. The Peacekeepers organization is dedicated to serving law enforcement and military service personnel and their families.

On the website for the Peacekeepers, Gov. Pat Quinn is quoted: "It is the duty of all those on the home front to support the families of those who bear the battle. When the brave men and women of Illinois answer the call to duty, they should not have to worry that their families are suffering financially at home. All of us in the Land of Lincoln can help our military families by donating to the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund."

The Illinois Military Family Relief Fund was established in 2003 to assist Illinois National Guard members and reservists who were called to active duty in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Four out of 10 service members activated suffered a salary cut in order to serve their country. The fund has distributed almost $14 million to more than 26,200 military families.

IMFRF grants are intended to help service members and their families defray the costs of food, housing, utilities, medical services and other expenses that become difficult to afford when a wage-earner has temporarily left civilian employment to be placed on active military duty.

Beginning in 2004, there has been a voluntary checkoff on Illinois individual income tax forms for donations to the fund. Quinn signed Senate Bill 2148 into law effective Nov. 23, 2009, that increased the casualty-based grant from $2,000 to $5,000 and added eligibility to active-duty service members who are Illinois residents. This is not retroactive; therefore, injuries on or after Nov. 23, 2009, are eligible for consideration for the $5,000 casualty-based grant.

The treasurer of the Springfield Area Peacekeepers chapter, David Wesselman, remarked that never before have over 200 cycles been able to congregate at one time in one central place. He praised the American Legion for their huge parking lot. Wesselman was also impressed with all the preparation. Hosts and hostesses were set up to serve outside and at a full bar inside. The Legion also has four restrooms. The group's first 45-minute stop was a very pleasant and restful one.

As the group left the Legion, host and hostesses, all members of the Mount Pulaski American Legion, Auxiliary and Sons of American Legion, rushed out to give a standing ovation to the departing Peacekeepers.

[By PHIL BERTONI]


Latham United Methodist Church garage sale

LATHAM -- The Latham United Methodist Church will host a huge garage sale Aug. 1-3. The times are 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Aug. 1-2, and 8-noon Saturday, Aug. 3.

There are more than 50 coats priced to go. Lots of petite sizes are available. Many items are 25 cents and 50 cents. On Saturday, there will be a buck-a-bag sale.

Lunch will be available on Thursday and Friday, Aug. 1 and 2.

The church is at 241 Walnut St. in Latham.


Logan County Herb Guild meeting July 30

Visitors and prospective members are invited to attend the next meeting of the Logan County Herb Guild, on Tuesday, July 30, at 7 p.m. at Faith Lutheran Church, 2320 N. Kickapoo in Lincoln.

The program and cooking demonstration "Spice Up Your Life" will be presented by Janette Bauer. "Herb of the Month" will be given by Nina Gleason.

Hostesses will be Becky Blake and Judy Lumpp.


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