Sojourn Shelter and Service of Springfield is seeking to fill the domestic violence advocate position in Lincoln and hopes to offer services from the courthouse basement again soon, according to Andrea Shaner, prevention and education coordinator.  The advocate position has been vacant for four months.

Shaner spoke at a domestic violence seminar sponsored by the Domestic Abuse and Violence Task Force of the Healthy Communities Partnership of Logan County.  The seminar, held at the Lincoln Park District on Thursday, Feb. 1, drew about 30 people.

Group counseling and court advocacy are the first services Sojourn plans to offer in Lincoln, Shaner said.  In addition, volunteers are being sought to drive victims to a safe place.

Sojourn services are available to Logan County residents through the Springfield headquarters.  Collect calls to 217-726-5200 are always accepted.  Confidential services include a shelter program, children’s program, court advocacy, Sojourn Advocate For Emergency Response (SAFER), medical advocacy, prevention and education, a volunteer program, and non-residential services to clients in Logan, Sangamon, Menard, Christian and Montgomery counties.

Shaner said that how victims feel treated at the scene of the crime is the most important factor in whether they pursue charges.  The SAFER program provides an on-call advocate who goes to a scene of domestic battery once it is secured by police and counsels victims including children.  Although this service is not available in Lincoln, Chief of Police Rich Ludolph said officers do explain Sojourn services and encourage victims to call immediately.  Because many do not have transportation available, he emphasized the need for volunteers to offer rides.

To counteract teen violence, Shaner encouraged classroom programs connecting teens to role models of the same sex.  She said it is important to start young in teaching empathy, respect and self-esteem.  Ludolph described the programs offered by the Lincoln Police Department: Violence Prevention for Our Youth taught by Officer Rich Montcalm in kindergarten through 4th grade, Violence Education and Gang Awareness (VEGA) taught by Sergeant Darrell Sisk in 5th grade, and Drug Awareness Resistance Education (DARE) led by Sisk, Montcalm and Sergeant Mike Geriets for 6th and 7th graders and high-school freshmen. 

He said these and the YMCA after-school program have reduced juvenile crime occurring between 3 and 5 p.m.  The police programs are funded by a three-year grant, and Ludolph said that if he can find additional funding he wants to offer a violence prevention program for home-schooled children as well.  Shaner said Lincoln is ahead of many communities in youth education.

She defined domestic violence as “a pattern of coercive behavior used to gain control over another person.”  Occurrences include forms of physical, emotional and financial control and tend to increase in frequency and severity.  Most abusers are male, and 95-97 percent of victims are female.

 “Abusers have a public and a private face,” making the crime nearly invisible, said Shaner.  Domestic violence is the most common violent crime in the United States, occurring in one out of every four homes and in every type of neighborhood.

In working with victims of domestic violence, Shaner told her audience of social service workers and others, “you must redefine success” to include building trust and imparting information, rather than just getting the victim to leave the abusive situation.  The Sojourn philosophy emphasizes victim self-determination, and the victim chooses whether to leave.

In the past two years the address of the Springfield shelter, 1800 Westchester Boulevard, has been publicized.  Shaner said, however, that if organizers are ever successful in opening a shelter in Lincoln, its location should be kept secret for safety reasons.

During the last fiscal year the average stay at the Springfield shelter was 33 nights.  Saner said there is no specified limit, but clients must experience a level of risk and must be working on specific goals. It takes an average of eight stays in the shelter before a victim is ready to leave the abusive situation permanently.

She said victims stay in abusive relationships for many reasons, including not wanting to admit a failed relationship, not wanting to be alone, being willing to sacrifice self so children are clothed and fed, and having no other model for relationships.  It is a myth that victims are a specific type of person, she added; the similarities come after the abuse when threats, intimidation, isolation and economic control have lowered victims’ self-esteem to the point that they feel guilty and worthless.

Shaner, who spent two years with Sojourn’s children’s program, said working with the young is both tough and hopeful: tough because the children think they are guilty, and hopeful because of the chance to break the cycle of violence.  Noting that 81 percent of male abusers saw their mothers being abused, she said, “We work hard not to let the boys in the shelter think they have no chance.”  Children are taught that their only job is to seek safety, because most child victims are injured while protecting their mother.

This is exactly what happened just six days ago in India. At 8:46 a.m. on Jan. 26, on what is now being called Black Friday, tectonic plates shifted, the ground shook and in some places opened up, leaving cracks 8 feet deep and 20 feet wide.

[Neal Patel]

Lincolnite Sunil (Neal) Patel, manager of Super 8 Motel, continues to be in fear and concern for his family in India. Patel was born in Ahmedabad and raised in nearby Bhuj, 20 km (12.4 mi.) from the quake epicenter.

Patel has heard from his family and they are safe for now. They are still in their home, which suffered only some structural cracks. They say there is no food, water or electricity, but it is the constant worry of aftershocks that preoccupies the thoughts of both survivors and rescuers. Aftershocks occurred Wednesday afternoon and are expected to continue occurring for another week.

Patel moved here from New Jersey. His New Jersey church is supporting a ministry that is there on-site, aiding the quake victims. You can help aid the victims of this terrible disaster. A fund has been set up at the Illini Bank. Contributions may be made by sending or taking checks to Illini Bank, 2201 Woodlawn Road in Lincoln. Make checks payable to Yogi Divine Society and note that the donation is for earthquake relief in western India. All donations are tax-deductible. The money will go directly to the ministry agency that has been on-site since the first day of the quake. Some statistics on this mission are provided below under "Earthquake relief in western India." 

If you would like further information, contact Neal Patel, Super 8 Motel, 2809 Woodlawn Road, Lincoln, IL 62656; phone (217) 732-8886; e-mail smite45@hotmail.com.

From Pakistan to Nepal, the entire country of India was rocked in a quake of 7.9 magnitude Friday, Jan. 26. The hardest-hit areas were in the state of Gujarat. The city of Ahmedabad (ahm-deh-bah), population 10 million, and district of Bhuj (boo-dj) suffered the greatest damages.

Many areas have been leveled. As the final search for the living in an area of Bhuj called Anjar (population 35,000) continued Wednesday, aftershocks shook the area. The city, which is now just a pile of rubble, is now closed. A number of other areas have also been searched and closed.

Gujarat is the second-most-industrialized state of India. The massive losses suffered in this quake will have long-ranging economic impact on the already struggling country of India.

While the incomprehensible loss of life and injuries is still being dealt with, the World Health Organization has a UN disaster management team preparing for the next stage of the disaster. They are doing a situational analysis in order to prevent the spread of disease. Many world relief organizations have set up camps and are providing food, water and shelter for the survivors. It will be a long, expensive recovery time for all of the areas struck.

The following newspaper has extensive information and ongoing reports on the effects of the quake: Times of India, http://www.timesofindia.com.

[LDN]

• Population of Bhuj and surrounding areas: 236,000. People found alive as of 1-28-01: 16,000.
• The quake destroyed 90 percent of the homes in Bhuj.
• At least 100,000 (the Hindu) are still buried in debris.
• Around 18 villages have disappeared.
• Eighty percent of the buildings in Ahmedabad have suffered severe structural damage. It is expected that it will take at least 10 years for affected areas to recover from this.

Yogi Divine Society (YDS), a socio-religious organization spearheaded by P.P. Hariprasad Swami Maharaj, has taken immediate relief efforts in these areas:

• YDS workers reached Bhuj and surrounding areas on the same day and delivered 25,000 food packets.

• A 24-hour relief operation center has been set up in Rajkot. All relief operations are directed from there. A relief camp with 20 YDS workers and 400 volunteers has been set up in Anjar village near Bhuj. Operations at the site include:

• A 24-hour kitchen provides meals for everyone.

• 50,000 food packets are delivered daily to Bhuj.

• Ten tons of prepared food, eight tons of fresh vegetables and two tons of potatoes have reached the affected area.

• Blankets, tents and clothes are being delivered to the quake-affected areas.

• Medical supplies have reached Bhuj from YDS centers in Anand and Baroda.

• Volunteers numbering 1,500 to 2,000 from centers in Baroda, Surat and Bombay were expected in Bhuj.

The Yogi Divine Society appeals for help in these efforts. All donations are tax-deductible.

The $4.24 million bond issue, the district’s share of the more than $12 million project, was originally projected to cost $3,060,460 in interest over the next 17 or 18 years. Because interest rates have gone down, the district will instead pay $1,933,453 over a period of 15 years, a saving of $1,127,007, Dr. Kidd said.

The interest rate the district will pay is 4.9275 percent, while the rate projected earlier was about 6.5 percent, he said.

"This is not an extra million dollars available for the school district to spend. This leaves the money in the pockets of the taxpayers," Kidd said.

The $4.24 million also includes money to repay the $85,000 remaining in the current bond issue. The tax rate to pay off the bonds will remain at 47 cents per $100 of assessed equalized valuation, the same as it is for the current bond issue. The rest of the funding for the $12 project will come from a state grant.

The bonds for the project, construction of a new elementary school to replace Central School and a new junior high school, have already been sold by First Midstate of Bloomington, and were purchased by a local investor, whose name has not been disclosed.

The school district has taken another step which may also result in cost savings on the construction project — hiring a construction manager to oversee the building of the two schools. At a recent meeting, the District 27 school board hired the firm of S. M. Wilson & Co. of Granite City and St. Louis.

The board had previously discussed the possibility of hiring a construction manager, and Kidd and several board members began looking into the possibility.

"The districts we talked to who used this firm are very satisfied with them," Kidd said. One such district was Rochester, and the manager of that project, Steve Zick of Springfield, will also manage the job for District 27. Other Illinois school districts which have use the construction management services of S. M. Wilson include Tolono, Belleville, Eldorado, Greenville, Carlinville, Waterloo, Pleasant Plains and Breese.

"The traditional way to build a project like this was to have the architect put together specifications, get bids and hire a general contractor," Kidd explained. "The general contractor hired subcontractors. Generally they don’t have a lot of say on the contractor, because they have to take the lowest responsible bid. If the contractor and the subcontractors found ways to save money, those dollars went into the contractor’s pocket. Traditionally, the architect would come to visit the site once a week or so.

"A construction manager, however, will be on site at all times, making sure things are being done the way we expect them to be done. Before bids are let, the construction management firm’s staff go over the architect’s drawing and ‘cost it out.’ They know if we are asking for more than we can get. Then they let the bids for subcontractors. They still have to take the lowest reasonable bids, but they will probably have a more accurate idea of what the actual costs will be, because two sets of people, the architect and his staff and the construction manager’s staff, have gone over the plans. This will minimize the need for change orders and improve the chances of preventing cost overruns," Kidd said.

Because the construction manager is paid a flat fee, determined ahead of time, if money is saved during the building process, that money remains with the school district.

"One of the reason we went with the construction manager concept is that these firms pride themselves on bringing building projects in on time and on budget," Kidd said.

The next step in the building process is to get preliminary plans drawn up by the architect, Dave Leonatti of Melrose, Morse and Leonatti of Springfield. The Central School building committee, a group of teachers and others who are providing input on plans for the new school, will meet with the architect on Feb 14. Committee members are Lenny Janet, principal; teachers Charlise Leesman, Susan Rohrer and Leslie Wilmert; librarian Elaine Knight; custodian Terry Thompson; and school board members Bruce Carmitchel and Joe Brewer.

Kidd said he would like to see ground broken for the new Central School, to be built behind the present school and facing Seventh Street, in August or September.

That’s what Terry Hill, executive director of the National Rural Health Resource Center in Duluth, Minn., told the Healthy Communities Partnership (HCP) when announcing its most recent award, the Networking for Rural Health Site Visit Award.  Logan County is one of only 20 rural locations in the United States to receive the site visit award, which will bring a team of experienced, nationally recognized consultants to Logan County to help HCP task force leaders plan for the future.

[Coordinator of Healthy Communities Partnership Dayle Eldredge stands in front of an exhibit explaining the Mobile Health Unit.]

A survey of the HCP programs will be completed in the coming weeks, and the team will visit Logan County early this spring.  It will help profile the strengths and weaknesses of HCP in purpose, decision-making, planning, financing, leadership, staffing, communication and evaluation.  

The team will meet with leaders of all four task force groups — Healthy Families; Rural Health Partnership; Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs; and Domestic Abuse and Violence — in a daylong retreat.  The aim of the program is to strengthen and improve new rural health care networks so they can continue to offer access to quality health care.

Since its inception in 1997, HCP has received over $850,000 in grants to help fund its activities.  Funders include Health Resources Services Administration, Rural Health Outreach Grant; Southern Illinois University School of Medicine; the Center for Rural Health, Illinois Department of Public Health; the Logan County Board senior services tax levy; the Academy for Health Services Research and Health Policy; and the Rural Health Outreach Project Mini-Grant of the Rural Medical Education Program, College of Medicine at Rockford.

In 2000-2001, grants received to fund HCP totaled $200,442.  They include a $40,000 Rural Health Outreach Grant carry-over; $80,000 from the Southern Illinois School of Medicine; $45,569 from the Illinois Department of Public Health Center for Rural Health, for Healthy Communities Partnership; $21,848 from the Illinois Department of Public Health Center for Rural Health, for Rural Health Partnership; $10,125 from the Logan County Board for the Rural Health Partnership’s Mobile Health Unit; and $2,900 Rural Health Outreach Mini-Grant through Health Resource Services Administration, Washington, D.C.