Features

[JULY 25, 2002]  Carol Runyon and her husband, Joe, recently joined more than 8,000 other consultants at the Creative Memories annual showcase convention in Minneapolis, Minn.

The event was a time of celebration, training and new product introductions to help consultants teach others how to preserve their stories in keepsake scrapbook photo albums. Creative Memories’ purpose is to make a difference in the way people remember, celebrate and connect.

Creative Memories also presented a check for more than $500,000 to the Alzheimer’s Association. Funds were raised by consultants through sales of "A Time for Triumph" photo album in April and May.

The Antioch Company, Creative Memories’ parent company, is based in Yellow Springs, Ohio. It has manufacturing and distribution facilities in St. Cloud, Minn.; Sparks, Nev.; and Richmond, Va.

Carol Runyon can be reached by calling (217) 732-9480 or (888) 400-9480 or by sending e-mail to CMCRunyon@AOL.com.

More information is also available at www.creativememories.com/carolrunyon.

[Press release]

[JULY 18, 2002]  URBANA — The collapse of the Enron Corporation’s stock and, with it, the loss of many millions of retirement dollars, illustrate the fact that retirement planning can have its pitfalls. In recent years, more workers are directly involved in managing their retirement investments, but according to a University of Illinois focus group study, most don’t know whom to trust to provide accurate financial information.

"In fact," said Paul McNamara, U of I consumer economist, "family, friends and the Internet were the information sources reported as most preferred."

U of I Extension conducted a series of five focus groups to explore how individuals and families in Illinois are saving money and planning for retirement. The discussions covered savings strategies, information sources and possible barriers to saving.

The participants in these discussions were a diverse group of 33 people.

Their retirement plans varied as well. Many reported having IRAs and 401(k) plans, others did not. One woman stated, "I have no retirement plan at all for myself. We basically live paycheck to paycheck." The cost of raising children was frequently reported as a reason for saving little or nothing.

"We are developing an educational program called Plan Well, Retire Well, and these focus groups have been part of our efforts to design that program," said McNamara. "In these discussions, we identified themes across the participant responses that needed to be incorporated into the financial education program."

It became clear through the focus groups that job transitions can provide stumbling blocks to retirement saving efforts for many employees, yet people are very likely to change jobs, perhaps many times, over their work life. "Many of the focus group participants reported saving money in retirement plans (such as 401(k) plans) through their employers, but when they changed jobs, they cashed out these accounts because the money involved did not appear to be large," said McNamara. "Transferring a relatively small amount of money to a retirement account at their new employer didn’t seem worth it."

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Another concern that came to light in the focus groups was that it isn’t clear to the participants just how much money they need to save to have enough for retirement. The participants reported hearing mixed messages and different guidelines about how much they should put aside now.

The discussions revealed the need for clear and concise retirement planning information that it is trustworthy. "Many participants received information from their employers, but were not satisfied with it," said McNamara. "If materials were provided, they were often long and difficult to read or understand."

Several people agreed that they would value information sources that do not have a product to sell, but that these are difficult to find. For that reason, family, friends and even Internet sites were mentioned as preferred sources of information. One participant commented, "I like the financial Web sites that give you the facts and the tools to say, ‘Here is what you need to look for, and this is how to evaluate the stock or the program.’"

Many of the focus group participants believed that they would trust information provided by U of I Extension. Comments included, "They are going to give you the best information that’s available from all sources, and Extension is more geared to education than selling."

"The goal of the Plan Well, Retire Well educational program is to assist middle-income individuals, who are 25 to 50 years old, to plan effectively for retirement," said McNamara. "A unique feature of this program is that it targets young individuals and emphasizes the importance of setting financial goals and saving early for retirement. The program also provides information on the various ways to prepare for retirement, including basic investment strategies."

[U of I news release]

[JULY 15, 2002]  Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital received a score of 97 on a recent survey by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. This places ALMH in the top 10 percent of all hospitals surveyed against a comprehensive set of standards applied to all hospitals equally, regardless of size.

Founded in 1951, the commission is dedicated to continuously improving the safety and quality of the nation’s health care through voluntary accreditation. A team of health-care professionals conducts an on-site survey of the hospital, interviewing staff and patients, reviewing documents, examining physical surroundings, and observing patient care. The commission’s on-site survey of Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital occurred in May.

"Above all, the national standards are intended to stimulate continuous, systematic and organization-wide improvement in an organization’s performance and the outcomes of care," says Russell P. Massaro, M.D., executive vice president of accreditation operations for the commission. "The community should be proud that Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital is focusing on the most challenging goal — to continuously raise quality and safety to higher levels."

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F. G. "Woody" Hester, president and chief executive officer of ALMH, spoke of his pride in a staff that not only works hard to achieve accreditation by the commission, but also strives to be the best. "At ALMH the number one priority of our staff is to be the best rural hospital in America. That means that safety and quality, the things the JCAHO team are most interested in, are always job one," stated Hester.

Hester said of the staff’s reaction to the survey results, "They are rightfully proud of their accomplishment but they aren’t satisfied to be among the top 10 percent of hospitals surveyed … they truly want to be the best … what a team!"

[News release]

Where do you go for the
goods and services you want?

In the know…

You finally discover where the best chai in town is and you’re ecstatic! Then you discover it’s been there a year or so and no one told you about it. You’re exasperated! Local businesses change hands, move, increase their stock or services, do all sorts of things you’d really like to know about, and somehow you don’t get in on it.

LogOn Production’s Channel 15 has the show you’ve been waiting for — "Chamber Chat." It airs from 5:30 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays. The Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce hosts the weekly half-hour LIVE talk show.

"Chamber Chat" features updates on local business activity, community events, issues, and interviews with volunteers and leaders of special programs taking place in the community. There will also be opportunity for viewers to call in with live questions.

There are plans to occasionally film segments on location in local businesses to add to the perspective and content of the show.

The show will air several additional times each week, but Tuesday night will be the LIVE show. [Click here to hear it!]

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Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Bobbi Abbott thinks, "A focus on our GOOD NEWS will hopefully provide a domino effect in positive attitudes and opinions about our community."

Abbott invites, "If you have business activity, please e-mail to me any news about your place of business — expansions, new employees, new products or services, changes in location or management, etc."

Bobbi Abbott, Executive Director

303 S. Kickapoo Street

Lincoln, IL 62656

(217) 735-2385

chamber@lincolnillinois.com

www.lincolnillinois.com

[LDN]

Announcements

The Chamber Report

[JULY 8, 2002]  Lincoln Art & Balloon Festival license plates, T-shirts and collector pins are now on sale in the chamber office. Also, we’re recruiting festival volunteers for parking cars, selling tickets or manning booths. Stop in and pick up a stack of festival brochures for your business! 

The chamber of commerce is a catalyst for community progress, bringing business and professional people together to work for the common good of Lincoln and Logan County.

Bobbi Abbott, Executive Director

Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce

303 S. Kickapoo St.

Lincoln, IL 62656

(217) 735-2385

chamber@lincolnillinois.com
www.lincolnillinois.com

Honors & Awards

Main Street Corner News

Main Street Lincoln

Cindy McLaughlin, program manager

303 S. Kickapoo

Lincoln, IL 62656

Phone: (217) 732-2929

Fax: (217) 735-9205

E-mail: manager@mainstreetlincoln.com

Job Hunt

Lincolndailynews.com makes it easy to look for a job in the Logan County area.

Developmental Disability Nurses. RN or LPN. Join our team of caring professionals! 93-bed ICF-DD. Part-time and full-time positions available on second shift. Apostolic Christian Timber Ridge, 2125 Veterans Road, Morton, IL 61550. (309) 266-9781 EOE

Employers, you can list available jobs by e-mailing ads@lincolndailynews.com. Each job listing costs $10 the first week, $20 for eight days to one month. There is a limit of 75 words per announcement.

Classifieds

Padre Island, Texas. Deeded time share week. Luxury two-bedroom beach resort. Trade anywhere worldwide. Paid $9,000. Divorce; must sell; only $3,000. (217) 732-4648 or (208) 255-3016.

To place a classified ad, e-mail ads@lincolndailynews.com or call (217) 732-7443.