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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]
[to top of second
column] |
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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