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I got to meet Joe personally for the first time
when I wrote a story on the 5th street housing project about a year
ago. That building, now known as Hope on 5th, was Joe’s most recent
project in his effort to provide housing to veterans in Central
Illinois. This was one of the earliest stories I wrote for LDN, and
I remember being nervous. I wasn’t sure what to expect and wanted to
make sure I wrote a good article and got good pictures. When I got
the job at LDN, my editor told me that they needed someone to
consistently cover veteran’s events in Logan County. My father was a
veteran, and so I jumped at the opportunity to cover veteran’s
stories. With this being my first big story relating to the
veteran’s community here in town, I didn’t want to do a bad job and
disappoint Joe and everyone else in that community.
When I sat down with Joe and Kim Turner for the interview, I could
tell quickly how much Joe cared about the veterans in Lincoln and
the Central Illinois region at large. He shared how the CIVC was
building tiny homes for veterans, but that the homes were being
filled as soon as they were constructed. They even had a waiting
list for people wanting houses that CIVC hadn’t even broken ground
on yet. When he saw the old Lincoln College dorm building was up for
sale, he had an idea and knew he had to jump at the opportunity. I
saw a spark in Joe’s eyes that I recognized. I’ve always been a
person with a natural desire to help others. I felt a certain
kinship with Joe in this way, and immediately made a connection with
him.
Now Joe admitted to me that the project was a lot, and it was risky,
as operating a building of that size is not cheap, let alone the
additional cost of renovating it. He said that the benefit it could
have to the veteran’s community was worth the risk, and that he was
sure they would find some way to fundraise for it. Several other
groups and organizations also got involved, and many ideas were
tossed around of how this building could be utilized for the benefit
of veterans as well as others in need. Joe was happy that this idea
of his was going to be able to help others in our community in
addition to veterans. Joe had a massive heart for taking care of
people in need.
I remember feeling a great weight on my shoulders as I wrote that
article. I knew how important the story was to Joe, Kim, and the
Lincoln community. I knew that positive press could help Joe and Kim
get the attention for the project that they were looking for. That’s
why it meant so much to me when, the next time I saw Joe at an event
I was covering for LDN, he introduced me as a “fabulous writer.”
As a journalist, I like to compile contacts. Not only
does it give me links to people who could help me get information
for a story, it also helps me make deeper connections with people in
our community. I’ve been working at LDN for about a year, and in
that time, I’ve learned more about the Logan County community than I
had in the three years I lived here before then.
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I say all this to say that Joe was the first contact
I had that I started consistently running into at events. Every
veteran event that I covered, Joe was there. He was even at a couple
of events that were not veteran events. He would always make it a
point to come talk to me, or vice versa. I got a lot more
comfortable with Joe through these interactions and got to know his
heart even more. The more I learned about Joe, the more I saw that
there was to be admired.
The last story I covered where I got to see Joe was the unveiling of
two new tiny homes on Decatur Street in Lincoln. Joe gave credit to
those who had constructed the house, had a bit of tongue in cheek
humor, and then invited people to go inside and see how nice it
looked. It was nice getting to see and talk to Joe again, and we
talked a bit about me continuing to cover the 5th street housing
project. He told me a bit about how far it had come and that they
already had people moving in. Once again, I could see the excitement
in Joe’s eyes from being able to help those in need.
At the first interview I had with Joe, he shared a story with me
that I feel shows how far he was willing to go for others, as well
as the community of helpfulness he helped foster among our veterans.
Several years ago, a younger veteran was passing through Lincoln
when his car broke down on Old Route 66. He was not sure what to do,
so he searched Facebook and found someone in Lincoln who was also a
veteran. After this man reached out to our local veteran, that
veteran reached out to Joe. Over the next few days, Joe and other
veterans in town were able to get this man a place to stay and his
vehicle fixed. Even though none of them knew this man, they all
chose to see someone in need rather than a stranger. They all
rallied behind him and made sure he got everything he needed, not
expecting anything in return. Joe’s desire to help others has helped
bring together a group of like-minded people, serving others for the
simple fact it is the right thing to do, not because they get
something in return.
I like to think that Joe would have wanted the Logan County
community to come together and continue to help and support one
another. Joe had a huge heart for others, and I for one am going to
take the example that Joe lived his life by and try to continue that
in my life as well.
Thank you, Joe, for all the hard work you put in for
others and how much you cared about those around you. You have
earned your rest with the Lord.
[Matt Boutcher, Lincoln Daily News] |
