SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2016
A PRODUCT OF THE HERALD & REVIEW, DECATUR , ILLINOIS
Stretching the Boundaries. It's about getting out of the comfort zone; not settling for the status quo and changing perceptions. In this section, you'll read about Central Illinois residents who are doing just that, like business, schools and individuals who take a fresh approach to problem solving and others who test the boundaries of their own creativity and endurance.
INSIDE:
CRAZY ABOUT THE PAST
Building a future Central Christian Church's Foundations program offers more than just a chance for area teenage moms and mothers-to-be to finish their education. In the program, the girls not only find acceptance, they also get firsthand lessons in what it takes to be a parent. PAGE 2
Photos by Lisa Morrison, Herald & Review
Never Forgotten Thymes proprietor Terry Yantis welcomes visitors to the shop. They also offer live music on the fourth Saturday and a flea market the first and third Saturdays.
Antique Alley Relics of the past whisper their history to those seeking vintage treasures DONNETTE BECKETT H&R Staff Writer
D
ECATUR – In the middle of Decatur lies a short road, just a few blocks long. Many drivers use Cerro Gordo Street only to bypass a train.
Although nothing appears to be unusual, a treasure awaits those willing to search the thoroughfare. Actually, several treasures can be found. Cerro Gordo Street is a popular address for several antique shops and flea markets. The owners often refer to their location as Antique Alley.
Antique dealers and vendors with various types of products rent space in one of the four shops, as well as a consignment shop, to sell their wares. "There are many interesting things down here," said Liz Ballog, a partner with the Wabash Depot Antique Center. About 14 years ago, Ballog and her family began the first antique mall on the east end of the street after they restored the old railroad Remnants of the old depot are scattered throughout depot. Now, merthe antique store. chandise from 45 dealers is found inside the 10,000-square-foot building. Ten years later, Never Forgotten Thymes moved in next door. Each store has its own appeal, including special events. While the Wabash Depot has anniversary and holiday celebrations, Never Forgotten Thymes has a party every fourth Saturday of the month with a live band. Although businesses typically compete for revenue, the owners of the antique shops have found other techniques work better. "It is to our benefit to help our neighbors," said Terry Yantis of
ANTIQUES/PAGE 2
In their House Decatur's Girls House team is out to change some perceptions about hockey. And even though the experimental team is not ready for travel competition - yet - members still had a chance to play in intrasquad scrimmages and try their hand at an Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois 3-on-3 tournament in Chicago. Page 5
Diane Hedden of Firehouse Flea Market has a wide range of products for sale including a number of vintage kitchen items.
Eye on the prize
You never know what you might locate when you enter one of the antique shops on Cerro Gordo Street like Never Forgotten Thymes.
‘We have a variety of stuff, vintage, antique, modern deco. I like to use the word eclectic.’ — Diane Hedden, owner of Firehouse Flea Market
Brittanie Nicole Brooks, Miss Black Illinois 2016, has always had a drive to succeed. Brooks, 24, who will compete for the title of Miss Black USA this summer in Washington, D.C., is using her platform to inspire young people to read and achieve. Page 14
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SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2016
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DECATUR, ILLINOIS
A solid Foundation Program helps teenage moms, moms-to-be earn their high school diploma THERESA CHURCHILL H&R Senior Writer
Lisa Morrison, Herald & Review
A wooden cigar store Indian is among the items for sale at the Wabash Depot.
ANTIQUES Continued from page 1 Never Forgotten Thymes. "It is to our advantage and to theirs." The shops not only house antiques, the buildings are also historical. Two plaques can be found on the interiors walls of the Firehouse Flea Market, noting the significance to Decatur. Outside the building is a plaque stating Firehouse Number Two. According to Diane Hedden, owner of Firehouse Flea Market, the building is thought to have been built in the 1800s. Hedden tried to keep the business' character when she took over ownership Jan. 1. “We have a variety of stuff, vintage, antique, modern deco,” she said. “I like to use the word eclectic.” Hedden painted, rearranged and cleaned the building, putting her own touch on the already established business. She added a mixture of collections, including a furniture room. According to Ballog, the Wabash Depot Antique Center was never anything but a depot until her family purchased the building. Until 1985, it was a passenger station. The owners refurbished the entire building after using it for storage. “It was pretty run down,” Ballog said. “Amtrak painted the whole thing a putrid green, including the marble.” When the family decided to start the antique store, they found other historical pieces to use as storage. They found cabinets from Post Jewelry, a popular store with historical significance in Decatur. The light fixtures hanging in the first floor were originally from an old Lutheran church in Decatur. “They look like they've always been here,” Ballog said. Other stores have only recently moved to Cerro Gordo Street but still have a reputation in town. Tiffany LeGrande, coowner of the Flea Market farther down the road at 140 E. Cerro Gordo St., moved into her building in February. Two years earlier, LeGrande and her husband originally began their business in the old ice house building at Eldorado and Van Dyke streets. After the building was sold, the couple wanted to keep the business and moved to Cerro Gordo Street. "The street and the market are getting popular," LeGrande said. Although the flea market is open on weekends only, it has a similar reputation to the antique malls with individual vendors. The Lutheran School Association's Resale Shop has been housed in several locations, including very visual spots on Eldorado Street. According to Judy Gross, LSA Resale Store manager, the business is still just as busy. The merchandise is different than the shops a few blocks east. The store is supported by volunteers who prepare lower priced items, such as used toys, clothing and household goods. Although the products may be different, the customers are the same. “Their customers trickle down down to us,” Gross said. “And our customers go to them.” With Cerro Gordo Street just a few blocks long, a few of the shops are within walking distance of each other. The store owners encourage customers to check out the others. “We get along really well,” Yantis said. dbeckett@herald-review.com| (217) 421-6983
DECATUR – At first glance, it could have been any classroom of students discussing Truman Capote's “In Cold Blood,” under the guidance of their teacher. But then you notice two jars of Gerber beef and gravy on the table between two of the students and a pair of pink pacifiers strewn across the open notebook in front of another, a young woman sitting in the back, holding a tiny baby in her arms. Welcome to Foundations, a special school inside Central Christian Church that helps teenage moms and mothersto-be earn their high school diplomas. You might think it's a new program, but it's just a new name. It reflects Baby TALK's partnership with the Macon-Piatt Regional Office of Education after Decatur public schools had to drop out as co-provider of Phoenix II after a nine-year partnership, ending after the 2013-14 school year. This is the second year under the new arrangement. Due to give birth to a boy in May, Emma Veech, 17, of Cerro Gordo said the program will allow her to gradu-
Photos by Jim Bowling, Herald & Review
Chloe Jones feeds Kendrick Ford while watching her son, Myles Tyus, in the infant room of the Foundations program at Central Christian Church. ate on time and enroll this fall at Richland Community College as planned. At Foundations, she's found the acceptance she fears she would not have found at her high school. “At first I wanted to leave school right away but decided to stay until the end of the (first) semester because I wasn't showing,” Veech said. “It's better to be surrounded
Instructor Carolyn Jameson assists Shyloh Shartzer next to Senebrea Campbell during a Foundations program consumer education class.
by girls who are in the same situation as me.” She's also getting a closeup look at what it's like to be a mom. “Babies need a lot of attention,” Veech said. The biggest change caused by the switch in program partners is that Foundations is open to students at any high school or middle school in Macon or Piatt counties and not just to those attending Decatur public schools. Rachael Wiley, coordinator of Baby TALK's Family Literacy, STEPS and Pre-K programs in addition to Foundations, said she enrolled a student from Mount Zion last year and so far this year has had students from Sangamon Valley and Cerro Gordo and plans to take one from Maroa-Forsyth this spring. Foundations also follows the same schedule and educational model as Futures Unlimited, another alternative school operated by the regional office of education, which makes transfers between the two schools almost seamless. Both Regional Superintendent Matt Snyder and Claudia Quigg, executive director of Baby TALK, say the partnership is working well and allowing students to succeed. “We had girls out in the county really needing this service,” Snyder said. Quigg said the Futures model, which allows students to move through the curriculum more quickly but is strict on the attendance require-
Child educator Susan Woods plays dress up with Aria Mallernee in the toddler room of the Foundations program.
‘The other thing that makes it work is the deep relationships the staff develops with the mothers and their infants ...’ — Claudia Quigg, executive director of Baby TALK
ment, is just what the students need. “The other thing that makes it work is the deep relationships the staff develops with the mothers and their infants, which gives them a sense of being connected and valued,” Quigg said. Chloe Jones, 18, completed the credits she needed to graduate this spring from MacArthur High School two months before her son, Miles Tyus, was born Dec. 14, but
returns regularly to encourage the other girls. She said she felt especially close to her English teacher, Carolyn Jameson, who taught her a life lesson almost every day. “When I got pregnant, I thought my life was over,” Jones recalls. “Coming here made me realize a lot of people have gone through what I've gone through, and it taught me to grow up.” tchurchill@herald-review.com| (217) 421-7978
'Community circles' Approach teaches students to confront problems and talk them over calmly VALERIE WELLS H&R Staff Writer
DECATUR – An old saying goes that there are four things you can't get back: The stone after it's thrown, the time after it's passed, the action after it's done, and the words after they're said. But at Enterprise School, they have a method for repairing relationships even if you can't take back what you did or what you said to hurt someone. Social worker Frances Godfrey uses a book, “Circle Forward,” in her work and she found the method in it and suggested to the staff that they use “community circles” with the students.
Social worker Frances Godfrey listens to Kesshawn Washington while participating in a community circle.
“Don't say you're sorry if you don't really mean it,” said sixth-grader Ashari Wilson. “You're not gonna mean it until you show it.” The way it works is, students sit in a circle, usually with a list of talking points, and a plush toy that is the “talking piece.” Whoever is holding that toy has the floor and the others have to be quiet and let that person talk. Sixth grade is home to a lot of drama, said student Malachi Brooks, and tempers flare and small disagreements and misunderstandings blow up into major issues. To illustrate, he teased the student seated next to him about his sneakers, calling them “leftovers from the 70s.” The other boy, knowing that Malachi was making a point, just laughed, but Malachi said such a remark could hurt someone's feelings, and things could escalate into a real problem from there. “It's silly stuff,” Malachi said. “Someone finally gets enough and then,” he pretended to throw a punch, “it's on like Mike Tyson. Get it out playing Mortal Kombat or something. I don't know why people take their rage out on each other when they could take it out on something else like video games.” Though the community circles are used at all grade levels, and even the staff uses them to clear the air over their own disagreements, the purpose of the circles is to give people a chance to calmly discuss and work out a break in their relationship to each other, whether that's a big or small break. One person has hurt the other's feelings, or has something dif-
Photos by Jim Bowling, Herald & Review
Principal Ann Mathieson moderates discussion with Dabria Brown, from left, Jatrevius Jarrett, Delasha Jackson and Desmoria Harris and other sixth graders during a community circle at Enterprise School. ficult to talk about, and by agreeing to hear one another out, they can repair the situation and restore the relationship. “I think it works,” said Za'Ryis Jenkins-Taylor, a sixth-grader. Much of the drama, Godfrey said, comes of students talking about each other, and then it gets back to the person being talked over, and that person naturally resents it. She wants to teach the students how to be peacemakers, to confront problems and talk them over calmly, to make amends when they've hurt, to accept an apology if they're the one hurt, to think of others' feelings and learn to avoid hurting each other. “What can you do to repair the harm?” she said. “What can we realistically do for each other to make it better?” Principal Ann Mathieson said the staff began learning about community circles at the beginning of the school year, and introduced it to the children. Even the smallest students participate and learn to express their feelings. It's becoming a part of the
school's culture, and kids come to the adults to ask for a circle when something is on their minds. Godfrey used a favorite illustration to prove to the kids that they should weigh their words before they say them. She held a tube of toothpaste and squeezed some onto a paper towel. “Our words,” she said, indicating the toothpaste. “Once we say them, can we take it back?” The students said “no,” almost in unison. “It's like getting toothpaste back in the tube,” she said. “Can I put this back in here?” Again, students said, “no.” Godfrey tried squishing the paste back into the opening and of course, it didn't work. “What I've done is, I've created a giant mess,” she said. And the point of the circles, she said, is to clean up that mess, to repair the relationship, to apologize and mean it and show you mean it by your actions, and to try to avoid making new “messes.” vwells@herald-review.com|(217) 421-7982
SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2016
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The voice in the room Radio personality Aric Lee lends his talents wherever, whenever he can TIM CAIN
announcer at Decatur Celebration. “Whenever I thought of DECATUR – Aric Lee needing something like that,” tries to approach his life she said, “I'd ask Aric. And keeping one simple thing in not only would he do it, he'd mind. always ask if there was any“The bottom line is,” he thing else he could do. I guess said, “it's really cool when it might be similar to the people are happy.” relationship Fred (Puglia, Lee's voice continues to Decatur Celebration founder) grow in Decatur and the surhad with Orv (Graham, a rounding area, and Decatur longtime radio voice and CelCelebration producer Lori ebration stage Sturgill has a host). It's simple explaABOUT LEE very organic.” nation. Lee offered “He's aweWHO: Aric Lee a simple some,” she AGE: 36 explanation said of the OCCUPATION: Sports and profor his desire man who gramming director for Neuhoff to help. recently Media's ESPNDecatur 1050AM “Celebrajoined the WDZ tion needs to Decatur CeleBOARD MEMBER: Decatur Celstay here,” he bration board ebration; Decatur-Forsyth Classaid. “There of directors. sic; United Way campaign needs to be “It's his spirit. chairman cabinet 100 Decatur He loves QUOTE: 'I just want to be Celebrations.” Decatur, and someone in my age bracket He's taking he loves who cares.' his lead from Decatur Celeothers, and bration. He's trying to lead those his own a natural optimist. All of age. those things are important.” “There's a great generation Lee, a 1997 Stephen Decatur ahead of us,” Lee said. “Kevin graduate, has become a recBreheny, Dale Colee, Brian ognizable voice in Decatur Byers. The next generation is thanks as much to his event almost indifferent. I don't announcing as his radio work think there's a lot of city at ESPN Decatur. Lee works pride in people my age.” trivia contests for several He sees the discord most on charitable and nonprofit social media. causes, and has made a mark “Misguided opinions deter like few in history as a stage H&R Entertainment Editor
Lee looks over the agenda for the Decatur Celebration meeting where he is on the board.
Photos by Lisa Morrison, Herald & Review
Aric Lee checks in at ISU's Redbird Arena for IHSA state girls basketball. He videotaped the Central A&M game. people to the other direction,” Lee said. “Too many people are negative; they're not willing to give the benefit of the doubt. “You can have a bad experience at a restaurant, and instead of giving the benefit of the doubt, you broadcast it to 500 people on social media. Why not give the benefit of the doubt? You hit a point where everybody is negative. Why not try to be different? “When people show up in person, I find they're fine. But social media, on the other hand ...” Lee said he wants to be a positive voice of change. “I hit a point when I realized my actions could reflect and influence,” he said. “Part of it was the (radio) job, and part of it was growing up. I didn't think anyone would ever want to listen to anything I had to say. And there are still some people who don't. “I just want to be someone in my age bracket who cares.”
Spreading the word Shelbyville leaders working hard to ensure future growth SHARON BARRICKLOW For the Herald & Review
SHELBYVILLE – For Jeff Johnson, stretching boundaries is both a metaphorical and literal ambition. “We try different things, different ways and work with different groups and hopefully the mix leads to growth, economically, and in the size of our city,” Shelbyville's mayor said. Johnson and other Shelbyville leaders are hoping the appeal of small-town life near the 11,000 recreational juggernaut of Lake Shelbyville will attract more residents and more businesses. With three major employers expanding and new small businesses, the community is turning to volunteers to help spread the message that new residents are welcome. Shelby County Economic Development Director David Young said Shelbyville’s growth, along with other countywide expansions, can be directly traced to volunteer efforts. “Small towns don’t have the resources, in time or money to do a lot of things needed to attract new business,” he said. “That’s where volunteers come in. We're fortunate to have volunteers who all want the same thing and know how to work together to get the job done.” Volunteers are currently lobbying legislators and area providers to upgrade rural broadband service in the area. Young said expanding Internet service could change the face of rural communities. “In many ways rural broadband expansion is like the rural electric cooperative expansions of the 1930s,” he said. “Rural electricity changed the face of communities and offered more options for jobs and families. Broadband can do the same.” With the Internet providing more career and business options, Johnson said Shel-
Sharon Barricklow, for the Herald & Review
Software Solutions Integrated President Pam Rincker inspects her company's new expansion with Shelbyville Mayor Jeff Johnson. byville had to be ready. The city’s involvement in development includes establishing Tax Increment Financing districts to provide building improvement money and business districts that help pay for infrastructure upgrades. “It’s important to have a partnership between the city and business” he said. “We keep trying different things to find out what works.” Major employer International Paper has expanded their employment base and auto parts manufacturer IHI Turbo has added on to their buildings and workforces. Welding students from Shelbyville High School have obtained internships at IHI Turbo while other students learn 21st century technology including using the school's 3D printer. “We want our students to have the opportunity to make a good living, one that supports a family, and stay in the area,” Shelbyville High School principal Rich Stuart said. “Businesses like IHI Turbo help us provide that opportunity.” One business changing the landscape, literally, is technology and software company Software Solutions Inc. Dave Craft, vice president of marketing, said when the company’s two-story addition in the downtown area is completed this summer, it will add work and training space.
“Right now we don’t have enough room for additional employees,” Craft said. “The second floor of the addition will be office space and the first floor will be a more public space where we can have more customer-focused training and events.” Finding new workers homes to live in is a priority for Johnson and Young. “We’re interested in new subdivisions and working with people who want to bring new housing to the area,” Johnson said. “Having housing is an important part of the development equation.” Johnson also hopes residents will spend their money locally. In addition to almost a dozen new businesses opened in the last year and a new building supply store under construction, national chains like Dollar Tree and Taco Bell are coming to Shelbyville in 2016. “Taco Bell has an interest in smaller towns and rural areas,” said John Kallergis, partner in The Twins Group, an Evanston-based restaurant group. Kallergis said encouragement from local leaders was an important factor in deciding to build a new restaurant on Illinois 16, Shelbyville’s Main Street. “Shelbyville has been great to work with as we put this together,” he said. “I can’t say enough about how professional and encouraging (mayor) Jeff Johnson has been.” The current and potential growth has Young optimistic about the future. “We have two big industries that together employ 1,500 people, five or 600 people in other industries, more small businesses and a terrific tourism attraction. The entire area is full of growth. We had been a community where most of the people worked out of town, the paychecks were going out. Now we’re seeing a better balance and the paychecks are staying in town. People are starting to see this,” Young said. “We know we all win when we work together as a team,” Johnson said. sharonhrnews@yahoo.com
Lee takes pictures during the St. Teresa vs Argenta-Oreana basketball game. Sturgill said Lee's presence is important in a key way. “You need your facts and figures people,” she said, “but you also need the energy people.” More people are finding that out about Lee, leading to a change in his life. “This is the first year I've been glad to have a calendar,” he said. “This is the first year I've taken one home with me.”
He's willing to work, but he's not particularly interested in being in charge. “I just want to be a piece of the puzzle,” he said. “I don't want to run Celebration. I don't want to run the (Decatur-Forsyth Classic) golf tournament. I just want to be a piece, to do what I can. I want to help anywhere I can. I just want to be a voice in the room.”
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READERS RESPOND When I was younger, I always thought it would be weird to go to a school with stairs. A school with stairs, to me, meant a school that was not only big enough to have two floors, but big enough to house hundreds and hundreds of students. I did have a solid reason to be doubtful as each grade in my school had (and still has) approximately 60 students. I have never not know every one of my classmates. That’s understandable, considering I’ve gone to school with the majority of them for 12-plus years. I’ve grown up with them for my entire life. Therefore, the idea of going to a school where everyone literally knowing everyone wasn’t the norm not only weirded me out but also scared me. As a senior, to think that this will no longer be my life in a few months is earth-shattering, and looking back, I’ve realized that to come of age with such a small group is remarkably rare. I have seen my friends at Central A&M experience the best and worst in life, from losing loved ones to winning state championships (Go Lady Raiders!). I’ve experienced most of this secondhand, but it doesn’t really feel that way considering how closely related my classmates’ experiences are to my own. This is to me, and to all who’ve previously been in my position, what is most notably unique about my community: the unofficial family that is a small-town school. We are a group of individuals who differ in interests, beliefs, and talents, but are wholly connected by the small-town spirit that has engrossed our lives since birth. Although a small chunk of us will be heading our separate ways come May, I have no doubt that we ill all remain connected to our small-town family. Taylor Vidmar Assumption
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A stick and a badge HUEY FREEMAN H&R Staff Writer
DECATUR – Floyd Zerfowski was a young patrol officer, just a few months on the beat, when he fired his revolver for the first and last time while on duty. Sixty-six years later, his memory of the incident is still fresh. “I shot someone,” said Zerfowski, 96, when asked if he ever caught a suspect during his early years, when he walked a beat on the graveyard shift. A building, on the northZerfowski east corner of Circa 1949 Eldorado and Jasper streets had a door ajar. It was about 5:30 a.m., near the tail end of his shift. That door was locked when he checked it a few hours earlier. “The building was broken into and I went in by myself,” Zerfowski recalled. “I walked through the doorway. I was in the light and he was in the darkness. He hit me with an iron pipe. I just automatically
Decatur's oldest living retired police officer recalls his 21 years on the force shot him.” The 25-year-old suspect apparently died instantly. Zerfowski ran across the street to the Lincoln Hotel to call in the incident to headquarters. The death of the suspect, a parolee who served a prison term for armed robbery, was ruled as a justifiable homicide the following day by a coroner's jury, said a Decatur Review news story published Oct. 7, 1949. Zerfowski, cleared of all wrongdoing, returned to work that day. The oldest living retiree from the Decatur Police Department, Zerfowski is still mentally sharp and physically active. He regularly attends meetings of police retirees, most of whom joined the department after he retired in 1970. Born in Fort Wayne, Ind., the son of a Wabash Railroad
worker, Zerfowski moved to Decatur when he was three years old and has been here since, with the exception of a stint as a wartime worker in Northern Illinois. After he received a draft deferment because of a childhood injury which prevented him from breathing through his nose, Zerfowski was employed building 105mm shells on an assembly line in Elwood during World War II, then as a machinist working on tank engines at the Decatur Caterpillar plant. He met his wife, Lois Stephens, when they worked together at Caterpillar. They were wed in 1945, “on the day they buried President Roosevelt,” Zerfowski said. After 42 years together, Lois Zerfowski died in 1987. Before he hired on with the Decatur Police Department on June 16, 1949, Zerfowski worked as a contract truck driver for the post office. He saw a newspaper ad, announcing the city was hiring for the police and fire departments. He preferred the relatively regular hours officers kept, rather than the lengthy shifts of firefighters.
Lisa Morrison, Herald & Review
Deputy Chief Cody L. Moore greets Floyd Zerfowski during the retired policeman's gathering and surprises him with a retirement badge. “Work eight hours and then you're done at the police department,” he said. At that time, he knew Otto Salefski, a Decatur officer who lived across the street from Zerfowski. Coincidentally, when the shooting incident occurred, Lt. Salefski was one of the first to appear on the scene, according to the news article. Zerfowski established an excellent reputation. Just four years after he was hired he was assigned to take part in a unique operation involving a road trip by a recently retired U.S. president. “Floyd Zerfowski, a 33-yearold Decatur police officer, reported to work at 11 o'clock as usual,” says a passage in
the book, 'Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure.' “But when he got to the station, he received an unusual assignment: he was to spend the night protecting Harry and Bess Truman.” Zerfowski recalled that the chief of police found out that the ex-president was in town in June 1954. He assigned him and several other officers to sit outside his room at the Parkview Motel, Pershing Road and 22nd Street. “They didn't have Secret Service protection then for ex-presidents and no pensions,” Zerfowski said. “Three of us went to the motel. We sat in lawn chairs all night.” The following morning, Truman took the officers out
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for breakfast at Grove's restaurant. “He was real nice to talk to,” Zerfowski recalled. “He'd stop to talk to anybody. If anybody wanted to shake hands, he'd shake hands.” Zerfowski was the only officer who guarded Truman who remained alive when author Matthew Algeo came to Decatur in 2006 to research his book. His interview was featured in the book. During his first decade, Zerfowski worked third shift, from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. His wife worked the day shift at the Borg-Warner plant. “We never saw each other much,” he recalled. They raised two daughters, Janet Denton and Ruth Ann Laverty. Police work did not pay as well in those days. Officers were expected to purchase their own uniforms and firearms. Zerfowski carried a Smith & Wesson .38 Special. “The city furnished a night stick and your badge,” Zerfowski recalled. “I liked to be on the beat, on the street,” Zerfowski said. “I got to know the people in the businesses. You got to know different people and areas of the town and what's going on.” hfreeman@herald-review.com| (217) 421-6985
SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2016
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Common goal Experimental hockey program has young girls taking to the ice ALEX MCNAMEE H&R Staff Writer
DECATUR – Tim Cripe has coached baseball, but he wasn't exactly qualified to coach hockey. But his five-year-old daughter, Stefani, wanted to play for the all-girls team the Decatur Youth Hockey Association offered for the first
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time this winter. “My daughter had really taken a liking to ice skating,” Cripe said. “I always wanted to play hockey as a kid and never had a chance to. I didn't even know how to do a hockey stop. Never could figure it out. “I'd volunteered to help coach. So I kind of got pushed into it indirectly.”
Members of the Girls House team go through their drills at the beginning of practice. This is the first year for an all-girls team.
The Girls House program ended its season in late February with 10 players on the team. It's not a competitive travel team. The girls sometimes play intrasquad scrimmages during intermission of Decatur Blaze games, but mostly practice. It's an experimental program, one DYHA is hoping to see grow, and it already has. The team, Cripe said, started with six girls in the first week and ended with 10. “We decided to take a risk; dedicated a section of the ice every week to girls only,” said Jason Habrock, the DYHA president. “There's a common misnomer that hockey is a guys' sport. One of the better players I've seen is a female. “We're also talking with other associations in the area to find ways to build that program. We do have other girls who play hockey, who play for DYHA, but due to schedules … don't play on the girls team.” Although numbers were small, the program garnered statewide recognition quickly. The Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois, which is the larger umbrella over DYHA and Illinois programs like it, invited the Girls House team to a 3-on-3 tournament at the United Center in Chicago.
Between playing in the tournament, the girls got to watch the Chicago Blackhawks practice and met Blackhawks' stars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. They also met a few members of the women's national hockey team. The other girls teams they competed against were further along, but the House team played quite a few games and took a lot from the experience. “They just looked like they were having the time of their lives,” Cripe said. “It was a great experience. It just puts a smile on my face.” Throughout the year and going forward, there has been a push to interest more girls in hockey. Alison Matuszewski, 10, was a big reason the House team got to go to Chicago in the first place. “She definitely has that captain mentality to her. She seems to be the leader of the group,” Cripe said. “We told her when we had six girls that we needed at least 10 to get to the United Center and play.” Matuszewski talked to friends and made a flier to bring to her school. The team got to 10. “It's not every day in this generation of kids that you see that dedication from
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Photos by Lisa Morrison, Herald & Review
The girls of the Decatur Youth Hockey Association now have their own team with about a dozen players. someone,” Cripe said. “She went above and beyond to help the program grow.” Even so, there are still some hurdles ahead for the program. Along with the Girls House team, DYHA also tried to launch a girls high school team. It didn't stick. “Right now, we don't have the numbers, so I'm concerned about how things will go next year,” Cripe said. “Every practice costs us $160, splitting among 10 girls. I think they need 25 to 30 to break even. “The challenge being the coach the first year of this,
my daughter was a secondyear skater and I had 9 and 10 year olds who were first-year skaters.” But Cripe likes the ratio of coaches to players on this small team – two coaches for 10 players. And the important thing, Habrock said, is that they're really enjoying it. “The girls that are doing it, love it,” Habrock said. “They're excited and can't wait to go out there every Tuesday and Thursday (for practice).” amcnamee@herald-review.com|(217) 421-6970
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My family moved to the Decatur area in 1967. My father was a retail store manager for a now defunct department store chain, W. T. Grant Co. Up until that time, our family of nine moved several times throughout the Midwest, ranging from Minnesota to Kentucky. Dad would be relocated on average of every two to three years. Of course, there weren't always nine of us. Children were born in several states along the way. We made the Mount Zion area our home for many years. We felt very welcomed there and made many lifelong friendships. Around 1975, my family made one final move with Grant to Quincy. I was married, so I remained in the Decatur area. I have worked as a pharmacy technician since the early 1970s. St. Mary's Hospital has been my employer for more than 30 years. My children, youngest sister and now two of my four grandchildren have been born there. I am proud of the direction that the hospital has taken and love the feeling of family and com-
munity there. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to teach the pharmacy technician course at Richland Community College for several years. Richland is a great resource for the community. I have also been a homebased travel agent for nine years. One of the perks of the job is traveling to many different countries, meeting new people and experiencing other cultures. A person can go anywhere in the world beginning at the Decatur, Springfield or Bloomington airports. The more that I travel, the more I appreciate the Decatur and surrounding area and all that it has to offer. Patti Power Price, Cerro Gordo nnn Decatur is at the top of the hill in generosity, as exemplified by the annual WSOY Community Food Drive and followed by the Jacob Jenkins collection of water to ship to Flint, Mich. We must not forget the Kraft Hockeyville fundraiser that benefited our hockey
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READERS RESPOND players in their area of the Decatur Civic Center. I have been fortunate to receive some of that generosity and wish to take this opportunity to thank the friends who helped me out during my eight-week recovery from a broken ankle that kept me housebound. Were I to list all my boundary stretchers, I should need two pages. Frank Sinatra said, “A friend in need is a pest.” His attitude does not apply here in our city. Thanks to Decatur for all the concern you show for anyone who might be in need. Linda Hutton, Decatur nnn Since becoming an active member of the online community of KindSpring, www. kindspring.org, about 2 ½ years ago, I’ve discovered that there are no boundaries. I can fly as far as an origami
dove on paper wings of peace. From my serene backyard arbor in Decatur, I have connected through technology with like-minded people who continue to encourage me to be my best evolving self and in doing, I am empowered in making a positive difference in my immediate surrounds as well. My origami peace dove ministry has grown with the help of KindSpring’s global community of friends. I’ve released more than 10,000 doves and counting. I fold each dove with love and include a blessing prayer tucked in the wing (see poem below). They’ve been set free from New Zealand to Nepal with diverse points inbetween. I’ve given quite a few locally, as well as KindSpring’s signature Smile cards, with a pay-it-forward “tag.” With the support of such a strong positive group, I con-
tinue to enjoy the freedoms that are released with each leap of faith. From writing poems, drawing, learning how to make YouTube videos, becoming a yoga instructor at the local YMCA, meditation practice devotee, online volunteer, Awakin Call guest, encourager, craft creator … and the list keeps growing, as I do. Each day, I can’t wait to get up and see that glorious sunrise, with its unfolding gift of kindness opportunities. Each day is such a blessing, that when I look within, I can only see how beautifully we are all connected as one. Paper dove of peace Guide without cease, Our journey, our road In traveling life flowed. Bless us with grace Past uncertain space With acts being kind Most grateful we find. May this dove always lead you in the direction of peace, my friend. Mindy Weber, Decatur nnn In the early months of 2015, at
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the age of 80, I had to make a decision that I never thought I would have to, and that was to give up driving. My neuropathy got to the point that I could not feel the brake. Now what do I do? How do I get around town, etc.? My wife remembered seeing the Operation Uplift bus, so off we went to find out how it works. At the bus station, I picked up the paperwork that was required and off we went. There is a part that your doctor must sign and they do ask if you can get on and off a regular bus without any trouble. I walk with a cane and my legs are somewhat unsteady. I use the Uplift bus to go to HSHS St. Mary's Hospital where I volunteer at least two half-days a week. They pick me up at 7 a.m., drop me off at the hospital, back at noon, and I am home by 12:30 p.m. The cost is $2 each way and they are the nicest people and very helpful. There are a lot of seniors who could use this service and should use it. Jack Myatt, Decatur
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Swimming with Dolphins Sullivan swim team growing by laps and bounds CHRIS LUSVARDI H&R Staff Writer
SULLIVAN – Wiktor Poznachowski wanted to make the most out of spending the school year visiting the United States. Poznachowski, 17, had a variety of activities to choose from while at Shelbyville High School, including playing football in the fall, but was particularly excited to find an opportunity to join the Sullivan Blue Dolphins swim team. He had spent more than six years swimming in Poland and wanted to see how it would compare. Joining the team has allowed Poznachowski to test the boundaries and try more than just the long-distance events he had done in Poland. “I had never done it,” Poznachowski said about the shorter races. “It's been cool to find out what I'm really good at.” Blue Dolphins Coach Jason Drury is glad Poznachowski decided to join the club. It's the first time Drury can remember having a foreign
exchange student on the team. Having Poznachowski on the team has been a learning experience for both him and his teammates, Drury said. It's the type of experience that the swimmers will remember for years to come, Drury said. “They've met a lot of kids,” Drury said. “There is a strong tie with swimmers. They'll certainly remember the kid from Poland they swam with.” Charlie Goss, 16, a junior at Sullivan High School, has learned about the cultural differences between the countries and enjoys talking with Poznachowski. “He's a real fun guy,” Goss said. “He's never super serious and can be good for a laugh.” Poznachowski has relatives in New York, but until coming to Shelbyville for the school year, he hadn't been this far west. Poznachowski hadn't swam competitively in over a year, but after a few races to start the season, he was back in shape and competing at the state level for both the school and club teams. “It takes a couple races,” Drury said. “The taste for it again can be reinvigorating.” Drury hopes being a part of the Blue Dolphins can be a valuable experience for all members of the club, no matter their motivation for joining it. The group has been a part of the Sullivan communi-
Polish exchange student Wiktor Poznachowski practices as a member of the Sullivan Blue Dolphins swim club.
Photos by Lisa Morrison, Herald & Review
Several of the older members take a break during the Sullivan Blue Dolphins swim club. The club recently marked its 50 year anniversary. ty for over 50 years, he said. “It has taken a long time to build this team up,” Drury said. He said being able to use the Sullivan Civic Center has contributed to the ability for the club to sustain its growth and maintain its interest level in swimming year-round. Just over a decade ago, Drury said the oldest team members were 9 or 10 years old, so developing a program that includes older, high school-aged children has been important. The team now has over 60 members, both girls and boys, ranging in age from 5 to 17, Drury said. “Starting young can be an advantage,” Drury said. The team primarily draws members from Sullivan, Okaw Valley and Shelbyville, although Drury said it has welcomed swimmers from other parts of Central Illinois. Tyler Homann, 16, a junior in high school from Effingham, joined the Blue Dolphins this year and has noticed the support from the community. “I've always liked swim-
One long, lucky shot Zach Senger headed to Ireland to 'play a round and have a pint' MARK TUPPER
respond. So did the alternate winner. The third attempt to identify a winner targeted Senger. “I got a late-night e-mail and didn’t believe DECATUR – In the game of golf, there’s it was anything,” he said, recalling how his always been a bit of debate when it comes to a contest victory came about. “I thought it was hole-in-one. fishy. They were asking for an affidavit to be Is it more luck or more skill? filled out and signed by a notary public, all A reasonable answer is this: Luck is when kinds of things. the ball rolls into the hole. Skill is getting the “I checked with them and they called me to ball near the hole in the first place. verify and I won.” Decatur’s Zach Senger is in a good spot in Now Senger can look forward to flying to the world of golf. He’s a skilled player with Ireland on May 15 and reapluck that could put a fouring his rewards until leaf clover to shame. That’s returning from his dream why in May he and his wife trip on May 24. will be flying to Ireland, “I think it will be a pretty attending the Irish Open, cool experience to be upplaying a round with 2010 close to a PGA player and U.S. Open winner Graeme watch them hit shots,” he McDowell and getting every said. “I just hope I don’t bit of it paid for. look stupid. I think after It’s a dream come true the first tee I’ll probably be for any golfer with a sense fine.” of adventure. The promotion’s hook By means of introduction, line was to “play a round Senger has played golf since and have a pint” with his father gave him a fiveGraeme McDowell, so it club set when he was six or wasn’t a surprise when Senseven years old. He played ger was asked what brand golf for Mount Zion High of beer he wanted after School, graduating in 2002. their round. He still regrets not playing “I’m going to Ireland, so I in college, having turned told them I’d have a Guindown a chance to play at ness,” Senger said. Eureka and choosing not to This isn’t the first time pursue it when he attended Senger has hit the jackpot Southern Illinois University testing his luck on golf. He at Edwardsville and DePaul entered the annual random in Chicago. draw to be eligible to purNowadays, he’s a serious Submitted photo chase difficult-to-get tickets recreational player who Decatur’s Zach Senger won a contest to the Masters and won feels right at home with his that will send him on a dream golf trip that, too. So he and his four handicap at Hickory wife, Tiffany, were on hand Point. Had his two rounds of to Ireland. to see Jordan Spieth claim 2-under been played prior to the green jacket. closing down handicap totals last fall, his Senger, a supervisor at Akorn Pharmaceutihandicap would have been even lower. cals in Decatur, and his wife Tiffany, a public But that’s all right. Senger stays on top of defender, were just married in August. If noththe game even in the off-season, studying artiing else, they’re getting a pretty sweet second cles and equipment and dabbling in a message honeymoon. forum called The Hackers Paradise where In addition to all expenses being paid, he’s golfers buy and sell equipment, exchange tips also getting tickets to the Irish Open at the stoand talk about golf trips. ried K Club, additional rounds of golf in IreIt was there he saw a promotional deal land, free clubs and golf balls and a selection through golfnow.com, a website where golfers of apparel. Value of the trip: $25,000. can book online tee times, and golf manufacJust to make sure he’s ready for the round turer Cleveland/Srixon. The promotion invited with McDowell, Senger has already mapped golfers to enter a contest with an alluring first out a busy practice schedule. prize: An all-expense trip to Ireland, tickets to “I plan to play at least every weekend in the Irish Open and a chance to play a round of April and I’m taking a golf trip to Nashville golf with McDowell, among many other goodright before we go to Ireland,” he said. “I want ies. to sharpen my game as much as possible.” Senger entered and when the contest closed, Good plan for a lucky guy who has won a the winner was contacted and had 48 hours to golf trip of a lifetime. claim the prize. The first winner failed to H&R Executive Sports Editor
The Blue Dolphin swim club meets year round and has about 60-65 members. ming and this is a good program,” Homann said. “The interest in it shows the benefit the program has for the town.” Goss said he joined the Blue Dolphins after moving with his family to Sullivan when he was in fourth grade. The friendships Goss has developed is part of what keeps him motivated. “It got us more involved in the community,” Goss said. “We're pushing each other to
the limits even on the days we don't want to be here. We're here for each other.” Goss is hoping swimming opens up opportunities as he and others on the team look ahead to college. Drury said several former Blue Dolphin team members have gone on over the years to swim for their college teams and at other higher levels. clusvardi@herald-review.com| (217) 421-7972
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READERS RESPOND I have had niggling around in my mind for some time, a passage from Jeremiah, Chapter 29, some advice given to Jewish exiles who were taken as captives to live in Babylon. He advises them to marry, have children, build houses and plant gardens. Instead of focusing on the negatives of their situation, he advises them “to seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which you have been carried into exile. Pray that it prospers because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” What if I substitute the word “city”, the word “family” or “state” or “nation” or “world”? What would the ramifications be? It becomes an ever widening circle to seek the welfare, the peace and prosperity of each group. Gone will be the suspicious negative mindset with which we are bombarded. It comes to my mind that we are tempted to tear others down so that we can “look good.” Our present political races do just that in many cases. Instead of listening carefully to each other, we should attempt to see situations from the other’s viewpoint. We quickly criticize and dismiss ideas different from our own. I catch myself judging our elected officials with suspicion. Do I really know what kind of person they are? Do I accept someone else’s opinion of them as fact? I cannot personally know all of them. I try to listen to speeches that the person gives. I think I am intelligent enough to know what they said without a middle person telling me what they said. We are in a time of crisis for our city, for our state, for our nation, and for the world. Indeed, in the welfare of each of these lies our welfare. Let us learn to respect each and not tear each other apart. I deem Jeremiah’s advice very timely for this generation. Dorthea Wood, Decatur
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