woman ILLINOIS VALLEY
December 2021
BUSY WORKING MOMS
Illinois Valley women discuss mom guilt and more
ALSO: n Rugby on the rise n Trees lead to money for local organizations n 5 dietary habits for better health
publication
A Time for Renewal
Some people see only sadness in another year ending. They see their children, themselves, or loved ones looking one year older than they did at the start of the prior year, and it serves as a constant reminder that the clock is ticking. I’ve never been sad, though, on New Year’s Eve. For me, it’s an incredibly exciting time of year. It’s a time for growth and renewal, for new beginnings, experiences, and adventures. The calendar starts fresh the very next day, and it’s up to you what you make of it. Perhaps someday I’ll feel differently about New Year’s Eve. But it’s been
the same since I was a child. A notorious list maker, it feels like this holiday was made for me because of New Year’s resolutions. Even as a child, I’d make resolutions in my mind about what I wanted to happen that year. It wasn’t until adulthood, though, that I started writing them down. As someone who has made my living from crafting articles for almost 25 years now, it should be no surprise that I believe in the power of writing. It’s not just the words – it’s the physical act of writing them down that also carries power. You’re putting that hope, that goal out into the universe, and it’s written down so you can revisit it as often as you want. I’ll check in with my New Year’s Resolutions monthly to see how I’m doing. Sometimes I make them happen, sometimes I only partially do. But I generally make some sort of progress on all of them, even if it’s
Contents Illinois Valley Woman Book Club 4 Our views on This Won’t End Well by Camille Pagán.
Working Their Mom Magic 7
Balancing motherhood with a busy career isn’t easy.
not as much as I’d hoped. When the next New Year’s Eve rolls around, I either put those goals back on the list, or I’ve discovered they aren’t as important to me as I once thought. Then I simply cross them off and move on. I often have as many as ten resolutions on my list each year. This year, however, I’m changing it up a bit. I’m going to simplify my list and pursue the few items that remain on it with laser focus. I’m only selecting the goals that are most important to me and going for them with everything I can. No matter what your goals are this upcoming year, I hope you’ll be able to reach them. Hopefully, 2022 is a wonderful year for you and your loved ones. Best wishes, Shannon Serpette Niche Editor
Illinois Valley Woman 426 Second Street La Salle, Illinois 61301 (815) 223-3200 (800) 892-6452 www.newstrib.com Publisher Dan Goetz Niche Editor Shannon Serpette
Make 2022 Your Best Year 12
sserpette@shawmedia.com
Be Aggressive 16
jmsmith@shawmedia.com
Change five dietary habits for better health.
Rugby offers women a contact sport.
Local Fundraiser Spreads the Wealth 21
Worthy organizations can share in the money distributed by Helping Hands.
Regional Advertising Director Jeanette Smith Writers Brandon LaChance Shannon Serpette Photographer Shannon Serpette Designer Liz Klein
On the cover: Although Jenica Cole loves her career, she sometimes struggles with feelings of mom guilt when she’s away from her kids. PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHANNON SERPETTE
2 December 2021 | Illinois Valley Woman | A NewsTribune Publication
Published by: est. 1851
LIVE THE HARBOR L I F E
A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Woman | December 2021 3
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fter our fall book club pick, The Jetsetters, turned out to be a rather serious book full of dysfunction, we were looking for something a bit lighter for our winter selection. This Won’t End Well by Camille Pagán seemed to fit that bill with the promise of a quirky character, Annie Mercer. Annie is a chemist facing a major life upheaval after having a fight with her best friend, a rift with her fiancé, and losing her job. She’s sworn off letting people into her life when she meets an amateur private detective and a glamorous new neighbor. As always, we’ll let you know what we thought of this book without discussing any spoilers in case you haven’t read it yet. JEANETTE SMITH, REGIONAL ADVERTISING DIRECTOR This Won’t End Well was an enjoyable read. It was a feel-good book and is hard to put down without a smile on your face.
4 December 2021 | Illinois Valley Woman | A NewsTribune Publication
The lead character, Annie, is easy to relate to, and we are introduced to her at a point in her life where we have all been – swearing off something for good only to find ourselves right back into that situation. Annie and the other characters are so relatable you feel as if you know them, or they remind you of people in your own life. If you are looking for a fun, easy read that ends up being a book about NOT closing yourself off to new things because of past failures, I would recommend reading This Won’t End Well. SHANNON SERPETTE, NICHE EDITOR As much as I love strong female characters in books, sometimes I
feel modern-day authors go a bit overboard when writing all those tough-as-nails leading ladies in their books. As a fan of quirky characters who have their share of self-doubt and social awkwardness, I really enjoyed the character of Annie. As an intellectual who sometimes has trouble relating to other people, she was an enjoyable lead. I enjoyed her realization during the course of the book that while relationships sometimes don’t make as much sense as science does, they’re still a wonderful way to spend your time and energy. With some mild mystery undertones thrown in, it was a quick read that kept me entertained the whole way through.
Want to join us? The book we’ll be discussing in the next issue of Illinois Valley Woman is “The Guncle” by Steven Rowley. To have your thoughts and observations on this book published in our next Illinois Valley Woman magazine, email sserpette@shawmedia.com by January 20. Please include your name and city of residence along with your comments, and make sure to let us know why you liked or disliked this book. And if you have any future book suggestions, we’d love to hear them.
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Jenica Cole of Princeton is a busy mom to daughters Hadley (left), Tinley (right), and son, Cash (center). PHOTO BY SHANNON SERPETTE
Working Their Mom Magic Balancing motherhood with a busy career isn’t easy Story by Shannon Serpette
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A few short decades ago, many women had a singular goal – being a domestic CEO. These days, women often feel as if they are expected to do it all – raise children, have a career, maintain a spotless house, and stay involved in their kids’ increasingly intensive extracurriculars. And with personal cell phones, email,
and instant messaging, the workday often doesn’t end when a woman leaves her shift. Many women are accessible to their bosses or coworkers any time of the day or night. How are women coping with all that pressure and the societal and See MOMS page 8
A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Woman | December 2021 7
Moms
ple pleaser. As women, we want to do everything,” she said. “We come last. FROM PAGE 7 We put ourselves last and put everybody else first. We take it on, and we internal expectations of perfection? do it right.” Two Illinois Valley moms shared their While she gives it her all at work, she thoughts on balancing work with also makes sure she’s an available and motherhood. involved mom for her children. She sees that her special-needs daughter JENICA COLE gets everything she needs to thrive and Jenica Cole of Princeton has a tight ensures she’s giving enough attention schedule, and on a day-to-day basis, to her other two children. From start to she tries to make the most of every finish, Cole’s days are a whirlwind of minute. The executive director for the events and appointments, from meetPrinceton Area Chamber of Commerce ings to kids’ activities like dance, swim, and Princeton Tourism, Cole said she and soccer. loves her job. As a married mother She suspects her strong work ethic who has three children – 10-year-old and sense of responsibility come from Hadley, 5-year-old Tinley, and Cash, being raised in a farming family. her son who was born in 2021 – she’s “You never just give it half. You go constantly trying to balance her family above and beyond,” she said. and work schedules. But while trying to recreate the great To fit the interview for this article family structure she enjoyed while into her schedule, Cole fed Cash while growing up, she realizes her situation is answering questions about her work different from her own mother’s. and home life. Adding an infant into “I have a mom who never worked,” her already-busy life was a challenge Cole said, adding that her mom did – and Cole decided early on that her help with the family farm. “Being a maternity leave would be a short one mom was her number one priority.” so that she wasn’t letting down her emSince Cole has several priorities, it ployer during a busy season of events. leads to a feeling of always needing to “They hired me during the pandemic. be productive. Even when Cole is at When I took the job on, I wasn’t exhome and trying to relax – she always pecting to get pregnant right away,” has that feeling she should be doing she said. something. While many women take anywhere “I never sit. And I don’t sit when I from six to 12 weeks for maternity say I’m going to sit,” she said. leave, Cole decided to take a much For Cole, the hardest part of trying shorter one – eight days. to do a great job at work and at home “I’m a Type A,” she said. “I just felt is that she knows she’s shortchanging this sense of responsibility.” herself. Her husband, Brad, didn’t pressure “Giving myself time is hard,” she said. her to take a short maternity leave, and The intense feelings of mom guilt no one at work suggested she should hit Cole hard when her first child was return that early – it was all an internal born. At the time, Cole was working as sense of pressure. a medical sales representative, a career “In my heart, I felt so bad. I’m a peo- she had held for years and loved doing.
8 December 2021 | Illinois Valley Woman | A NewsTribune Publication
But when Hadley was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, Cole realized something had to change. “My husband and I had to take a hard look,” she said. To help give Hadley all the care and support she needed, Cole left the job she loved and stayed home for five years to take care of her. While she was grateful she had that time to spend with her daughter, as an extrovert, Cole missed work. When she decided to go back to work and accept her current position in Princeton, she struggled with another round of the dreaded mom guilt – this time, it was about her second daughter, Tinley. Cole had been a stayat-home mom for Tinley’s whole life, and she worried about how the schedule change would affect her daughter. “Tinley never knew Mommy not to be home,” Cole said. And when Cash came along, the mom guilt intensified. “I have a lot of mom guilt with him,” she said. Although she acknowledges there are days when the guilt hits her hard and her schedule is overpacked, Cole loves having all these multiple roles to juggle – she just wishes sometimes there were more hours in a day. “I feel fulfilled,” she said. “Staying at home, there was a part of me that was missing. I didn’t feel complete when I wasn’t working. I need to live for myself.” With her own busy schedule, Cole said she doesn’t know how single moms manage to handle everything on their own. She said her husband is a big source of help for her. “As much as we bash our men, I will say if I didn’t have him things would be different, so he really does help,” she said. “He probably cooks dinner more than I do.”
While social media is inundated with posts from moms who appear to have the perfect life, these women’s lives may not be as rosy as they lead everyone to believe. “I feel like as women we internalize everything,” Cole said. For other mothers out there who struggle with feelings of guilt while trying to find a work-life balance, Cole offers these words of encouragement – and said she needs to remember to take her own advice on the difficult days. “You need to cut yourself some slack at the end of the day,” she said. “To juggle all we do, we need to give ourselves a pat on our backs.” DANA DEBO-KUHNE Dana Debo-Kuhne of Peru manages to gracefully juggle a heavy workload and volunteering along with motherhood. As the owner of Debo Ace Hardware in Peru, she works 40 hours a week. Her husband, Brian Kuhne is the owner of Brian Kuhne Carpentry, where he routinely works 50-hour work weeks. They have a 3-year-old son, Hudson. On top of those responsibilities, she and Brian also volunteer frequently to help community organizations. “I’m a big supporter of Horizon House of the Illinois Valley. They provide services for my sister, Gena. I host a book sale every year at Debo Ace Hardware and all the proceeds go to Horizon House. I also host events at Debo Ace Hardware for Illinois Valley Animal Rescue, IV PADS, Illinois Valley Food Pantry, Hall Township Food Pantry, and other local organizations. It’s important to me to help others in need,” she said. “Brian, Hudson, and I See MOMS page 11
A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Woman | December 2021 9
Dana Debo-Kuhne hangs out with her son, Hudson, at her store, Debo Ace Hardware. While she loves being a business owner, being away from Hudson makes her feel as if she is missing important moments.
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10 December 2021 | Illinois Valley Woman | A NewsTribune Publication
immune to feeling the mom guilt that inflicts FROM PAGE 9 many modern working women. also belong to St. John’s “Every day, I struggle Lutheran Church in Peru. with mom guilt. Leaving We try to be involved in Hudson at daycare while the church and their activI go to work, having to ities as much as possible.” discipline him, telling While Debo-Kuhne is him no when I want to happy she has the opporgive him the world. It’s tunity to make a positive impact on her community hard,” she said. To fight back the and loves teaching her son feelings of guilt, Deto be a caring, compasbo-Kuhne reminds sionate person, her busy schedule doesn’t allow for herself she’s doing everything she can and tries much downtime. to trust that it’s enough. “Finding time for “I try not to be too things just for me is the hard on myself. It takes hardest part of being a a lot to work a full-time busy mom. Luckily, I job, get groceries, cook have family and close friends who help when I meals, clean the house, do laundry, find time to need them,” she said. play with Hudson, and Even though she’s doing well with all of her give him the attention roles, Debo-Kuhne isn’t I want to. At the end
of each day, I know I did the best I could, my child is happy, and knows I love him, and I’m good with that. It makes it all worth it.” Debo-Kuhne knows that every generation has its own set of challenges while navigating the world and parenthood. “I think the world is changing so much and
that means parenting is changing, too. With every new generation, there is a need to adjust and tweak things that just aren’t working anymore,” she said. “We, as parents, must educate ourselves on the realities our children will face in our culture that we never had to, especially when it comes to technology.”
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Peru HyVee dietitian Haleigh Kneebone Augspols showed off the wide assortment of teas that are available at HyVee.
Make 2022 Your Best Year Change five dietary habits for better health Photo and story by Shannon Serpette Improving your health can feel so overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Sometimes, minor tweaks to your diet are all it takes to start living a healthier
lifestyle. These tiny moves can often serve as a stepping stone to bigger lifestyle changes. Haleigh Kneebone Augspols, a registered dieti-
12 December 2021 | Illinois Valley Woman | A NewsTribune Publication
tian with Hy-Vee in Peru, shared her expertise about nutrition to offer five small dietary changes to get you started on a healthier journey.
SWAP YOUR DAILY SODA FOR UNSWEETENED TEA Most of us love sugar – and it shows. Our diets are packed full of it. And one of the biggest offenders is soda, according to Augspols. It causes us to gain weight because of the nutritionally empty, high-calorie content of sugar. “The average American gets 270 calories of added sugars each day. That’s about 17 teaspoons of sugar,” she said. In addition to weight gain, too much sugar can contribute to low energy, increased anxiety, bad mood, and decreased memory and focus, Augspols said. Instead of grabbing that heavily-sugared soda for energy on your way to work in the morning, choosing unsweetened tea is a much better option. “Switching to tea will not only lower your added sugar consumption, but it will provide you with natural substances called polyphenols. These substances are antioxidants, compounds that may help reduce the risk of certain chronic disease,” she said. Even people who think they dislike tea can usually find a type they like because of the wide assortment of types and flavors. You can choose from black, green, white, herbal, oolong teas, and more. For optimal health, try to skip adding natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, or agave most of the time. They are still considered added sugar.
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LIMIT YOUR SALT INTAKE Sodium is essential for our health, but too much of a good thing can lead to serious health consequences. “Diets higher in sodium are associated with an increased risk of developing high blood pressure, which is a major cause of stroke and heart disease,” Augspols said. It’s not enough just to limit your use of the salt shaker at the dinner table, though. Much of our dietary sodium, more than 70 percent, is from prepared and packaged food. “You can lower your daily sodium intake by using the Nutrition Facts label. We should be aiming for less than 2,300 milligrams per day of sodium. When looking at the nutrition facts label, 140 mg or less per serving is considered a low sodium option,” she said. If reading labels is too much work, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said approximately 40 percent of Americans’ sodium comes from deli meat sandwiches, soups, pizza, burgers, pasta mixed dishes, and burritos and tacos, Augspols said. To painlessly lower your sodium intake, you can skip those foods most of the time. It’s also a good idea to cook more of your meals and use no-salt seasonings like Mrs. Dash, she said.
USE HEART-HEALTHY FATS Fats are good for you – when they’re the healthy kind. “A nutritious eating plan doesn’t mean cutting out all fat, just focusing on healthier varieties,” Augspols said. “A general goal is for 20 to 35 percent of your total daily calories to come from healthy fats, such as polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, and fewer than 10 percent of calories per day from saturated fats.” Fats that get the green light are olive and canola oils. These oils can be used to sauté vegetables, seafood, poultry, or for making salad dressing. Other great sources of healthy fats are fatty fish, flaxseed, chia seeds, hemp seeds, eggs, avocado, peanut butter, and walnuts.
See HABITS page 14 A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Woman | December 2021 13
Habits FROM PAGE 13
EAT MORE PRODUCE Many of us fail at eating the recommended 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables we’re supposed to get every day. “Excuses, busy schedules, eating on the run, junk foods – they all conspire to keep us from getting enough fruits and vegetables into our diets,” Augspols said. But there is plenty of healthy motivation to try to increase our intake. “Fruits and veggies are low in calories, high in vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and fiber,” she said. “Research suggests eating enough fruits and vegetables is linked to a lower risk of many chronic diseases and may help protect against certain types of cancer.” Augspols recommends increasing your fruit and vegetable consumption by making them accessible and convenient to eat. “Apples, pears, bananas, oranges, and cherry tomatoes don’t need refrigeration. These are great items for a fruit bowl,” she said. By leaving them in plain view in your kitchen, you might be inspired to eat more of them. Doing a little prep work on Sunday before the workweek begins can also help increase your intake. You can keep sliced zucchini, cucumber, and bell pepper in your refrigerator so you can snack on them whenever the mood hits you. Try to eat a variety of colorful produce. And even if you’re not a big fan of dark greens, beans, and peas, try to sneak them into your diet.
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ADD YOGURT OR KEFIR TO YOUR SHOPPING LIST Most people are familiar with yogurt, but not as many know about kefir, a fermented milk drink that has been enjoyed by people for more than 2,000 years. “The benefits of yogurt and kefir are endless. Both are a great part of a healthy diet,” Augspols said. Yogurt has protein, calcium, potassium, and live, active bacteria cultures. “These cultures, or probiotics, are considered ‘good bacteria’ for the gut and can help maintain healthy digestive systems,” she said. Just one serving of kefir or yogurt gives you a number of nutrients that are key players in immune health, and they may even help improve your mood because of a suspected link to kefir and increased serotonin levels. “Many individuals with lactose intolerance may also find that they tolerate kefir, as the fermentation process helps to break down lactose,” Augspols added.
14 December 2021 | Illinois Valley Woman | A NewsTribune Publication
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Lately, drinking collagen or taking collagen supplements daily has been suggested it may improve fine lines and wrinkles and even reverse the signs of aging over the course of several months. We know that we lose 1% of collagen per year starting at age 20. It seems sensible then if we are aging and losing this scaffolding of the skin, replacing it would counter-act skin aging. Is skin anti-aging really that simple? To answer this question, we asked Dr. Norris at Nicole Norris MD Medical Spa in Peru, Illinois to weigh-in on what she recommends for collagen replacement. She begins, “I think someone asks me about oral collagen supplements for treating lines and wrinkles at least once a week. From what I have read, it is very difficult to discern whether noted improvements in the skin are due to hydration, as most of these supplements are mixed with liquids, or to the actual absorption of collagen through the gut. Oral collagen supplements from fish or animals are broken down by our stomach acid into amino acid chains and it is unclear if those amino acids ever reach the skin or reform into collagen. Collagen supplements are typically made of ground up chicken, fish, pig or cow parts which can greatly vary in their collagen concentration and in some studies have shown to harbor trace heavy metals pending the animal’s diet. It is difficult to sort out which supplements are reputable and safe. Although there are oral collagen studies out there that show benefit to the skin, joints, nails, hair, and wound healing, there are just as many studies that show no benefit and possible harm. With all this uncertainty about oral collagen supplementation, I ask my patients to stick with what we know. Good skin comes from healthy diets, avoiding UVA and UVB radiation, genetics and collagen-inducing treatments that stimulate the body to make its own new collagen.” We then asked her to further explain what she means by collagen-inducing treatments. Dr. Norris goes on, “Thank goodness our skin is a regenerative organ! When our skin is injured, even minimally, it repairs itself. Minor injuries to the skin stimulate a healing cascade that give us new skin which includes new collagen (scaffolding) and elastin. In cosmetic dermatology we use this innate body process to our advantage for collagen induction to either prevent or treat the signs of aging. In my practice, the most popular collagen induction treatment is microneedling.” Most of us have heard of microneedling, but we want to know exactly what it entails. Dr. Norris replies, “Microneedling in the medical setting utilizes an instrument engineered with 6-8 tiny needles on the tip that puncture
the skin at different depths depending on the settings and the operator’s technique. It is important that the needles puncture vertically and do not drag across the skin. Microneedling pens or rollers sold to beauty consumers drag across the skin tearing important structures and do more harm than good. I tell my patients to give these over-thecounter devices to someone they don’t like! Microneedling in my office is done after the patient has been numbed with topical numbing medication and is very tolerable. Patients are typically red when they leave the office and are allowed to wear make-up as soon as the next day, if needed. Results from microneedling are increased by doing a series of 3-4 treatments separated by a month and compounded when we use various other treatments with microneedling. Since we are creating direct channels into the dermis (deep layer of the skin) we can get great absorption of products like Defenage, Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF), Biorevitalization , Exosomes and Carboxytherapy, pending what we are treating. Microneedling can seem scary at first but it is rare for a patient to have this procedure once and not want to have more of them. I think the take home message is that while the science of oral collagen supplementation for anti-aging is in its infancy, microneedling is a tried and true way to induce collagen in the skin that is safe and effective for all ages and skin types.” If you are interested in learning more, call Nicole Norris MD Medical Spa for your personal anti-aging consultation. 815-780-8264
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A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Woman | December 2021 15
Be Aggressive Rugby offers women a contact sport Story by Brandon LaChance
I
n high school, there isn’t a contact sport for women. Softball, cross country, golf, basketball, volleyball, soccer, and track and field are all options, but nothing like football, where aggression and physicality are showcased in every play.
Then high school graduation happens, and rugby is offered in college. “Rugby is definitely a lot different than other sports I’ve played,” said Nickey Edgcomb, who was involved in cross country, basketball, and track at Mendota High School before grad-
Mendota native Nickey Edgcomb (standing, center) awaits the snap during a Chicago Lions rugby game. The Lions are a club team founded in 1964.
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
16 December 2021 | Illinois Valley Woman | A NewsTribune Publication
Nickey “Newtro” Edgcomb, 38, began playing rugby as a senior at Southern Illinois University in 2004 and hasn’t stopped since. The Mendota native now lives in Berwyn, 15 minutes from the Chicago Lions’ home field.
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
uating in 2001. “There are not a lot of contact sports for women. It’s off the charts in rugby. You’re basically playing football with no pads, and then you mix in some soccer. You have fitness with all the running. You have to have strength and agility. It’s everything combined together that isn’t really in women’s sports. Growing up in a small town like Mendota, there was basketball, track, and soccer for girls. There was nothing contact like rugby.” Edgcomb, who goes by “Newtro” on the rugby field, attended Southern Illinois University after Mendota. While at SIU, she was introduced to rugby and fell in love. Now, at 38, Edgcomb has been playing for 17 years and is currently a captain of the Chicago Lions Rugby Club. “My first rugby club was the Morrigans in Manhattan, Illinois. There was a girl who played at Southern and she brought me to that team. I played for them for about 14 years,” Edgcomb said. “That was the first non-collegiate team I played rugby for. I was very dedicated to that team. They’re a great club, all of them are really fun, and it was a great time. “I was seeking something more. I wanted to be more competitive. The Morrigans are a Division II club, and the Lions are Division I. The Lions have been to nationals seven out of the eight years the team has existed.
My first year on the team, we went to nationals and placed fifth -- fifth in the entire country.” The Lions have many teams, including the women’s seven-player team, founded in 2013, and the 15-player team, formed in 2018. There are also two men’s Lions teams, high school teams for both boys and girls, and youth teams. Edgcomb now lives in Berwyn, so she is only 15 minutes away from the Lions’ field. Before her move, she was located in Ladd and Mendota where her drive time was almost two hours. It didn’t matter how far she had to commute, Edgcomb didn’t miss the two or three practices per week. “It’s a lot of the culture and camaraderie that you get coming into this sport,” Edgcomb said. “In basketball, you need to be super tall to be successful. In rugby, they put you in a position where you can dominate in that position for your physique and your set of skills. “Along with that is all of the people who want to bring you up, help you, and want to make you better. They’re always around. They have helped me out so many times and have become some of my closest friends. It’s not only the team you play on; it’s the opposing team also. After games, we will grab dinner and drinks. It’s a community.” Through the numerous rugby scrums, Edgcomb has had some injuries. Injuries might keep coming as the years go See RUGBY page 18
A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Woman | December 2021 17
Meiya Carter (No. 2) shows why she loves the aggressiveness of rugby as she makes a tackle. Carter began playing at Northern Illinois University during her senior year in 2017-18.
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
Rugby FROM PAGE 17
by, but the love of the sport and the community is fueling her drive to continue playing. “I’ve been through three knee surgeries – two ACL reconstructions and then I cleaned out my meniscus – I’ve only broken one finger, and I’ve only had one concussion in the entirety of my career,” Edgcomb said. “The mechanics of rugby tackling as opposed to football tackling are a lot better. It irks me watching football when they’re tackling people in the air and they use their heads. Their technique is just to get them to the ground. Yes, we want to get them to the ground also, but our play isn’t done even though the ball
18 December 2021 | Illinois Valley Woman | A NewsTribune Publication
is on the ground. You have to still be conscious after you hit someone because you have to get up and continue to work.” Even though she may not have many playing years left in her, Edgcomb is eyeing her other options to stay in the game. “I still feel good. I feel like I’m still making gains. When I was in college, I was a tiny, tiny person because I ran cross country. Leaving cross country, I weighed 120 pounds. At 120 pounds, you’re going to die on the rugby field. So, I worked to get to a better weight. I’m 150 now. I’m still gaining muscle, I’m learning new things about the game, and I still feel good,” she said. “I probably only have a good couple – three or four – more years left in me. I’ll play until I can’t anymore, and then
I’ll probably go into coaching because I have my certificate. And I can referee now. I want to stick with it. You give a lot back. I’ll never fully be done with rugby.” Edgcomb is not the only one who yearns for a life full of rugby skills and hits. Meiya Carter, 25, of Peru, began playing at Northern Illinois University and hasn’t even thought about life after rugby. Actually, in her mind, there won’t be one. “I started playing in college. I went to IVCC, and then I transferred to Northern Illinois University,” said Carter, who graduated from LaSalle-Peru in 2014. “I was at an involvement fair and somebody came up to me and said, ‘You look like you played sports. Have you ever heard of rugby?’ I said no, they asked if I wanted to learn about it, and I told myself I’d give it a week. “I didn’t know anything about the sport and had never heard about it. I told myself, ‘I’ll go to practice for a week and then decide. I ended up falling in love with the sport over the first week. I’ve never looked back. I’ve only been playing for four years, but it seems like I’ve been playing forever.” Carter plays for the Chicago Sirens as a forward. It doesn’t matter whether she’s scoring points or tackling foes to the ground, the player known as “Goose” just likes to play rugby. “My mother (Jean Carter) didn’t allow me to play youth football when I was younger. But, as soon as I got there (to the college rugby team), the people welcomed me in, and I felt like I belonged. When you start college, you’re trying to make new friends. The rugby community is amazing. They’re so accepting of every background. It’s a giant family, and I think it’s super cool.
It’s different than any sport I’ve ever played.” While she enjoys the whole sport, there are aspects of it that she likes better than others. “I like scoring. I don’t do it often since I’m a forward, so I do the grunt work like a lineman in football. It’s exciting when you get a breakaway. Just playing the game, the atmosphere, and having your teammates rally around you is a lot of fun,” she said. Carter also coaches for the Illinois Valley Coal Miner Rugby Club. The Coal Miners, who partner with the Naperville Crusaders, began camps in 2018 and had its first season in 2019. There are three different levels – 3-4 grades, 5-6 grades, and 7-8 grades. The Coal Miners continue to grow in numbers and could add more teams. “I never thought I’d coach, but I like it a lot. I got into it because my brother-in-law, Garet Dinges, heard they were starting a youth rugby team in the Illinois Valley,” Carter said. “I reached out and said, ‘Hey, I play.’ I was kind of just helping out for a little bit. Then I started getting more involved and realized I love it. “I thought about stopping playing rugby and coaching full-time. But then why would I want to stop playing? I think coaching is very rewarding, and it definitely changed my perspective of how I play the game in a good way. When I’m done playing, I’m going to stick around the game with coaching.” Edgcomb said she has contemplated getting involved with the Illinois Valley club because she is excited rugby is finally hitting her home turf. Maybe eventually, both Edgcomb and Carter will be Coal Miner coaches. Until then, they’ll be tearing it up on the field in any way they can.
A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Woman | December 2021 19
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Raylene Ferrari, the owner of Upscale Resale, stands next to all the Christmas trees and smaller items auctioned in November 2021. All the proceeds go to Helping Hands for distribution to worthy causes in 2022.
Worthy organizations can share in the money distributed by Helping Hands Story and photos by Shannon Serpette
R
aylene Ferrari has combined two of her top talents – helping people and a flair for decorating – to turn Upscale Resale’s annual Christmas tree auction into a big fundraiser that provides money for a number of outstanding programs and organizations in the Illinois Valley. For more than a decade, Ferrari, who owns Upscale Resale in Spring Valley, has turned over all the proceeds from the Christmas tree auction to Helping Hands, a non-profit organi-
zation. Every year, the trees go up for silent auction in November, with the auction concluding the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Initially, the trees used for the silent auction were donated, but now Ferrari buys the trees the day after Christmas for a discounted price. In fact, the steady influx of trees was how the idea for the auction first took root. “We were getting so many Christmas See TREES page 23
A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Woman | December 2021 21
This elf tree that was up for auction this year at Upscale Resale likely delighted all the children who saw it.
22 December 2021 | Illinois Valley Woman | A NewsTribune Publication
Trees
FROM PAGE 21
trees donated, we started putting decorations on them,” she said. That sparked interest from the customers, who loved the trees so much they wanted to buy them outright. During some of the more prosperous years, the auction will bring in approximately $5,000, although Ferrari said the proceeds generally fluctuate between $3,000 to $5,000. The highest bidding price for a single tree that Ferrari recalls is $400. These trees are the gifts that keep giving. Year after year, they’ll be enjoyed by the people who have the highest bid for each one, and the money that’s collected from the auction will be distributed by Helping Hands to good causes throughout the Illinois Valley. The tree auction, when combined with other Upscale Resale sales throughout the year, led to well in excess of $30,000 being distributed by Helping Hands just last year alone. Although the auction is over for this year, there’s still time to put in a request for some of the Helping Hands money that will soon be distributed to lucky organizations throughout the Illinois Valley. Through the end of December, Helping Hands, which is governed by a board of directors, will be accepting letters requesting money donations for organizations or good causes. To be considered for funds, any interested organizations must send their requests in the mail to 214 W. St. Paul St., Spring Valley, by Dec. 31. “We’ve helped food pantries, Cops 4 Cancer, libraries, and more,” Ferrari said. “It’s all about the community making a difference.” With so much money to distribute, the board of Helping Hands likes to get a lot of requests, but that doesn’t
This Cranberry Frost tree was auctioned in November.
always happen. “Sometimes, we only get a few letters,” Ferrari said. Hall Township Food Pantry director Jan Martin said the food pantry has received money from Helping Hands several times. “When we get money from Raylene, we’re able to choose what we need with that money,” Martin said. While food donations are wonderful, they can lead to surpluses in some foods, like canned vegetables, and scarcity in other areas like paper products, such as toilet paper and paper plates. “A lot of my clients don’t have dishes,” Martin said. Martin said that Ferrari and Helping Hands have made a difference locally. “She makes sure she does something special for our people. She’s so generous,” Martin said.
A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Woman | December 2021 23
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aboutsmh.org 24 December 2021 | Illinois Valley Woman | A NewsTribune Publication
