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April is now here and everyone is beginning to think spring! Spring is a time of rebirth, with tulips beginning to peek their way up through the cool ground. Birds begin to chirp and are busily building their nests for their new generation that are on the way. It is also time for the rebirth of our souls. Easter is April 20 th and it is then that we celebrate His resurrection and the birth of eternal life. I feel every one of us here at Dove is called here for a special purpose and reason. Let us all at Dove during this month of rebirth break the cycle of violence and help bring forth the birth of survivors. As the grass changes from that dried out brown, to a beautiful green, let us help victims burn off the dead weeds of the past and bloom where they are planted.   For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. -Song of Solomon 2:11-12 Megan

Earth Day was founded by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in and was first held on April 22, 1970, according to Wikipedia. Locally the recycling center hosted by Dove has been celebrating Earth Day since at least 2001. It’s a day to bring in your aluminum beverage cans to recycle and get a little bonus for the cans. In turn, you are supporting the many programs of Dove and helping the environment. This year, you can join us in celebrating Earth Day by bringing your cans to the Community Recycling Center, 130 W. Cerro Gordo, in downtown Decatur. Friday, April 25 th hours are 8:00 a.m. to noon and on Saturday the 26 th , it will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Thanks to all the volunteers who make these special days happen! You can get 50cents per pound for your cans on those two special days. The regular hours are Thursdays afternoons from noon to 5:00 p.m and Friday and Saturday mornings from 8:00 a.m. to noon. Make it a habit

Each April, many different social service agencies come together to spread awareness about child abuse in our communities.   Talking about child abuse and the prevention of abuse and neglect isn’t easy and thus far, the focus has been on putting a number out to let everyone know how many children have suffered in our community.   Although these numbers are climbing locally every year, funding for programs to help these children keeps decreasing.   In this tough economic climate as we see the breakdown of families and individuals, we have to start spreading the word about how dangerous it is if we do not invest in the safety and well being of our children...   If we want our community, our country, and our world to be better places in which to live we have to find ways to engage the decision makers and give them the numbers in dollar amounts.   The breakdown of the family, the intentional harming of children, results in unhealthy adults, unhealthy communities, and an unhealthy na