Dove, Inc.

The holiday season Comes just once a year, Bringing in family From far and from near. So we cook and we clean ‘til we think we may drop, An the we clean more, Could it be we can’t stop? Then right in the middle Of all we must do, We stop! And we gather With friends, old and new. For today is the day To pretend it’s all done, And to sit back and relax and just have some fun. This day is the day We will celebrate you. It’s our way to say thanks for all that you do. So fill up your plate With a lot of good food. Then pull up a seat And let us set the mood. Some things we will do You may have done before, But rest assured there are a few surprises in store. We shall start with a speaker Ans some music sublime Play a few games And just have a good time. And our wish is that by Time we are through, you will know we are thankful for each one of you! Thank you so much

"Dove's Christmas Drive is underway!  We ask your help in making the 1986 Holiday Season a Happy one in homes throughout Decatur and Macon County.  As in the past Dove will be conducting Food and Toy Drive during this Christmas Season..."  November 1986 DoveTales Newsletter "DOVE will work again this year with the Prince of Peace program from St. John's Lutheran Church to provide Christmas baskets for people that we work with during the year.  If your family, Sunday School class or group would like to provide a basket or donate money for the project, please call..."  December 1972 DoveTales Newsletter "DOVE is participating with the Decatur-Macon County Opportunities Corporation, DARE and St. John's Northeast Center to provide Christmas baskets to low-income families in Decatur.  If you would like to contribute either food or money, please call the DOVE house, 428-6616.  Someone could use your caring." December 1975 DoveTales Newsletter &

It’s hard to believe, and some of my co-workers will want to throttle me for saying this, but there are only 58 days left until Christmas. I know, I know. It’s not even Halloween yet and I keep bringing up Christmas. Yes, I’m one of THOSE people. Ask anyone who knows me at all and they’ll probably say something about what a Christmas crazed person I am (hi, Susie and Charlie!). They’re not wrong. I love basically everything about Christmas. The decorations, the baked goods, shopping for gifts for people, the music, sending out Christmas cards. Yes, I even love cold weather and snow.  I blame my grandma, who loves Christmas about as much as it’s possible to love a holiday.   Of course when I was younger, Christmas was all about the latest toy or book I wanted, if my cousins got more stuff than I did from “Santa,” the various Christmas parties with family and at school. It wasn’t until I started getting a bit older that it became more than a time when I got gifts and we looked

In October, the winds of change blow as summer gives way to fall.   Trees change colors as the browns and oranges of fall replace the lush green of summer.   October also brings the color purple, as the nation remembers victims and survivors during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. For too many years, people made jokes about domestic violence.   They too often laughed at the victim and empowered the abuser by just going along with what he or she did.   Even if they heard or saw violence happening in their neighborhoods they “didn’t want to be involved”.    For far too long it was believed that what happened in the home needed to stay in the home.   Victims and children who lived in homes where violence occurred were told not to talk about it for fear of “what the neighbors would think.”   Many times some of the people who acted in this way were the officials who were supposed to support the victim and stop the violence and hold the perpetrator accountable.   They were supposed

Just the facts!   The 2016 Coats for Kids drive will begin October 12.  We will be collecting good, used coats for families in need through November 30.  And of course, we'll accept new coats for kids!   It's simple, look in your closets for coats you no longer need -- (all sizes accepted, it's a coat drive focusing on kids, but we are happy to help out adults too).  Take them to one of the places listed below and  place in the collection barrel.  We'll take it from there!   Participating Cleaners will make sure the coats are clean and fresh and ready for the clothing rooms to distribute. (All addresses Decatur unless noted otherwise.)  WAND is and has been the cosponsor for the event all 25 year!  Thanks for that support!   Below is a confirmed participation list as of today:   Participating Cleaners   Classic Cleaner, 2474 N. Main Corner Cleaning Connections, 1154 E. Prairie Ave. Peerless Cleaners, 519 N. Monroe Pride Cleaners a

For those of us who work with domestic violence victims, we understand the dynamics that surround this unforgiveable crime. For victims - it is a personal violation to their person that will affect them for the rest of their lives.    One of the most difficult and frustrating matters is the lack of education that so many have about domestic violence which causes them to re-victimize the victim. Victims are constantly blamed for the abuse and judged by those who have absolutely no understanding of the causes and effects of domestic violence. How many of you have asked the most unacceptable question of " Why don = t they just leave?"   or voiced the statement " They must like it or they would leave ." Sadly, it has nothing to do with either of these!! Instead, one should wonder or ask " What are the barriers that are keeping the victim there?"   and " How can we best assist the victim and let them know this abuse is not their fault and the

Last week Dove Inc. Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of Macon and DeWitt Counties held their 40 th Annual Volunteer appreciation Luncheon to celebrate the volunteers who do so much in our communities. Every year we accept nominations for outstanding volunteers for our Recognition of Service Excellence (ROSE) award. We then honor one man, woman, couple, and volunteer station at our luncheon. This year the selection committee had their work cut out for them with all of the wonderful nominations but ultimately had to choose just one for each category. Our ROSE award winner in the men’s category was Mr. Kenneth “Dick” McQuality who has been an RSVP volunteer since 2007. He currently volunteers twice a week at the Cancer Care Center with Decatur Memorial Hospital. His nominator wrote “he is always very helpful, courteous, and friendly with the patients and their families” and we couldn’t agree more. The ROSE award winner for the women was Barbara Higdon. Barbara

  We are now  half way through September, which means school is back into full swing. Parents are rushing to get their kids ready and out the door each morning, school buses are busy running their routes, and teachers are caught up in the stress of planning lessons and adjusting to a new class full of students. In the midst of all this stress we cannot forget to slow down and observe our surroundings and for teachers observe the very students that fill their classrooms each day. Teachers are often the first to notice a change in a student who could be experiencing domestic violence in their homes. These students could suddenly become withdrawn or depressed; or they could go the complete opposite and start acting out or become aggressive with other students. Along with changes in behavior, you often may see the child victim’s grades drop, incomplete assignments, extreme tiredness, and even physical signs of abuse on the child’s body.   A teacher who is suspicious that a studen

As I prepare for the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) 40 th Annual Appreciation Luncheon* scheduled for next week I am in awe of all that our RSVP volunteers have accomplished this last year in Macon and DeWitt Counties. I am excited to be celebrating 40 years with some amazing volunteers, staff, stations, and sponsors of our program. This year the RSVP Advisory Council and staff have worked hard to make this year’s event special. Our guest speaker City of Decatur Mayor Julie Moore-Wolfe is just as excited to be sharing this mile stone with all of the volunteers. Dolci-Note’ will be on hand to share their wonderful talent and of course we have pie for all our guests after lunch. It takes lots of hard work and preparation to make the RSVP Appreciation luncheon a success and year after year we have had some fantastic sponsors that support this event. Some of our repeat contributors are Kroger’s South Shores who donate the wonderful R.O.S.E. Award flowers so that eac

Autumn is my favorite time of year, not because of colorful leaves and pumpkin-spice lattes (although they are pretty awesome), but because it’s back-to-school time!    During the school year, I provide teen dating violence education to teens in high schools, middle schools, colleges, youth-serving agencies, and church groups.   Within classroom and group settings, I teach learning activities and lead conversations about what makes a good dating relationship.     Working with teens is challenging, thought-provoking, often hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking, and never dull, but I love it because I get to make a difference in young people’s lives. Freshman (or 7 th grade) jitters should include the normal stuff - navigating a new school, remembering that locker combination, meeting new friends    – but not dealing with an abusive relationship!   However, the teen years are when most people experience their first serious relationships and, for 1.5 million high school students

It’s hard to believe, but as of this blog post, there are only 128 days until Christmas. Yes, you read that right. 128. The year has gone by very quickly and it’s approaching the time of year for the Christmas Baskets Program.   This year the preliminary work for the program began again in June, and already we’ve seen quite a few donations of things – from toiletries for hygiene bags, to toys for kids, to large donations of brand new books, to stockings and blankets and jewelry.     We’ve also been busy recruiting new agencies to work with in order to help as many people as we can. This year I’m excited to announce we’ll be working with the Girl Scouts, Boys and Girls Club, the Cancer Care Center, the Special Olympics, and the YMCA. We’ll be providing these agencies with referrals for their clients and patients to receive baskets and we’re very excited to be doing so.   Each year we provide baskets to around 350 families in the area, and this doesn’t include the f

My name is Addie Smith and I am the new employment and life skills specialist here at Dove, Inc. I work within the Homeward Bound Transitional Housing and Supportive Services program where I teach life skills and jobs club classes. I also co-supervise a Job Training Program that consists of four positions that are filled by clients in the Transitional Housing program. Two positions are janitorial based at our Homeward Bound Facility and the Domestic Violence Shelter. The other two positions are focused on lawn care and building maintenance and clients perform all the landscaping at our facility and the apartments we own. Being fresh out of college, I experienced the struggles that life sometimes throws at you and trying to navigate solutions to those issues has helped me to teach my life skills classes as well as learn with the clients as I go. I have been a worker all of my life since the ripe age of twelve years old, walking up and down corn fields picking those pesky tasse

This month has an air of celebration about it.   Celebrating our nation’s independence, celebrating 46 years of Dove’s work in central Illinois, and having - after a year-long stalemate - a partial state budget.   Indeed, we have plenty to celebrate. I’ve gotten a lot of questions about the state budget since its passage Thursday, most of which I cannot answer. The state budget is both a saving grace and a daunting challenge to our future. So when I am asked these questions, my mind draws from the text of The Gospel According to Mark 12:13-17.   In today’s Illinois there is a role for both government and God to play in how we focus our efforts to relieve human suffering.   Our mission at Dove has become a work of God largely paid for by Caesar (or in this case the US and Illinois governing bodies, and ultimately the taxpayers). The challenge of being a faith-based organization in this circumstance, is making sure that we continue to focus on our mission and steady ourselves

Domestic Violence is a pattern of behavior which is designed to keep the victim, or victims, of the abuser under the power and control of the abuser.     The word pattern is a crucial word in the definition.   The word pattern indicates that this is a long-term problem, not an isolated incidence of anger which erupts in a verbal or even physical altercation.   The words power and control indicate that during this long-term process, the victim is robbed of his or her ability to make their own decisions and choices and to control the direction of their lives.   Children ask their parents for permission to do thing; adults should not require “permission” to make phone calls, go to the store, etc.   This is the norm in most domestic violence relationships, however.   Permission must be requested and for the most part it is never granted.    Victims who have lived this way for a long time have no idea how to make choices or decisions, let alone good ones.   Their self-esteem is shattere

As we continue to examine what it means to love ourselves better in light of healing from domestic violence and moving forward with a more positive sense of self, there are some more practical tools to be implemented that will make a world of difference.   Let’s take a look a few more tangible ways that we can love ourselves better that will hopefully result in a more meaningful life and circle of relationships. To begin with, we need to begin forgiving our past selves.   Were you born this morning by chance?   If not, CONGRATULATIONS!   You have a past.   With that out of the way, is there any chance that you are perfect in every way?   Still no?   Congrats!   You also have dirt in your past, just like everyone else.   We ALL have a past and those pasts are riddled with good choices, bad choices, successes, failures, wins, losses, mistakes, etc.   You get the point.   Living in the past can only keep you living in your mess.   When you confront your past and begin to forgive yo