Dove, Inc.

Earlier in April, I had the opportunity to participate in a prayer vigil sponsored by HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital here in Shelbyville.   As I stood in the crisp, bright sunlight waiting for my turn to speak, I heard the testimony of a brave woman as she spoke to the audience assembled about the abuse she suffered in her childhood.   Her story was riveting, her bravery was amazing and the end of her story was happy as she spoke of the people who had been there for her and for her abusive parent.   She and her family have a healthy, close relationship now and she raised her kids in a completely different atmosphere.   These results are possible when people care and when the cycle of abuse is broken and healthier behaviors are put in place. Abuse is a learned behavior.   It is not caused by anger, by alcohol or by drugs, but these intoxicating substances can certainly heighten its severity.   Children and animals are sometimes the “collateral damage” of domestic violence.    Usuall

This week we have been celebrating National Volunteer Week. April 15-21 has been a time to honor not only our RSVP Volunteers but all volunteers in our communities. The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program was blessed with help from Thrivent Financial grant through Dave Hinkle to help us give generously to others this week. Staff got to deliver pizza lunches for some dedicated volunteers throughout our community. We even had the opportunity to share more about Thrivent Financial by giving T-shirts to random volunteers and thanking them for lending their time, talents, and voices that help to make a big difference in our community.   In addition to pizza delivery RSVP staff were honored to attend the Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards on April 18th where we watched as one of our very own RSVP volunteers Alice Bray received the East Central Illinois Volunteer Service Award in the Senior Corps category for her hard work and dedication to Dove’s Children’s Clothing Room.   Alice h

In light of our upcoming Domestic Violence Education and Volunteer Training, I am reminded of the impact education and awareness has in our community.   Domestic Violence is such a wide spread issue in our world, and right here in our own community, and yet somehow it still manages to fly under the radar of public perception.   We interact with abusers and victims on a regular basis in our everyday lives.   We work with them, go to school with them, attend church with them, pass them in the grocery store, and even use the treadmill next to them in the gym (when I go to the gym that is.) The world is full of wonderful, compassionate, well-meaning people who have absolutely no idea how much injustice surrounds them on a regular basis.   In fact, it’s not a bad presumption to assume that most people in this world are only a degree or two separated from someone who is currently in a domestic violence situation.   The reality is, this evil hides in plain sight right before our eyes,