Dove, Inc.

I recently had the honor to hear Frank DeAngelis speak. For those that don’t know Mr. De (as I comfortably referred to him as, because honestly, he is THAT guy. He was the principal to all of us in 1999 and we will always be his kids) he was the principal of Columbine High School from 1996 to his tearful retirement in 2014.   It was on April 20, 1999 that he became more than just the principal to Columbine High, he became the principal to us all and we became his kids. I was a junior at Novato High School in Novato, California in 1999. I really have no idea what was planned for my day, but I do know whatever it was it did not happen. We were an hour behind Colorado timewise, and somewhere between 9 and 11 o’clock the school went into a weird, silent mode. 13 kids in Littleton, Colorado had been killed. Two armed teens stormed into their school, after their original plan of setting of bombs failed, and began killing their fellow students. We didn’t have phones. The only internet

The Heritage and Holly Historical Home Tour has been a part of the Thanksgiving Weekend Tradition for many  years. Formerly a fundraiser for NWRAPS, it was given to Dove in 2017 because of our long association with neighborhood groups and because of the Anna B. Millikin Home, Shelter and  office space for Dove, right in the middle of the historic west end.  This fundraiser will support all the programs of Dove - what a fun way to support to do that and to enjoy this holiday tradition! Tickets are on sale for the 28 th Annual Heritage and Holly Historical Home Tour, in Decatur, Illinois. The 2018 event will be held the weekend after Thanksgiving, Friday, November 23, 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. and Saturday the 24th, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.   $18 Advance Tickets are available at the following locations through 1:00 p.m., November 21: All Things Beautiful, 219 N. Main Street Dove, 302 S. Union Street Land of Lincoln Credit Union, 4850 Prosperity Place, 3130 E. Mound Road, 2890

Jesus once said that it is more blessed to give than to receive, and in the years doing Christmas Baskets at Dove, Inc., I’ve found that to be true. I look at my life, at my home, and I know that I’m more fortunate than a huge percentage of the world’s population. I have a loving family, a house to live in, heat in the winter, air conditioning in the summer, a job that I love, food on the table each day, a dependable car to get me where I need to go, and relatively good health. I am beyond grateful for all that I have. I’m also grateful for the knowledge and awareness I have of those who aren’t as fortunate as I am, because it puts me in a better position of helping. Did you know that the nationally, the average age of a homeless individual is 9 years old? According to feedingamerica.org, more than 40 million families in the United States struggle with food insecurity, never knowing if or when they’ll have their next meal, let alone receive a gift for Christmas. The number