Dove, Inc.

I don’t know how many times I heard it. It was the summer of 1970. I was newly arrived in Decatur. I came as a free-lance community organizer, working the Torrence Park neighborhood. During my first few weeks on the job, people kept saying it. “Fred, there’s this guy you need to meet, down at the First Christian Church. Name’s Ray Batman.” Finally I picked up the phone and arranged to drive my shaky pink Plymouth Valiant downtown to 441 North Church Street. He greeted me at the door. We shook hands and wound our way down the hall to a cluttered storeroom in the basement. It was Dove’s first office, and he was its only employee. He and I had started our new jobs within days of each other at the tail end of June. We had that in common, and as it turned out, much more. What he said that day stuck with me. Memory is a tricky thing, and it’s been a very long time. But in my recollection, he introduced me to Dove something like this: “We’re a small bunch of white church folks, Fred...

I know amid the COVID pandemic, many are finding it hard to be thankful this holiday season. Missing loved ones lost to this devastating virus, worrying about our most vulnerable populations, and praying our loved ones will stay safe has undoubtedly taken a toll. Now we are being asked to skip family traditions and forego our usual Thanksgiving Day feast with our loved ones. It is hard to be thankful when things are not going well, but I am still thankful. Thankful for the love and compassion I get to witness every day. Thankful I live in a place where organizations and social service agencies work together to meet our communities' needs. Thankful that in the last 50 years, Dove has spread their wings to adapt and change to fight social injustices and unmet human needs.   Thankful that Dove continues to develop programming and expand its reach to others. Thankful, they look to use technology, innovation, and leadership to continue moving forward to serve others, even during...

Looking back to reflect on personal or communal history is guaranteed to bring up a gamut of memories and emotions.   This look back records some of my memories and feelings.   I must say I feel fortunate to have crossed paths with the people and mission of Dove.   In the late 1970’s I was a full-time mom of three children and joined Decatur’s League of Women Voters chapter.   The group chose domestic violence as a study topic one year and I volunteered to help inquire into the incidence and nature of this newly-named phenomenon.   Study led us to connecting with a small local group of women (nurses, teachers, counselors, and survivors of domestic violence) beginning to identify the need for specialized responses to serve safety, legal and family issues caused by domestic violence.   I joined the group focused on action and services.   After some months of linking with education and training to provide services for women and children seekin...

AS we enter October and mark Domestic Violence Month, I remember my introduction to Dove’s program.   In the summer of 1980, I was the at-home parent for our two young daughters.   I responded to a knock on the door to find Larry Troy, a sociology professor from Millikin University, asking if I had an interest in working on a project investigating services for abusive men as part of the Dove Domestic Violence Program.   He knew I had a background on teaching communication skills and thought it might be helpful. A small group of us met through that summer and decided to develop a curriculum to be presented to abusers to help them change their abusive behavior.   There was not a lot of research material available.   Active groups throughout the country did not begin to meet together until the mid-1980s in St. Louis to share their programs and results.   In the early 1980s we decided to push forward with what we had.   We announced we had a program fo...

I started my adventure with Dove in the Homeward Bound Program as the Employment and Life Skills Specialist. After my first year, I had the opportunity to advance to Dove’s Retired and Senior Volunteer Program as the newest Program Director. My title and job here at Dove continues to evolve. I am now known as the RSVP-SCP Program Director. Dove’s latest services, the Senior Companion Program, offers unique challenges and the ability to help more people in the community we serve with amazing volunteers’ dedicated help. It is an honor that I am a part of this fantastic organization.   Our RSVP and Dove volunteers are the best volunteers; their hearts are as golden as Dove’s 50th anniversary. As I reflect on Dove’s anniversary, I cannot help but think of the first persons and churches involved in starting Dove so many years ago. Did they envision Dove’s growth? Or how vital Dove services would be to so many different people in our community? Did they think that Dove would have a r...

Ameren's Warm Neighbors Cool Friends Dove has served as the service site for WNCF for 30 years.  Below, please see the updated information about WNCF program and their new initiative,  Fresh Start Program. WNCF services are provided at the DFA Sites for Macon and DeWitt Counties Macon County: Located inside Northeast Community Fund, 839 N. MLK Jr. Dr., DecaturHours:   Monday, Wednesday & Thursday 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.  & Monday - Thursday, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. DeWitt County:  Dove DeWitt County Office, 803 W. Leander, ClintonHours:  2nd and 4th Tuesdays mornings, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Warm Neighbors Cool Friends Applicant can receive WNCF assistance only once per heating season, which is 10/1 to 5/31 each year and once per cooling season, 6/1 to 9/30. WNCF matches customer payments (within the last 45 days) up to $350 during heating season and up to $200 during cooling season Fresh Start grants should not be used for matching payments Heating grants are base...

It is hard to believe that in just a couple of weeks it will have been twenty years since I walked into the Dove Domestic Violence Program office in Shelbyville for the first time.   Interviews and the actual hiring had been done from the Dove offices in Decatur, so a few days before I was to start my job, I had to go on a driving tour of Shelbyville to find the office.   If you are familiar with our town you are no doubt laughing by now….it is by no means a large city.   The office is located very well for privacy for our clients, however, on the outskirts of town.   I walked in that morning alone;   one of my coworkers from another county would arrive soon to begin to show me the ropes.   I was excited, nervous, had little clue what I was going to be doing and I wasn’t 100% sure I knew how to do whatever that turned out to be.   The permanent office had been in existence for about four months, but my position had been vacant for about half of that...

 Did you know that Dove started July 7, 1970 in partnership with several churches in the area with a focus on helping others? Today Dove has grown to include numerous programs all working together to uphold Doves mission and serve our communities.       Dove is a coalition of religious organizations, volunteers, and advocates that seek to coordinate efforts to address unmet human needs and social injustices. Dove works for justice, equality and understanding among all people. As the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program Director I am in awe of all that Dove programs accomplish every day. Without the help and support form partner churches, area organizations, donors, and volunteers Dove would not be as successful as you make us! From programs that have been hosted by Dove for years to the just starting Senior Companion Program Dove works to stay up to date with the needs of others. They do that by changing to adapt to the times. Today is no different ...

Most of us were around in 1970. It’s normal to ask what were you doing on July 7, 1970. Avoiding an embarrassing answer for you, here’s what was happening. We remember we were in a very unpopular war. Protests sprung up everywhere. Young men left the US for Canada. The country was unsettled. The Aswan Dam in Egypt was being constructed. The USSR and France were conducting nuclear tests. Northern Ireland was in conflict. The US would soon launch Venera 7, for a 1st soft landing on Venus. However, a bright spot shined right here in Decatur. DOVE was formed. Eight churches agreed to support a new ministry to be called Disciples on Volunteer Enlistment (DOVE). First Christian (Bethany), First Christian (Blue Mound), Central Christian, First Christian and Prairie Avenue Christian Church (Decatur), Harristown Christian, Illiopolis Christian and Niantic Christian. Ray Batman was the first DOVE Coordinator with a whopping first budget of $6,380. His office was in the furnace room of D...

Dove hosted a Press Conference, outside, 10:15 a.m. the morning of July 7.  Dove is commemorating its 50th Anniversary this year.  7/7/70, the first Coordinator, Ray Batman reported to work to begin this ministry of Dove. As luck would have it, the warning sirens which usually are tested at 10:00 a.m. on the first Tuesday of each month in Decatur, were late, going off about 10:17.  This needed test pretty much rang the whole time Teri Ducy, Domestic Violence Program Director,  was sharing her 2 minute speech at the Press Conference, and made it pretty hard to hear.  So below is her comments: Good morning.   As I think about the overall theme of this special day – in recognition of Dove’s 50 th Anniversary,   “Needed then….Vital now” – I find this to be very fitting.   Back in the early 70’s – which was at just the beginning of the domestic violence movement – there were no shelters – only safe houses in some communities – private hom...

A victim of domestic violence faces many challenges, however, during these times with COVID-19, they are faced with even more barriers.  Those who are living at home with their abuser during these times during the “stay at home, stay safe” order is not a safe option.   For them, they are literally staying at home and trying to survive. As we expected, calls are beginning to surge, as we knew there would be a spike in requests for services.  For the first couple of weeks into the stay at home order, calls were normal, and in fact, down.  However, the last couple of weeks, they are beginning to significantly increase.  For victims of domestic violence, their abusers take this opportunity to inflict their power and control even more so, due to the pandemic, especially for those victims who may have recently left their abusive relationship just prior to the stay at home order, and now the abuser is contacting them and making empty promises th...

Our agency is called Dove, Inc. The name change from DOVE Inc. to Dove, Inc. came about in 1983. Looking through some early DoveTales, our newsletter, the name change came about with a Long Range Plan of the then governing body, Dove's General Board. from the May 1983 issue …"* Change in our official name from DOVE Inc. to Dove, Inc." from the September 1983 issue "NOTICE OF CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE At the Fall General Board meeting, a Constitutional Amendment will be proposed to the membership.  This amendment will officially change the name of our ministry from 'DOVE Inc.' to 'Dove, Inc.'  The purpose is to make it easier for people to find us in directories.  The Fall meeting will be at 7 p.m. October 24 at Oreana Christian Church, Oreana, Ill." and then from the December 1983 issue "The formal name of our organization is now Dove, Inc.  Formerly we were known as DOVE Inc.  This change was ratified at the General Board Meeting O...

What a challenging time we are in!  We are well aware of the risk that victims of domestic violence are especially facing during this time.  Although we have been primarily working remotely, we have continued to answer our 24-hour hotlines in all of the 5 counties we serve, Macon, Moultrie, Piatt, Shelby and DeWitt.  We have continued to assist with Orders of Protection and provided telephone counseling.  Beginning Monday, June 1, 2020 staff will be available in person in each of our offices on a limited basis.  Social distancing will be required and everyone must wear a mask upon entry into our buildings. Please check below for updates, county by county. The Macon County Office in Decatur will have staff available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to  4:30 p.m. and will be available for walk-in appointments for individual counseling and assistance with Orders of Protection.  The hotline number is 217.423.2238. The Moultrie County  Office...

Administration for Community Living leads our nation’s observance of Older Americans Month in May. A time to encourage and celebrate countless contributions that our older adults make to our communities. Your time, experience, and talents benefit family, peers, and neighbors every day. Communities, organizations, and individuals of all ages are making their marks. We want to thank you all for making your mark as part of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program. We love the big and bold marks volunteers are leaving on our communities every day. During this COVID pandemic many of you have been making your mark on our community by sharing your talent and making masks. There has been a wonderful response from our volunteers to help make masks for our partner stations. This allows our community partners to continue serving others in a much safer manner. It is times like these that our volunteers help to carry us all through with experience, support, and talent. Thank you for Making your ...