Dove, Inc.

Since 1970, 47 years ago this week, Dove, Inc. has been providing services to the community in Central Illinois.  These services are the services the community, our churches, our state, and our country have asked us to provide.  We have stepped up time and time again to address unmet needs and social injustices.    At Dove, we operate with minimal staffing, a wonderful pool of passionate staff and volunteers, and significant cost controls.  The new budget will pay approximately 87% of the work which the State contracted with Dove to provide in the 2016-17 Fiscal Year. Dove will take a hit of a bit over $100,000 for the year for services which we have already provided in good faith.  While this is difficult, we understand that this is a necessary part of beginning to unravel the State’s ongoing financial issues. We are grateful to the many community members who have stepped forward with donations and grants to keep us able to serve the needs of our...

I would like to personally invite everyone to this year = s Annual Garden and Tea Luncheon! This year we are going to be doing something different. Instead of a tour of the lovely gardens in DeWitt County, we are having a presentation put on by the well-loved Bloomington Tea Ladies. It will be titled A The Beauty of a Victorian Garden @ .  The Garden Tea Luncheon will also be a sit down lunch with a dessert buffet. This will take place before the presentation. Date:   Saturday June 17 Place: First Church of the Nazarene, 1220 Kleemann Drive, Clinton Time: Luncheon will be at 11:30 a.m. the presentation will begin at 1:00 p.m. Ticket Price:   $15.00 Where to purchase tickets:   CADV committee members, Dove and The Flower Corner. **Please note that since this is a luncheon, in order to make sure we have enough food for everyone, tickets will only be sold in advance. We will not sell tickets at the door....

Dove's Annual Meeting was held on Monday, May 8.  At that time, the following slate of Board Directors were elected to serve the July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2019 term, Mrs. SuEllen Brauer Rev. Jason Butterick Rev. Vivian Clarington Ms. Keturah Owens Mrs. Amanda Podeschi Mrs. Marianne Taylor Mr. William Taylor Thanks to all who are choosing to serve on the Board. They will be serving with the following who are serving a July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2018 term Ms. Jo Carter Mrs. Tami Crouch Mr. Darrel Parish Ms. Teri Fickes Mrs. Kim Stahl The Rev. Richard Swan The complete list is always available on the Dove website www.doveinc.org Fr. Swan who is currently serving as the Vice President of the conducted the election of the Board of Directors.

 Unfortunately, some children are not in a loving relationship with their Mother. I found this poem below from the St. Paul Almanac, created in 2005. It is a tribute to women. I feel it is appropriate post to share for Mother’s Day, entitled "The Strength of a Woman."  The St. Paul Almanac is a "literary-centered arts organization that shares stories across cultures and cultivates dialogue to promote understanding, relationships, and collaborative action". The Saint Paul Almanac helps to center the people of the St. Paul community into the heart of storytelling. Please enjoy and please honor the supportive women in your life. Teri Ducy Domestic Violence Program Director The strength of a woman is carrying the burden of family without expectation that someone will feel her pain or cry her tears. The strength of a woman is the first one to wake up and the last to go to bed. The strength of a woman is to pretty and doll up all the masks sh...

Did you know that May is Older Americans Month? Each May, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) leads our nation’s celebration of Older Americans Month (OAM). Their theme this year is “Age Out Loud”. What it means to age has changed, and celebrating Older Americans Month is a great time to look and see what our retired and senior volunteers are accomplishing as they age out loud. Every day our RSVP volunteers “Age Out Loud” and respond to the needs of our communities. Many of our volunteers serve in places that ensure “Healthy Futures” for so many people in our communities. This includes giving to those aging in place by helping with transportation, meal delivery, companionship, coaching exercise programs, and distributing information, or staffing hotlines, food pantries, and soup kitchens. Within the last fiscal year, our volunteers served over 27,000 hours in this category alone. According to the Independent Sector, a volunteer’s time in Illinois is worth $25.34 ...

From the January 1987 DoveTales newsletter - below is a copy of  the Domestic Violence Program "wish-list"   Child's record player Wooden building block Large wooden dollhouse Child Guidance toys table and chairs Hand Puppets Felt, assorted colors Stuffed animals Scrap lace, ribbon and ruffles Tape Recorder Puzzles Popcorn popper   Sound fun doesn't it?    The current list going in the May 2017 newsletter is below.  Little more practical.  So if you can help us out with a few plungers or dishwasher pods or even a tablet, maybe thrown in a hand puppet or two!  It will all be greatly appreciated.   Domestic Violence Shelter Needs   BOX FANS TOILET PLUNGERS NIGHTLIGHTS RADIO/ALARM CLOCKS, ELECTRIC WHITE NOISE MACHINES (2-3 for 2 nd /3 rd shift working clients trying to sleep, as well as large families, to mask noise) TABLET (for Group use) 9V BATTERIES GAS GIFT CARDS NEW STROLLERS WALMART ...

During the dark, cold days of January----possibly inspired by the “clean slate” of a brand new year-----I undertook a major clean-up of my office.   Evidently, when I started this job many years ago, I thought every piece of paper I received was sacred.   I was rapidly running out of storage space, so I began the process of cleaning, sorting, shredding and tossing.   As the job progressed, a few things became apparent.   First, I was probably about one ream of paper away from a visit from the nice folks at the Hoarders TV show.   I had a lot of moments asking………Why did I save that?.....How long has that law been obsolete?……Whatever were you thinking when you saved that???   As I sorted, cleaned, tossed and carted off to the dumpster, I had an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and a new sense of organization.   Coming to the office, opening a desk drawer or file drawer became a much more pleasant experience. As I reflected on how cathartic thi...