Dove, Inc.

CoC Funds Available The Decatur/Macon County CoC announces approved Consolidated Application for the FY 2024 CoC Program Competition. Review the Approved Consolidated Application and Approved Priority Listings and all New and Referral Project Listings at the link above. For Comments or Questions about the Approved Application, email fredspannaus@gmail.com.

 March is Women’s History Month and during this month I want to acknowledge a woman who assisted Ray Batman in molding Dove, Inc. Not only was she a founder and volunteer, but her passion, dedication, and drive were so vital to building the stellar foundation that the organization stands on today. She may have been tiny in stature, but her presence was vast. She was eventually hired as the Program Director in 1974 and remained an active and avid supporter of Dove after retirement and up until her passing in 2014. Her “never take no for an answer” attitude assisted with building collaborations that are still matched today.  She was extremely instrumental in the organization of a multitude of community-related programs throughout the city of Decatur. This includes the Nationally Renowned Mother-to-Mother program, a programming concept that has been widely adopted across the country. Sue’s presence still shines through those of us who have come along beside her. Her commitment to...

 As most know, February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month! The entire month is dedicated to raising awareness about teens, and their dating relationships, and putting a stop to dating violence before it even starts. Dating violence is more common than people think, especially among teens & young adults. 1 in 3 U.S. teens will experience physical, sexual, or emotional abuse from someone they’re in a relationship with before becoming adults. The theme this year is  “Love Like That”. The “that” means what you are looking for in a relationship. We want our teens to know what is healthy and unhealthy before or when looking for a partner, and this is what we present in the local high schools we visit. We encourage everyone to wear orange this month or specifically on the 6th, orange shows solidarity and raises awareness about dating violence! If you know someone who is experiencing or who has experienced teen dating violence, please give them resources to get help! Dove of...

 With so much talk everywhere on issues of violence, once again a topic discussed at the CONO (Coalition Of Neighborhood Organizations) meeting this past month in wonder of how to stop violence from happening in our community. Let’s consider narrowed down, violence begins in neighborhoods, no matter where they are. Cities including Decatur, have Stop The Violence campaigns and rallies in order to take a stand and to bring positivity and hope which is so important! But I wonder, doesn’t the remedy lay within each one of us? We must not close our eyes or turn a deaf ear, right, and when we see something, yes, we must say something, but isn’t there more? Doesn’t there need to be hands reaching out to one another in solidarity and hope with a goal in mind like the future of our family, neighborhood and ultimately our world. It begins in a neighborhood, your neighborhood and mine. So, if you don’t already have an active neighborhood group in your area, will you consider starting one? I...

  As the summer fades away, the winds of change are upon us.    The wildflowers are in bloom along the roadways, the crops in the fields are changing colors and Mother Nature’s green coat is beginning to fade.    The onset of the beautiful colors of fall can be spotted in some treetops.    Although I am a lover of summer, the change from summer to fall has always been exciting to me…. the cool, crisp evenings and mornings and the hint of fog and haze on the horizon.   I was always one of the weird kids who looked forward eagerly to the first day of school.   The prospect of change and of hope for a great year ahead was intoxicating.    As an adult, I still love this time of year.   The promise of new beginnings makes it seem like a second New Years, a chance to complete some of those goals that may have been left behind in the busyness of life.   If you, or someone you know, has been affected in some way by domestic violen...

 Well, August has certainly been a busy month here at Dove. I hope all of you are staying healthy and safe and that you’re staying cool in the heat. We may be amid a heatwave, but I’m thinking cool thoughts and dreaming about Christmas.   The first piece of news regarding our baskets program is that we have both a new name and a new logo! The logo debuted in last month’s newsletter, created by Dove’s Director of Volunteers and Community Relations, Barb Blakey. It really highlights our partnerships with Northeast Community Fund, Salvation Army, and the community who is so generous with their donations of time, money, gifts, and food.   The new title, Christmas Care and Share, gets right at the heart of what we aim to do with the program – care about others and share our resources, share our love of people – with as many others as we can. After meeting with the planning committee for the program, and meeting with Salvation Army and Northeast Community Fund, we decided...

  Growing up in the world of dance, one of my favorite things to do each year is participate in The Nutcracker Ballet. My favorite part? Giving the audience a magical Christmas experience with the perfect setting of lights, music, glittery costumes, and refined steps by ballerinas. The audience is transported to a magical land of sweets that makes even adults feel like small children in awe and wonder. Of course, that’s just what the audience sees! What they don’t see is the months and months before hand! Long rehearsals, bandage wrapped dance feet, and stage and tech crews working tirelessly so that every detail before the final show is perfected. After several years, I have started comparing the Christmas Baskets Process to that of the process for The Nutcracker Ballet. Starting months and months before, staff and volunteers work endlessly for the exhilarating distribution week to come. With that said, the magical essence of the Ballet experience cannot happen with just the ...

Have you ever had a victim of domestic violence try and open-up to you about their abuse and you not know what to say or how to handle it? Have you found yourself asking a victim of domestic violence, “why do you stay?” Moultrie County Dove Office understands that without being properly trained on domestic violence and best domestic violence practices, it is hard to know what to say or do when a victim of domestic violence finally decides to open-up to you about their abuse and we want you to be better prepared. Asking a victim of domestic violence “why do you stay” can place emphasis in the wrong place and make the victim feel as if they have done something wrong. In all actuality, there are many reasons victims of domestic violence stay in and return to abusive relationships. Victims of domestic violence stay in abusive relationships for fear for their personal safety and the safety and well-being of their children. Statistics show that a victim of domestic violence is at a 75%...

In working with victims of domestic violence in assisting them with competing paperwork for an Order of Protection, Legal Advocates report there has been an increase in reports of many cases where the individual has been strangled by their abuser.   Does any of this sound familiar or do you know someone who is experiencing any of these symptoms?     Has your partner ever put their hands around your neck, put you in a “sleeper hold” or used anything else to strangle you like a scarf, necklace, belt, rope, etc.? Strangulation can be very serious!   Symptoms of strangulation include: a sore throat difficulty swallowing neck pain hoarseness bruising on the neck or behind your ears discoloration on your tongue ringing in your ears bloodshot eyes dizziness memory loss drooling nausea or vomiting difficulty breathing incontinence a seizure a miscarriage changes in mood or personality, like agitation or aggression changes in sleep...

Dove, Inc.  newest program, Senior Companion Program is part of the Senior Corps and fits in nicely with what we do here at Dove and supports our mission.   It is a great and needed addition to the service already provided by the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program which was established in the mid-70's!   RSVP Director,  Charlie Gillaspie will oversee this program, and Kathy Walters is the Program Coordinator.   The Senior Companion program recruits volunteers to give friendship and assistance to homebound seniors that have difficulty with daily living tasks. The Senior Companion Program or SCP pairs active seniors with older adults who aren't as independent or mobile. In addition to companionship, senior companions can prepare a light lunch, give medication reminder, read mail, and other quality of life activities. Senior Companions are also able to help provide family caregivers much-needed respite so they can take care of themselves. Senior Companio...

We have all heard that the love of money is the root of all evil. For excessive wealth breeds corruption, greed, and manipulation within our society, and we all know our place in the class system.   These traits are not exclusively reserved for the wealthy, for even the smallest amount of money, or the promise of money can be used as a tool of manipulation and control over another human being.   It is the need for power and control that fuels inequalities in relationships where Domestic Violence is prevalent. This also includes Financial Abuse.   Financial Abuse is Domestic Violence. I am addressing Financial Abuse for the simple reason that it we have started the New Year very much immersed in a pandemic where most are having strain placed on income, and when there is any fluctuation in income, whether that be excess or not enough, stress occurs.   I t is more often than not that I am reminded that when people think of Domestic Violence, they seem to associate t...

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...