Effingham Teutopolis News Report

Home
United States
Effingham, IL
Effingham Teutopolis News Report

A Brand New, FREE, All Local Weekly Newspaper & Daily Web Site Is Coming! How?
(29)

With the Effingham Teutopolis News Report all your news items and advertising messages can reach every household in the 62401 and 62467 zip codes. Well the News Report is mailed every Thursday to 9,700 homes in Effingham and Teutopolis. The News Report has a local and experienced staff to keep you update on all local news in print and online.

07/09/2024

Bill & Sue Schmidt inducted into Hall of Fame
By Steve Raymond
The News Report
Stunned and humbled.
That’s how Bill and Sue Schmidt reacted when they found out they were going to receive some very special recognition.
“We don’t believe we do anything that special,” Sue admitted. “We enjoy the kids. And we like having a place where kids can come and enjoy the game.”
The game is golf.
The place is the Fore-Way Golf Course.
And the recognition?
Bill and Sue were recently inducted into the Illinois Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
They were honored for the way they have taught and promoted the game of golf to youth in the Effingham area.
And they’ve been doing so for quite some time.
Bill and his brother-in-law, John McNeely, built the course in 1996. It was originally a Par 3 course. In 1999, it was converted into a nine-hole course that features a pair of par-3 and par-5 holes, along with five par-4 holes. Bill and Sue became the sole owners in 2012.
From the beginning, incorporating youth golf programs was been important to them. McNeely started the youth program after the course was open in the late 1990’s.
“John offered the camps early on,” Bill recalled. “If he had 10 kids sign up back then, that was really something.”
The program continued to grow.
Phil Zaccari, the golf coach at St. Anthony High School and a fellow member of the ICA Golf Hall of Fame, started the Pride of the Northside Camp in 2011. That continued through 2017. The was followed by the Fore-Way Golf Junior Summer Clinics in 2018 and 2019.
Since 2021, Morgan Wilson has conducted the Wilson Summer Golf Clinics at the Fore-Way course. Between 70 and 75 kids normally participate.
That camp meets on Mondays during the month of June. Instruction is provided for three ages groups – 5-6, 7-9 and 10-12. The 5-6-year-olds meet from 8:15-9 a.m.; the 7-9 group from 9:15-10:15 a.m.; and the 10-12 group from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
The camp is open to any boy or girl that wants to participate. Wilson, along with local high school golfers, provides the teaching at the camp.
“It teaches them the basics of the game, plus proper golf etiquette,” Bill noted. “The young ones are taught how hold to a club properly and the older group concentrates a little more on swinging a golf club, plus things like chipping and putting.”
“And the most important thing is, they learn that golf is a fun game to play and something they can do the rest of their lives,” Sue added. “And when we see them come back later as adults, and they’re still enjoying the game, it makes us feel like we’re making a difference.”
Bill and Sue discovered it was Zaccari that nominated them for the Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony was held May 19 at the Double Tree Convention Center in Bloomington.
“If you take care of the kids, you take care of the future,” Zaccari said. “And that’s exactly what Bill and Sue have done. They, along with the country club, are providing a place for these kids to practice and play. In other areas, they don’t have that.
“They promote the game locally,” Zaccari added. “All the success the local golf teams are having can be attributed to people like Bill and Sue. They are definitely deserving of this recognition.”
The following was written in the program handed out at the ceremony:
“Fore-Way has hosted matches and invites for both boys and girls high school teams for several schools in the Effingham area. The area high schools practice at Fore-Way during the summer, as well as during the fall season. They have also hosted junior high school events.
“Bill and Sue truly enjoy watching the youth of the Effingham area learn the game of golf and are grateful and honored to be able to provide the facility for them to play, practice and enjoy golf.”
“The kids are the future of the game,” Bill said. “They need to have a place to play and enjoy it.”
“And now we see some of those kids from years ago have kids of their own and they’re bringing them out here to play,” Sue added. “Maybe they’ve moved away, but they’re back for a visit and stop out to say hello. They tell us it’s like coming home for them. It just continues to go full circle.”
“It makes us feel good,” Bill admitted. “They’re continuing to play and enjoy the game of golf. That’s what it’s all about.”
This year’s camp will conclude on June 24. Another good turnout was reported.
“We love to see it,” Sue said. “We are firm believers that golf is a life skill. When these kids are playing golf, they’re not on their phones and they’re not in front of the TV. They’re getting some fresh air, they’re talking to each other and they’re getting exercise. That’s good to see.”
And there are no plans to discontinue their involvement with the young golfers in the Effingham area.
“We plan to keep doing what we’re doing,” Bill emphasized. “The kids really seem to enjoy it.”
“If it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” Sue noted. “We love seeing these kids out here learning the game of golf.”

07/03/2024

Olivia Spour -- drawing how headed to Washington D.C.
By Steve Raymond
The News Report
When Olivia Spour first started drawing in pre-school, she was told she took too long – focused too much on detail.
Now fast forward about 10 years.
That same attention to detail just might have been what separated her from other artists.
You see, Olivia’s drawing – a portrait of her as a 2-year-old – was recently awarded first place in the 12th District Congressional Art Competition.
As a result, her drawing will be on display in the Cannon Tunnel in Washington, D.C., for the next year.
“I was excited to win the competition,” Olivia admitted. “I was pleased with how the drawing turned out. I thought it was one of the most realistic-looking pieces I have ever done.”
Olivia is the 16-year-old daughter of Jill Spour. She was born and raised in the Green Creek area and will be a senior at Teutopolis High School. In addition to her enjoyment of art, she is also active in gymnastics and is part of the Pomerettes team at THS.
She has done oil paintings, but prefers drawing, especially portraits. She has used charcoal, colored pencils and chalk. She initially did her portraits in black and white, but then began to use colored pencils. Just this year, she switched to chalk, but didn’t like the look of the faces.
“With the chalk, I thought the faces were like see-through,” Olivia explained.
So, she decided to go to a mixed media, using both chalk and an alcohol marker base. She also decided to use a picture her mother took of her when she was only two.
“I came up with the idea of the marker base, but I needed a photo to use for practice,” Olivia said. “I decided to do one of me. I thought the picture mom took was really cute. And I thought it would be easy.”
She was wrong.
“Part way through, I could see it didn’t look right,” Olivia noted. “Because I didn’t do the whole first layer with the marker, the chalk made it look like I had veins in my face. That wasn’t the look I was going for. I figured out chalk doesn’t like to get wet.”
But as Olivia kept working and practicing, the results began to improve. In fact, they improved a great deal.
“I started out doing this for fun,” she said. “It was before I even found out about the Congressional contest.”
She did enter the work in both the Effingham Children’s Art Guild and the Teutopolis High School Art Show. Her drawing got Best of Show in both contests. So, she decided to enter it in the Congressional contest as well.
The 12th Congressional Art Show is held every year. It is open to any high school student in the district. Just one entry per student is allowed. The deadline to enter was April 26 and the winners were announced during a ceremony in Mt. Vernon on May 10.
Michael Bost, the U.S. Representative for the 12th Congressional District in Illinois, hosted the event.
The top five pieces of art were recognized, but every participant received a certificate. Olivia’s drawing will be placed in the Cannon Tunnel, which connects the Cannon House Office Building (the oldest Congressional building in D.C.) to the Capitol. The tunnel is lined with artwork from the annual Congressional Art Competitions held all across the country.
“I thought the drawing turned out very well,” Olivia admitted. “I love how many different varieties of skin tones you can get by mixing the chalk and marker. The skin tone looks realistic. The mixed blends are much better.”
The art work selected in second place will also be displayed somewhere in Washington, D.C. The third, fourth and fifth place pieces will be on display in district offices.
For placing first, Olivia won two tickets to fly to Washington, D.C., to view her drawing in the tunnel. Olivia and Jill are planning to leave on June 25. An awards ceremony is planned for June 27 at the Capitol Building. Olivia and her mother will also get a private tour of the Capitol Building.
They also plan to do some sightseeing.
Olivia is a self-taught artist.
“I got my love of art from my mom,” she said.
Olivia takes art classes at THS and has enjoyed learning from her teacher, Emily Petty.
“I’m Miss Petty’s first student to be entered in the Congressional Art Show,” Olivia explained. “But I think she’s now planning to do this with other students in years to come.”
After graduating from THS, Olivia plans to go to college and study either sports management or business management. She also plans to take some art classes.
“I think I’ll always be involved with art in some way,” Olivia said. “I do have some natural talent and I enjoy getting so many compliments.
“I also love how flexible art can be,” she added. “I can work on it when my schedule allows and I have time. I have fun with it. It’s a stress reliever. Plus, I’m willing to try new things and they usually turn out okay.”

07/01/2024

Ciara Hankins -- part of national championship shooting team
By Steve Raymond
The News Report
Why was Ciara Hankins smiling?
She had just finished competing in her first trap shooting contest as a freshman in high school.
The goal? 25 out of 25.
Her result? 4 out of 25.
But her smile stretched from ear to ear.
“I loved it and that’s all that mattered,” Ciara recalled. “And, eventually, I got a lot better.”
That is for certain.
Now, some six years later, she is part of a national championship shooting squad at Lindenwood University.
“I’ve improved a ton. My scores reflect that,” Ciara noted. “And I still love to shoot.”
Ciara is the 20-year-old daughter of Chad and Christy Hankins. She was born and raised in Altamont and graduated from high school there in 2022. She is the oldest of five kids and is currently a junior at LU, majoring in business administration with a minor in marketing.
She first started shooting a gun when she was only 5.
“I grew up shooting at my grandparents’ home or in my backyard,” Ciara recalled. “I started out with a .22 rifle.
“My whole family likes to shoot,” she added. “We all hunted just about everything. Deer and duck are probably my favorites.”
When Ciara was in fifth grade, she remembers a picture of her shooting a 12-gauge shotgun was posted on social media. That elicited this reply – “You’re a girl. You can’t shoot a 12-gauge.”
Ciara admits she has never forgotten that. And, obviously, has proven that response wrong.
“My dad really helped me. We’ve always worked together,” she explained. “He was also my coach for a while.
“I think I’m a better shot than him now, but he’ll probably disagree,” Ciara added, followed by a laugh.
For several years, Ciara just shot for fun. But when she joined the shooting team in high school, she got involved in competition. She enjoyed a successful high school career and finished 10th at state in s***t her senior year.
After graduation, she considered not going to college.
“I wanted to go to cosmetology school,” Ciara admitted.
But then she discovered Lindenwood University had a shooting program and contacted the head coach, Michael Elam.
“I went through the recruitment process,” Ciara noted. “The coach wanted to know about my accomplishments and why I was interested in joining the team.”
When it was over, the coach extended an offer to Ciara and even provided some scholarship assistance.
Cosmetology school would have to wait.
Ciara competes in trap, s***t and sporting clays at Lindenwood.
The goal of trap shooting is to hit clay targets that are traveling away from the shooter. These targets are shot in the air at varying angles, using an oscillating machine known as a "house" or "bunker." In this discipline, the shooters know the target's point of origin, but don't know the target's angle.
Trap shooters shoot five shots from five different points on a semi-circular field, at a distance of 16 to 27 yards. Shooters fire a total of 25 shots per round.
In s***t shooting, the goal is to hit two clay targets that are crossing one another. Two target machines are placed 40 meters apart, one at 10 feet high (known as the high house) and one at 3.5 feet high (known as the low house). Shooters aim from seven positions on a semi-circular field, generally 25 yards in distance, with each shooter firing a total of 25 rounds.
In addition to trap and s***t, sporting clays is a third shotgun shooting discipline. The target’s sp*ed, angle and distance vary with each station.
To be competitive in the college girls’ division, scores of 97 to 100 (out of 100) is required in s***t and trap; 85 or higher in sporting clays.
Ciara averages between 95 and 98 in trap; 87 to 93 in s***t; and anywhere from 65 to 80 in sporting clays.
She uses two different shotguns in competition – a Browning BT99, 12-gauge, with an over and under single barrel for trap; and a Browning Citori CX, 12-gauge, with an over and under double barrel for s***t and sporting clays.
“I’m better at trap, but I prefer s***t,” Ciara said. “I’m confident in what I can do. I just need to keep practicing so I can improve.”
The team practices every Tuesday and Thursday from August to the end of March. Team members will shoot 200 rounds per week.
“I go out on other days, too, so I can get in more practice,” Ciara said. “A lot of the other kids do, too. We all want to get better.”
Lindenwood is no stranger to the winner’s circle. It features one of the top shooting programs in the country. This year’s national title was its 17th.
The Collegiate Clay Target Championships, ran by the Association of College Unions International, were held March 17-24 at the National Shooting Complex in San Antonio, Texas. Teams from all across the U.S., plus squads from Jamaica and South Africa, qualified to compete.
Ciara competed in three Division I events. She finished with scores of 92 in trap, 89 in s***t and 69 in sporting clays. All the individual scores went toward determining the overall team champion.
For the first time ever, it came down to a shootout between Lindenwood and Texas A&M.
“When it was over, we stormed the field,” Ciara recalled. “We were hugging and crying. Some of the parents had brought confetti. This team has a strong bond. We all came together at nationals. Being a national champion is a great feeling.”
Ciara plans to be on the team her final two years at Lindenwood. And she has set some lofty goals.
“I want to hit 100 straight in trap. I’ve never done that. My personal best is 98,” she noted. “I want to consistently average at least 95 in s***t and I want to be more comfortable with sporting clays.
“My trap is almost there,” she added. “I just need to practice shooting over and over. I need to be consistent in how I shoulder the gun and the way I pull the trigger. I also need to work on staying calm while I’m shooting. All these things make a difference.”
Ciara isn’t positive about what her future will be following college. A career in marketing or even cosmetology are both possibilities.
But one thing is for certain.
“I always see myself shooting,” she said. “I won’t ever stop doing that.”

06/13/2024

Bob and Nancy Bu**er grateful for all the help following their fire
By Steve Raymond
The News Report
It was just a little more than two weeks after a fire destroyed their home and virtually all of their possessions.
Gone were family photos and heirlooms, the type of things missed most. The things attached to memories.
Instead of sleeping in their own bed, their temporary housing situation is a motel room at the LaQuinta Inn & Suites in Effingham.
Rather than sitting down for a hot meal around their kitchen table each evening, they are now using vouchers to eat at local restaurants.
Their daily, normal routine is now anything but that.
To say their life went topsy-turvy in what seemed like a moment’s notice is a grave understatement.
So, it’s understandable why Bob and Nancy Bu**er would get emotional when talking about it.
But to this reporter’s surprise, those emotions weren’t stirred because of the fire.
Tears welled in their eyes and their voices became clearly shaky when they talked about “the goodness of people.”
“Stuff is just stuff,” Bob said. “It was the response that caught us off-guard. Family, friends, neighbors, some people we didn’t even know were so willing to help. That’s what shakes us up the most. People are just so good.”
April 19 was a bit of a chilly day. Bob, along with his son Bobby, and good friend and neighbor Sam Haarman, had been working outside.
“I could feel some of that cool air in my chest, so I decided to go inside and use the nebulizer,” Bob recalled. “Nancy was inside, too. Since it was a little nippy, we decided to start a fire in the fireplace.”
In about 10 minutes, Nancy noticed some smoke and alerted Bob.
“The smoke was between the wall and the ceiling,” Bob noted. “At first, I thought there was a problem with the fireplace, but I checked the damper, and it was open. I knew that smoke was a problem and I told Nancy to call 9-1-1.”
Bob immediately ran to get his billfold, plus Nancy’s purse and a coat for his wife, who is in a wheelchair. She broke her right leg last July and it has recently developed an infection. In fact, she was scheduled to have surgery in St. Louis on May 10.
“I got her outside,” he said. “I wanted to make sure she was safe.”
He then ran back inside the house.
“I thought I would close some doors, thinking maybe the fire would be contained to just one room,” Bob added. “But the fire was spreading quickly. By the time I got back out, I was gagging on smoke.”
Bob and Nancy live approximately 2½ miles southwest of Funkhouser. It was a three-bedroom ranch-style home that included 1½ baths, plus a living room, dining room and kitchen, with a drive-in basement underneath the house.
Two cars – a 1962 Imperial convertible and a 1951 Kaiser – were in that basement.
“I decided I’d try to get at least one of the cars out,” he said. “I got in the Imperial and hit the garage door opener. Thankfully, it still worked. Just as I was backing that car out, the ceiling lights came down.”
Somehow, the Kaiser also survived.
“They must have dumped enough water on it to save it,” Bob explained. “I was surprised it wasn’t hurt.”
By this time, his buddy Sam had also arrived. They tried to get the acetylene tanks – and anything else that could explode – out of the basement.
“It would have been a lot smarter to just cut the hoses and get out,” Bob admitted. “But I removed the regulators with a wrench instead of cutting those hoses. There was so much happening, I wasn’t thinking straight.”
Seven fire departments – Effingham, Watson, Teutopolis, Montrose, Edgewood, Altamont and Shumway – responded to the fire.
“There was a rumor they didn’t get there for an hour,” Bob said. “That disappointed us greatly because that rumor was absolutely wrong. The fire departments responded quickly and worked hard to save our house. We appreciated their efforts very much.”
Friends and neighbors also started pouring in, offering to help. Red Cross arrived and provided vouchers for food, clothing and temporary housing. Lincare heard about the fire and delivered a nebulizer and oxygen generator for Bob. Enduring Freedom Ministries and Catholic Charities also reached out to help.
Nancy, who is also on dialysis, called her nurse at Davita Dialysis and told her what was happening.
“Nurse Laura put together an emergency kit so I would have enough medicine to get through the weekend,” Nancy recalled. “She even stayed with me for a couple hours during the fire.”
“Everybody, without exception, wanted to help in any way they could,” Bob added. “There was such an outpouring of help. I couldn’t begin to list everybody that came forward and wanted to help in some way. Remember ‘It’s A Wonderful Life?’ My son said we were living our version of that movie.”
Bob, 75, and Nancy, 78, moved to Effingham in 1975. They have two children – Bobby, who lives right next to his parents, and Crystal Robbins, who lives in Shumway.
Bob was a former transportation director for Effingham Unit 40 School District and a former safety and maintenance manager for CEFS Head Start and Public Transit. Nancy was a school bus driver for Unit 40. For the past 10 years, they traveled together through the state of Illinois providing classroom safety training for public transit drivers.
Their kids and spouses, grandkids and even several cousins have helped them with the cleaning up process.
“My son has some excavating equipment, so he was able to pretty well demolish what was standing,” Bob explained. “In the area where we live, our neighbors are like family, too. They showed up to help, as well. It took about a day-and-a-half to get it all done. Three grandsons from Ohio even came back to help.”
They have been sifting through the debris at the house. All the recent rains have only made the process muddier and messier.
“For insurance purposes, we’re trying to find and identify anything we can,” Bob said. “We’ve been working out at the house almost every day. It’s all down to the floor level, but it’s a nasty mess going through all that.”
He did share one humorous story with this reporter.
“We had an old antique chamber pot, which I guess was destroyed, too. I told my son we didn’t even have a pot to p*e in,” Bob noted, followed by a chuckle.
Bob and Nancy hope to rebuild. As of right now, the cause of the fire has not been determined, so they are waiting on that report, plus they’re working with the insurance company.
“We’re not sure just yet how all that will end up,” Bob said. “But we definitely want to rebuild in some fashion. And, hopefully, within the next year.”
Many believe the best in people comes shining through during the worst of times.
Bob and Nancy have seen that firsthand. And it has helped them get through this difficult situation.
“We weren’t hurt,” Bob noted. “We have some issues we’re dealing with, but we’ve been blessed through the years. So, we really shouldn’t complain now.
“Saying thank you just doesn’t seem like enough to let everyone know how much all their support is appreciated,” Bob added. “We have seen the goodness of people all around us. And we’ll never forget it.”

06/08/2024

Sister Carol retiring after 17 years at Catholic Charities
By Steve Raymond
The News Report
Sister Carol Beckerman knew from an early age what she was going to do with her life.
It started to take shape during her years at a Catholic grade school in St. Louis. Her teachers at that time were the Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
“I felt drawn to the Franciscan sisters,” she recalled. “When they were on the playground, they were playing with the kids. If you rang their doorbell, they would always come out and talk to you. They developed personal relationships and were very much in touch with the people they dealt with.
“That had an impact on me,” she added. “I stayed in contact with those Sisters, even when I was in high school. By the time I finished high school, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a Sister, serve God and be a teacher. Nothing else.”
And that path never wavered.
Today, more than 55 years later, Sister Carol is still a dedicated and faithful Sister in the Franciscan Order. She has served the last 17 years as the Area Director for Effingham Catholic Charities.
But that service came to an end on May 15. She is now officially retired and has moved back to St. Louis.
Her smile and personality, her willingness to help others and her ability to forge personal relationships – traits she learned those many years ago – will not be forgotten.
“It’s been a good 17 years,” Sister Carol admitted. “I have found this community to be very open and receptive to new things. This community is always looking for ways to better itself and it’s such a friendly place. I will miss it and the many friends I’ve made here.”
Sister Carol was born and raised in St. Louis. She has one sister, Linda Flynn, who is married and lives in Edwardsville. She has three kids.
Any guesses as to what young Carol’s favorite hobby was? Other than being a dedicated St. Louis Cardinals fan, that is?
Magic.
“My dad and I used to do magic tricks together,” Sister Carol recalled. “My favorite was the cups and balls trick.”
You know the one. There are three cups – or containers – with a ball under each one. But when you lift the cup, sometimes the little ball has vanished; while other times there are multiple balls under one cup.
“They are able to jump from cup to cup magically,” Sister Carol said with a bit of a sheepish grin on her face. “I don’t do much magic anymore, but I’ve always loved it.”
She attended St. Francis Xavier High School, graduating from there in 1964. She then attended Marillac College in St. Louis, Christian Brothers College in Memphis, Tennessee, the University of Missouri-St. Louis and the University of St. Thomas in Memphis, TN.
She became a Franciscan Sister and a teacher. For several years, she taught junior high history.
“I had Sisters for teachers all the way through high school,” Sister Carol noted. “In high school, the Sisters were nice, but they didn’t have the same relationships as the Sisters in grade school. They weren’t Franciscan Sisters. They were good educators, but the rapport was not the same with the kids. I knew being a Franciscan Sister is what I wanted.”
Sister Carol has served in several locations. Her first assignment was in Trinidad, Colorado.
“We were still wearing long habits back then, but I never let that keep me from doing what I wanted to do,” she recalled. “I rode horses, climbed mountains and played baseball with the kids. And I did all that wearing a long habit.”
After three years in Colorado, she was assigned to Bastrop, Louisiana. That was in the early 1970s, a time of racial unrest. She actually encountered the Ku Klux Klan (K*K) during that time.
“That was an eye-opening experience,” Sister Carol admitted. “One of the schools there taught black children and there was a cross burned in front of that school. The Klan was also present in their white outfits in the city parades.”
She also served in Merrillville, Indiana; Omaha, Nebraska; and Green Springs, Ohio. She was then elected to leadership and returned to the St. Louis area, where she spent 12 years.
“I oversaw the financial and mission part of the community,” Sister Carol explained. “I interacted with the Bishop, as well as other religious communities and their leadership.”
She then took a one-year sabbatical before coming to Effingham in 2007.
“I actually chose this assignment,” Sister Carol said. “I had heard about Sister Brenda leaving. I knew there was a strong Catholic presence here and I knew they were looking for a woman religious.”
She jumped right in, got busy and started making Effingham her home.
“From the very beginning, people were so willing to help, and not just because I was a woman religious,” Sister Carol said. “That’s just the kind of people that are here. And we had so many volunteers that were willing to give of their time and a willingness to help people. That’s not always easy to find.”
Catholic Charities serves a seven-county area – Effingham, Fayette, Crawford, Clark, Shelby, Jasper and Cumberland.
It helps provide rent, utilities, transient transportation, temporary lodging, low-cost clothing and household items (providing clothing and household vouchers for those who can’t afford these items), food, medication assistance, tax preparation assistance and school supplies.
“We provide opportunities for people to get the help they need,” Sister Carol explained. “We want them to have the basic necessities of life.”
She also noted there was a perception about some of this that is not accurate.
“Some think people come to Catholic Charities just to take advantage,” Sister Carol said. “That’s not what we have found at all. People come here, not because they want to. For many, it’s because something has happened in their life – the economy, the workforce or an illness.
“Nobody really wants to walk through those doors,” Sister Carol added. “But when it comes to their families, they swallow their pride and come because they need to. It’s not to take advantage or because they’re lazy. They come to Catholic Charities because of a true need.”
Catholic Charities also has Second Hand Rose, which has good clothing and household items; the Ramblin’ Rose bus, which provides school supplies and clothing; and a mobile food panty that goes to various areas.
Funding for the organization is raised through grants, fundraisers and donations. United Way and local churches have also been good supporters of Catholic Charities.
“The generosity here is off the charts,” Sister Carol said. “The financial support we receive and the number of volunteers that help is tremendous. Of all the Catholic Charities, we probably have the most volunteers right here.”
The organization is in the midst of a three-year Capital Campaign. The goal is to raise funds for a new HVAC system, to enlarge the food pantry and put in a new parking lot.
“The HVAC system has been purchased and installed and the pantry expansion is in progress. Converting the parking lot from asphalt to concrete will be the final phase,” Sister Carol noted. “The contractors and businesses have been extremely generous with their labor and materials.”
Yes, there have been many accomplishments during her 17 years.
“I do leave with a sense of pride,” she said. “But it hasn’t been just me. It’s the people and staff that work at Catholic Charities. It’s our Advisory Board and the community. It’s all those people that make Catholic Charities what it is. There’s no way I could have done any of this without those folks.”
Maria Kingery, a lay person, has been hired as the new area director. And Sister Carol couldn’t be more pleased.
“She was my administrative assistant,” Sister Carol noted. “She’s smart and she’s savvy. She’s got connections and a great rapport with people. She knows the community and the community knows her. I feel great about this. Catholic Charities is in good hands.”
Sister Carol has now moved into an apartment complex in St. Louis. She said other Sisters live there, as well. She doesn’t know exactly what the future holds for her.
“For right now, I’m going to do nothing and relax,” she admitted. “But I will find something to volunteer for. I might work for a social service or a food pantry. I’m not sure what I’ll do, but I’ll find volunteer work to stay busy.”
And how about her magic?
“Now that I’m retired, I could work on my magic,” Sister Carol said, followed by a laugh. “I wonder if I can still do the cups and balls trick? I’ll certainly have time to practice now.”

Address

1901 S 4th Street, Ste 223
Effingham, IL
62401

Telephone

+12173425583

Website

http://www.etnewsreport.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Effingham Teutopolis News Report posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.