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Sauk Valley Media • September 27, 2019
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JOSHUA
WEBER OF E BEAUTY THAT’S TH R SO E T N U O C WE EN ATIONS OUR JOB. U AND SIT S IC M A N WHAT TO MANY DY N’T KNOW O D RE U O Y THAT GO IN THE YOU JUST O S , T C EXPE LP. ... AND HE a Weber Sgt. Joshu
TABITHA
JUSTICE NOT EVERY DAY DO YOU GET TO WATCH A WOMAN BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS AND GIVE BIRTH ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. Officer Tabitha Justice
ALEJANDRO
RIVERA YOU NEVER REALLY EXPECT THAT YOU’RE GOING TO BE THE ONE TO RESPOND AND GO OUT THERE WITHIN MINUTES HEL PING SOMEONE GIVE BIRTH. Officer Alejandor Rivera
Talk about being on the edge of your seat; that’s where a mom-to-be was when Sterling police officers pulled over by the side of the road and helped her bring a bouncing baby boy into the world
STERLING – When silence rules the night, the sound of an interruption is quick to stand out. No matter what that interruption is, officers must be prepared to go from “zero to 100” to be on top of it, Sterling police Sgt. Joshua Weber said. “That’s the beauty and the hardship of our job: You always have to be BY CODY CUTTER ready,” he said. “You can ccutter@saukvalley.com go from sheer boredom 815-625-3600, ext. 5552 to sheer terror all in the @CodyCutter35 snap of a finger.” It was just past 2 a.m. on July 23 and Officer Tabatha Justice, who was filling in for a fellow officer, was near the end of a patrol when she heard a call come in over her radio. The tone was a little different that usual. Danielle Olalde was in labor and within moments of delivering her third child. Hey boyfriend, Joshua Pineda, was driving her to KSB Hospital in Dixon when he called 911 to tell police they were going to be speeding east, to get the baby delivered safely in a hospital. Dispatchers Toshia Paarman and Katie Pilgrim persuaded the couple to pull over, and they stopped near Walmart on state Route 2. Justice and Weber quickly arrived on scene. “I just remember the urgency of [Pilgrim’s] voice, knowing that when she got on the microphone to dispatch me that something was seriously going on,” Justice said. The officers slipped on some gloves, grabbed flashlights and a blanket, and helped a screaming Olalde get comfortable on the edge of her seat.
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• September 27, 2019
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It didn’t take much time before her baby boy enter the world safely – mayb ed e 4 or 5 minutes – but it felt like 40 or 50, Weber said. Alejandro Rivera, one of the newest members of the force, rushed in from the west end of town to assist. He calmed dad down and coordinated the arrival of medical pe fellow officers helped wi rsonnel while his th the delivery. “It’s one of those things you hear about,” Rivera said. “You never really expect that you’re going to be the one to respond and go out there within minutes helping someo ne give birth and be a pa rt of that experience.” News of the special delivery spread quick ly, and people throughout the country soon learned ab the officers’ actions, wh out it, and ich many saw as heroic. “You don’t ever go to wo rk thinking that, because our job is a thankless job sometimes ,” Justice said. “We go to work, we do the job that we need to do, and co Still, the fact that Dominic me home.” 2-month-old baby, share Joshua Pineda, now a healthy s Weber’s name is a highli ght of his 7-year career. “Any police officer would ha thing,” he said. “Any perso ve done the exact same n would have done the exact same thing. “If someone calls you for help, you’re going to go and help them.”
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Sauk Valley Media • September 27, 2019
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SHARONWALLACE&EARLMARTIN DGE NEVER JU COVER. Y ITS A BOOK B llace (pictured) a Sharon W TO TRY T S E B R U DO YO OTHERS. P L E H D N A artin Earl M
to their rescue
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The small, ragtag group of GRAB A LIFELINE do-gooders who started Lifeline The Lifeline Food Self-Help project, 203 N. Third St., now is an operation 53 people Suite 6 in Conover Square, strong who provide groceries to those is open from 9:30 a.m. to in need and run a thrift store stocked noon Tuesday for food and with new or gently used clothing in clothing; 1 to 4 p.m. ThursOregon’s Conover Square. day for clothing only; 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Friday for food Co-president Earl Martin, 72, of and clothing; and 10:30 Mount Morris, made his way to Lifea.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday line a couple of months after it was for clothing only. Food assisstarted. Now he and Wallace are its tance is for Oregon residents longest-serving members, and they only; no exceptions. Call 815-564-8234 for more pride themselves on being members of information. group that just wants to help people. Wallace always had a desire to help people, but for Martin, the urge came a little later in life, after his home caught fire in 1980 and “the community of Mount Morris rallied behind us.” Volunteerism is what makes a community, and for anyone who’s questioning whether to commit themselves to volunteer work, the pair has some advice. “Try it. You might like it.” And of course, if anyone’s interested in joining their effort, there’s always room for more, Wallace said. “We don’t bite people, we love people.”
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• September 27, 2019
OREGON – It takes a special kind Sometimes, it’s hard to of person to plunge into a new keep your head above venture with their only aim wanting to help people regain their footing in life. water, whether it’s Lifeline was established with just that because of a disaster mission in mind: to help feed and clothe those who’ve been displaced from their or a run of bad luck. homes because of a disaster like a fire, or who might just be down on their luck That’s when an Oregon and can’t afford basic necessities. group steps in, offering Theirs is a judgment-free zone, Co-president Sharon Wallace said. people a lifeline She wants her clients to feel welcome, when they without worrying about BY LINDSEY SALVATEL whether they’d be “preached LI Lsalvatelli@saukvalley. need it com to” if they were to come to 815-625-3600, ext. 55 76 Lifeline for help. the most @tellijournalism
Earl Martin
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EVERYDAY HEROES | Sauk Valley Media
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“It’s not a religious organization. We don’t want it to be that way,” said Wallace, of Mount Morris, who has been a part of the nonprofit since it still was in the discussion phase, during the winter of 1982. It began with a question: Is there a need for a food pantry in the area? Considering Lifeline has lasted 37 years, it’s easy to see the answer was yes.
Sauk Valley Media • September 27, 2019
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DEBPROCTOR I THINK PEOPLE RE NEED TO BE TAKEN CA HURTOF. PEOPLE WHO ARE MBERED. ING NEED TO BE REME HAND UP EVERYBODY NEEDS A ONCE IN A WHILE. Deb Proctor
BY LINDSEY SALVATEL LI Lsalvatelli@saukvalley. com 815-625-3600, ext. 55 76 @tellijournalism
STERLING — Deb Proctor believes in helping others. In her case, that means helping them help their pets. Now in its eighth year, the Amos Fund that Proctor established to help those in need pay veterinarian bills has raised more than $30,000. In 2008, when Proctor’s cockapoo, Amos, needed medication to manage an enlarged heart, the real estate agent was dealing with a major recession in the housing market, and was barely getting by. After Amos died in spring 2011, Proctor was looking at her vet bills when she realized her vet was forgiving some of her charges. “She knew I didn’t have any money, and they were cutting me breaks wherever they could,” Proctor said. By the end of that summer, the Amos Fund was established. For a person who sees a pet as a part of the family, it’s crushing to have to decide to euthanize because there isn’t enough money to pay for its needed, oftentimes unexpected, care. “It happens,” Proctor said. “The dog gets hit and the washing machine breaks down at the same time.”
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• September 27, 2019
Sometimes, people need a helping hand, but what happens when their pet needs a helping paw? That’s where the Amos Fund steps in, giving people the help they need to pay vet bills, and avoid having to make a life-or-death decision
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“Our goal is to help people obtain healthcare for seriously ill pets. Everybody’s who’s ever had a vet bill knows how high they can be. This is a way to help [vets] help other people.” The Amos Fund now has accounts at veterinarian clinWANT TO HELP? ics in Polo, Oregon, ProphetWant to Help? stown, Morrison and Dixon. Go to theamosfund.org The neat thing about her to donate and for more fund, Proctor, 67, said, is how information. clinics have begun to hold You also can find The their own fundraising events Amos Fund on Facebook over the past couple of years. or call 815-213-0164 “We help a lot of senior citifor more information. zens,” she said. The money comes from donations and also from annual events such as Amos Fund’s September mums sales, and from an annual sale of donated house and yard plants, which sometimes take up as much time as a part-time job. Proctor was no stranger to volunteerism and helping others when she decided to establish the Amos Fund. She’s earned a degree in theology and has given her time to church over the years. She spent 2 years assisting Pennsylvania parents who gained employment receive childcare assistance, she’s collected food for local food pantries, and she’s volunteered as a master gardener for the University of Illinois Extension Service. “It’s just a combination of teaching and service that’s in my background,” Proctor said. “I think people need to be taken care of. People who are hurting need to be remembered. Everybody needs a hand up once in a while.”
Sauk Valley Media • September 27, 2019
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OTTODICK IF YOU SIT A ROUND AT 83 AND DEC IDE IT’S OVER, IT’S OV ER. [BEING ACTIVE] GIVES A SENSE OF PERSONAL SA TISFACTION AND A SENSE OF BE LONGING. Otto Dick
in the
making
“I grew up wanting to work,” he said. “I didn’t like school. The only thing I liked was shop and athletics. That was my sanity outlet, knowing that I was very poor in school and didn’t like it at all.” As a boy, the classroom was the last place he’d thought he’d wind up as an adult, but when Oregon High School needed a shop teacher in the early 1970s, though, he stepped into the role. Teaching turned out to be a good career for Dick. He later moved to Woodrow Wilson Junior High in Rockford for a year before he spent the remainder of his quarter-century teaching career at Dixon High School.
• September 27, 2019
OREGON – As a young man in the 1950s, Otto Dick kept himself busy. He delivered papers, stocked shelves at a bookstore, mowed yards, and worked as a theater usher, all while a student at Oregon High School Today, he’s still busy, but he’s using his mind more than his muscles, digging into the past and unearthing hometown history. Dick, 83, of Oregon is curator of the historic Oregon Depot Museum, which served the then-Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad; president of Oregon’s oldest burial ground, Riverside Cemetery; and writes a weekly history column for Shaw Media’s Oregon Republican Reporter.
There’s little chance of history retreating from people’s minds in Oregon, because Otto Dick is there to head it off at the past. As a one-man historical preservation society, he’s keeping history front and center, where he hopes it will stay for BY CODY CUTTER generations ccutter@saukvalley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 55 52 to come @CodyCutter35
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The current project keeping Dick busy is about Illinois’ governors. Two of them, Thomas Ford from 1842 to 1846 and Frank Lowden from 1917 to 1921, lived in Oregon prior to taking office. Dick hopes their stories, which take place in familiar surroundings, can be influential to Oregon’s youth. “It’s very interesting with the people that come in and have their own stories,” he said. “The people before me made it what it is today.”
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Eventually he left the education field, but the desire to educate didn’t leave him. Today, he teaches people of all walks of life about Oregon’s railroad history at the depot, 401 Collins St., every Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. “Life is what you were born with, your inheritance and your daily experiences,” he said. “That’s what life is all about. When you look back on your life and see who influenced you, and what influenced you, it’s kind of interesting. I never thought about being a teacher.” Even after he graduated, Dick continued to mow lawns, and one day met a young man who was curious about the people buried at Riverside Cemetery. Dick’s role as the cemetery’s president meant keeping the place neat, but didn’t include knowing who everyone was at the cemetery, where there hasn’t been a burial in nearly 50 years. Dick has written recently for the Republican Reporter about local artist Harry Nurmet and his journey from his native Estonia to providing numerous murals throughout Oregon; and Thomas Goings, a turn-of-the-century businessman whose father was a slave in the pre-Civil War South.
Sauk Valley Media • September 27, 2019
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TINAWREN E IF I FEEL LIK OUR STED IN Y E V N I E ’R YOU BE TY YOU’LL COMMUNI IFE. IN YOUR L INVESTED Tina Wren
nvestment
BY LINDSEY SA LVATELLI Lsalvatelli@saukva lley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5576 @tellijournalism
Community Service is near and dear to Tina Wren’s heart, and it has been since she first came to Sterling as a child. Today, she’s still helping her community by fighting for education, information, and justice for all.
Wren said she knew from a young age that she wanted to help others. When she went away to college at University of Aurora, she joined the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority because of its emphasis on volunteerism. “In Aurora, I did some election judge things while I was in college. I did some collecting of canned goods, cleaning up parks, things like that,” Wren said. “If the need is there, I’m more than willing to help with that.” She’s also donated countless hours to helping others through her church, Macedonia Baptist Church in Sterling. “From college and beyond, it’s always been community service,” she said. Now, following her initial career goal of becoming a social worker, she works for Department of Children and Family Services, checking in on home day care facilities. “I’ve seen people at their worst, I’ve seen them at their best, and I’ve seen them in transition,” Wren said. Regardless of where someone is in life, Wren is there to help. “Sometimes if we hold what’s dear to us in our heart, no one will ever see it. If we take it out and show others, somebody else will be inspired. Somebody else will recognize us and maybe even acknowledge us on a different level.”
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Today, as the president of Diversity Committee of the Sauk Valley, Wren is hoping she can leave that same sort of impression on people, and inspire them to be the best version of themselves. Wren said the group is the result of several community programs coming under one umbrella, and its mission is to inform and educate the community while seeking justice for all. “I feel like if you’re invested in your community you’ll be invested in your life,” Wren said. As part of its mission, the committee has held several programs to not only educate people – the Dr. Martin Luther King celebration service, the Black History Month Gala, and the annual Juneteenth celebration – but also to enrich them, through events such as the Black History Month art exhibit, a year-long traveling art exhibit that displayed community members’ artwork at different locations throughout the Sauk Valley.
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• September 27, 2019
STERLING – The Sauk Valley has given a lot to Tina Wren, starting when she was a child. It’s given her friends, a place to call home, and it gave her the inspiration to be part of something bigger. Today, Wren, 41, is giving something back to her community. When she turned 11, her family moved to Sterling from Chicago, a move that wasn’t without its challenges at first. “For me, being new to the Sterling/Sauk Valley area, there was a lot of assistance that kind of helped my family get where we needed to be to be stable,” she said. The support she and her family got left an impression on Wren, and she never forgot it. “From there I thought ‘I want to give back for so many people helping us,’” she said.
The Diversity Committee of the Sauk Valley meets at 5:30 p.m. the second Thursday of each month at the First Congregational Church of Sterling, also known as the Big Red Church, 311 Second Ave. Find Diversity Committee of the Sauk Valley on Facebook for more information. Among the 2020 events it’s scheduled so far ... Martin Luther King Celebration Service – Sunday, Jan. 19 Black History Month Gala – Feb. 29 at the Brandywine Inn in Dixon Womens Brunch – March 14. Location to be announced Juneteenth – June 20. Location to be announced.
in life
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REVOLUTION IS ONARY AND REALLY EVOLUTI . E TO BE ARMED YOU DON’T HAV G IN BE EVERLAST REFORM SHOULD ST A STOPGAP CHANGE, NOT JU . FOR BAD POLICY AJ Segneri
A JSEGNERI
evolution
The fight for marriage equality took him to Clinton in 2006. Three years later, the Iowa Supreme Court overturned a decade-long ban on gay marriage, and Iowa became the third state to allow same-sex couples to marry.
For AJ Segneri, one fight sparked another – a fight for what’s right: equality for all and repression for none. Now, he’s harnessing the energy of engaging others to make a difference, and to be living proof that with great POWER comes great responsibility: to make the world a better place
STERLING – AJ Segneri clearly remembers the day that opened his eyes to a vision for the rest of his life. One day when Segneri, of Sterling, was a high school freshman, he heard a commotion at the front of Sterling High. A truck pulled up and a fight broke out between black and white students. The scene was ugly – the students were throwing bricks at each other while hurling racial slurs. “I thought about Martin Luther King Jr. at that moment,” Segneri said. “Everyone was supposed to be equal, but racial violence was still happening. There were arrests that day, but no other form of punishment.” From that day forward, Segneri, 38, continued to ask whether racism still exists, and sadly the answer is still “yes.” That day sparked a flame in him that has spread – it now has him fighting many other forms of social injustice on a grassroots level. In 2001-02, Segneri’s focus broadened to LGBTQ+ issues, and with friends, they started a support network called P.R.I.D.E. (Promoting Respect, Individuality and Diversity) at Sauk Valley Community College. The organization, which still exists at Sauk, is a coalition for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students, and faculty and staff, as well as straight allies. Segneri got involved with the Rock River Peace and Justice Group, and as he found more causes to fight for, he allied himself with the Peace and Justice Network, the National Alliance Against Racism and Repression, the Occupy movement, women’s rights and environmental groups. For nearly 20 years, Segneri has been a political strategist on social justice. He firmly believes that change starts locally and then moves up, but coalitions form and that can make for a nomadic lifestyle. “My work has led me to move a lot – I’ve lived in Chicago, Milwaukee, Springfield and Clinton, Iowa,” Segneri said.
Segneri believes that economic justice is the answer to solving many other inequities in the world. “We can’t talk about Black Lives Matter without also discussing minimum wage, housing and environmental issues,” Segneri said. Segneri would like to see people embrace the word “revolution” rather than fear it. “Revolution is really evolutionary and you don’t have to be armed,” Segneri said. “Reform should be everlasting change, not just a stopgap for bad policy.” As for his future goals, Segneri hopes to finish work on a master’s degree in social work and apply that professional element to his work through Power and Youth Outlook.
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• September 27, 2019
Segneri left Chicago and returned home 5 years ago. In 2012, he and friends started the engine that currently fuels his battles on several fronts – People Organizing to Win and Engage for Reform. “People tend to work with a silo mentality and then they aren’t working together,” Segneri said. “Through POWER, we’re talking to a lot of folks in the Sauk Valley and publicly addressing issues like substance abuse, immigration and residual racism.” Another of Segneri’s vehicles for change is Naperville-based Youth Outlook, the first social service agency in Illinois dedicated solely to supporting LGBTQ+ youth. Segneri’s friend, Karol Teal, has served as a program assistant since 2011, when the organization took root in the Sauk Valley. With POWER, Segneri has been heavily involved in substance abuse and mental health issues through Safe Passages, Prism of Lee County and the Whiteside County Health Partnership. “This country hasn’t paid enough attention to rural communities,” Segneri said. “We have great coalitions here, but everything happens in Sterling and Dixon – what about the people in Paw Paw and Amboy? They need accessibility to services.”
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THE REV.
CHRISTINABERRY THERE IS A NEW G OF PEOPLE PU ENERATION TTING SHO THEIR FAIT ES ON H . T HEY ARE LO FOR WAYS OKING TO C DON’T JUST ARE FOR OTHERS – TH EY WA AND SING ‘H NT TO SIT IN A PEW OW GREAT THOU ART.’ The Rev. Christina Be rry
BY PAM EGGEM EIER peggemeier@sauk valley.com 815-625-3600, ext. 5570 @pam_eggemeie r
A Sterling pastor and her small but mighty congregation of caring people is putting shoes on their faith, and they’re taking great strides toward making their community a better place to live
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Berry’s work with young people extends to Sauk Valley United, a group of teens who get together to do service projects locally. It was born of a joint vacation Bible school program between eight churches. Buddy Bags was an outgrowth of those connections. Sauk Valley United gives youth the chance to do mission work without the traveling and expense. Painting houses for those unable to do it themselves has become their signature project. They stay at Bethel Reformed Church and shower at the Duis Center throughout the duration of the project. They did five houses in their first year and six this year. “We treat it like a camp or mission trip,” Berry said. “When the work is done, we invite the families to come in and have dinner O NE T with us.” E ERYO
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Berry says her top priority is to keep working toward her long-term vision for fighting racism on the local level, particularly through the Diversity Committee. When she arrived in Sterling, her first organizational involvement came with the YWCA, which has been instrumental in antiracism efforts. Events like the Martin Luther King Jr. Peace and Justice Celebration and Juneteenth are now Diversity Committee endeavors. “Strides are being made, but much work needs to be done,” Berry says. The officer-involved fatal shooting of a black man last year in Rock Falls served as a watershed moment in the church community. “We’ve seen progress with the Diversity Committee, but after that shooting, doing nothing was no longer an option,” Berry said. “With almost all white pastors in our mainline denominations, we decided we had a lot of work to do among ourselves before we could make a difference.” The plan is to get area churches and the Diversity Committee to engage in a series of discussions. “We want to sit down together and talk about how racism is hurting us all, and not just strive toward being nonracist, but antiracist,” Berry said. In 2017, Berry received the YWCA Women of Achievement’s Crete Dillon Bowman Award for community leadership.
given to 125 local families. The local program started with a $1,500 donation from the Presbyterian Synod, but it has become a true community project. “We worked hard to find an important basic need and food insecurity has always been an ecumenical effort,” Berry said. “We started with a grant, but we’ve never run out of money, thanks to churches, businesses, clubs and civic groups.”
www.engelelectric.com
• September 27, 2019
STERLING – The Rev. Christina Berry believes there is a new wave of community servants emerging who are hungry to find social and political involvement through their church. She sees civil rights leaders re-emerging from the church, and local congregations like hers at First Presbyterian in Sterling are answering the call. “There is a new generation of people putting shoes on their faith. They are looking for ways to care for others – they don’t just want to sit in a pew and sing ‘How Great Thou Art,’” Berry said. Berry, 61, is marking her 10th anniversary at the church she calls ‘small but mighty.’ The congregation of 155 puts a premium on volunteerism and they support their pastor’s wide-ranging causes and her focus on big issues such as racism, poverty, and LGBTQ+ issues. Berry is a past president of the board of directors at YWCA of the Sauk Valley, and a member of the boards at PFLAG and the Sauk Valley Diversity Committee. She is an in-patient chaplain at Rock River Hospice and Home. She is involved in the Sterling branch of Youth Outlook, the state’s first social service agency dedicated solely to supporting LGBTQ+ youth. Berry was instrumental in starting the Buddy Bags program, now in it’s sixth year of fighting food insecurity with children on free and reduced lunches during the school year. Buddy Bags, containing two breakfasts and two lunches, are now
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JENTOMKINS&TERRIMILLER THERE NY ARE SO MA ORLD W E H T N I THINGS TROL. C CAN’T ON IS THAT YOU EASY. TH THIS ONE’S CAN FIX. ONE YOU Jen Tomkins
I COULDN’T ASK FOR A BE TTER FRIEND. Terri Miller
STERLING – When Terri Miller needed a kidney, she didn’t have far to look. Miller, 56, a health unit coordinator with CGH Medical Center’s Wound Healing Center in Sterling, was diagnosed with lupus in 2016. Her kidneys were operating at only about 15% capacity 2 years later, when she was diagnosed with stage 5 kidney disease. Dialysis took up much of her free time. Jen Tompkins, 33, the center’s clinical coordinator, thought she needed to do something to help her longtime friend. Miller now has Tompkins’ left kidney after an operation on July 25, 2018, at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. “A lot of people will say, ‘Yeah, I’ll give you a kidney, no problem,’” Miller said. “You give them the paperwork and they [sigh] and you know they won’t do it. She kept bugging me, and I thought, ‘she really does mean it.’” “I didn’t think twice,” Tompkins said. “I just thought, ‘I’ll get tested,’ and it was easy.”
Well, it wasn’t all that easy.
a 20% collapsed lung.
When Tompkins got tested in Madison on April Tompkins woke up in the middle of it all. 27, her “long day” involved 18 vials of blood; an “I heard, ‘We need a pigtail, we need a suction EKG; chest X-ray; CT of the abdomen and pelvis; setup, we need her on a breather,’” Tompkins said. psychology evaluation; nutrition, pharmacy and “I’m like, ‘Who needs a tube?’ My nurse put her social services; transplant coordinators; surgery hand on my shoulder and said, ‘Honey, it’s you.’” and nephrology. Once the kidney was removed, the surgeons had Tompkins’ husband, Jason, had his doubts, and to suture two arteries together. That lengthened it took some time for Jen to convince him that she Miller’s surgery by 4 hours. was going to go forward with it. It was all a success in the end. Miller knew this, and she even talk“When you think about it, God ed with him about it. put two kidneys in everybody, and “She told me that God you really, technically, don’t need BY CODY CUTTER told her to give me her them. There are so many people ccu tter @s aukvalley.com kidney,” Miller said. 815-625-3600, ext. 55 out there who need kidneys. “Knowing Jen, who is 52 “If every healthy person was @CodyCutter35 a very church-minded willing to donate a kidney, we person, she was going to wouldn’t need a transplant list,” do it.” Tompkins added. Miller and Tompkins work at desks about 10 feet apart. Tompkins The exchange has led to healthier lifegot the call one day from her transplant coorstyles for both women. Tompkins no longer dinator to inform her that she was a match. eats sandwich meat, and keeps a closer eye on Elated, she turned around and snuck toward her sodium intake and blood pressure. Miller Miller, who was doing paperwork. Tompkins is drinking more water and upping her protein leaned toward one of her ears. intake. “I’m a match,” she whispered. Sometimes the two will check in on the other After nearly a year of being on a waiting list, while at work. life was about to get better for Miller. “I couldn’t ask for a better friend,” Miller said. “I’m very thankful to her, listening to God “The crazy old bat is stuck with me,” Tomptelling her to give me a kidney, and to Justin, kins added. and her family for being all on board, and to Now, a part of Tompkins forever is stuck with my husband for all of the help he’s done.” Miller. The surgery turned out to not be as smooth as initially thought: Extra arteries and veins were discovered on the left kidney, plus addiOur everyday heros Excellent Therapy Team tional lymph nodes, and her are our residents! diaphragm was nicked in the Private Rooms with severing process, which led to
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• September 27, 2019
Blood brothers got nothing on Terri Miller and Jen Tompkins. The two friends for life are kidney sisters.
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friend in need ... A friend indeed
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Sauk Valley Media • September 27, 2019
| EVERYDAY HEROES
18 EVERYDAY
I PUT AND SOUL MY HEART NK AND I THI , B O J S I H INTO T ET JUMP THAT TO G D E D E E N N’T IT NOW, I DO . D E T R A T G S EVER GOIN ’S T I F I W KNO DOWN. TO SLOW Duane Long
DUANELONG
The success of those projects came from lisDIXON – Duane Long’s main goals after he became executive director of the Dixon Park tening to what community members wanted, District last year was to get people back in the he said. Although the district has tackled several projects and parks and to focus on the youth. new offerings for the community, Long said his proudHe envisioned a 3-year plan to accomplish those est accomplishment for his team is generating interest goals and bring back the lively atmosphere that existand energy from the public. ed throughout the district when he was a kid – and he, “The thing about projects is that you start them and his team and the park board hit the ground then they’re finished,” he said. “With people running to work toward that end. showing interest and having pride in “As rapid as we’re going, this jolt BY RACHEL RODGERS positive things, that’s what lasts.” was overdue,” he said. “We hit it rrodgers@saukvalley.com There’s also an ice rink on tap to be hard to catch up.” 815-625-3600, ext. 5529 installed at the Page Park basketball “I put my heart and soul into @rj_rodgers courts come winter, and the district this job, and I think it needed is reviving the longtime discussion of that to get jump started. Now, I building a community center in Dixon. don’t know if it’s ever going to slow Also on the list of ideas is building down.” pickleball courts geared toward older Some of the projects finished during the past year park users, skate board features for include the Water Wonderland splash pad in Meadteenagers and adding more features ows Park near Wooden Wonderland, a new playto the Vaile Park splash pad. He also ground with a zip line stretching 75 feet in Lowell OWN IS Park, a disc golf course in Lowell Park as well as a applied for a grant for another new THIS T R GRY FO new summer camp and park activities. playground for the south side of town. SO HUN CT RI RK DIST THE PA E C AN . TO ADV ng Duane Lo
It’s a demanding job, but the overwhelming support from the community makes the weight relatively easy to carry, he said. “This town is so hungry for the Park District to advance,” he said. The 49-year-old Dixon native has worked for the district for about 25 years, starting out as a seasonal worker mowing, trimming and maintaining the district’s large footprint, and about 3 years later, he became maintenance director, where he worked up until last year, when he took the executive director’s job. He and his wife, Stacy, have been married for more than 2 decades and they have three children: Jessa, Nathan, and Laci. Long said representing and promoting the district is a 24/7 job, and his wife says he never stops working. Even when they’re out of town, Long will snap a few shots of what other parks have to offer. “A huge part of this is everyone being open to change and open to a new vision – the staff, the board, everybody,” he said. “We’ve exceeded expectations in the first year, and I know we’re going to be successful again this year.”
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” u o y k “ Than Extending a huge
to Linda Frana, a Reagan Home Volunteer since 1987!
Visitor Center Reagan Home (815) 288-5176 • www.reaganhome.org • Director@reaganhome.org
• September 27, 2019
When Duane Long took over at the Dixon Park District, he had a goal in mind: jump start activity in the city’s parks to give them a much-needed jolt. Now, he’s firing on all cylinders, and he doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon
EVERYDAY HEROES | Sauk Valley Media
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rom park to overdrive
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Sauk Valley Media • September 27, 2019
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EASY TRAILS ACCESS TO ING N ATTRACT I L A T I V S I , VISITORS RESIDENTS ESSES TO AND BUSIN NITY. THE COMMU s James Mark
JAMESMARKS
ROCK FALLS – When James Marks was growing up in Rock Falls, the Rock River and the recreational opportunities it offered were a way of life. Family friends Jim and Connie Anderson taught him how to water ski on the river. He mowed for the Schwab family who lived along the Rock and the water captivated him. As he spent more time boating, fishing and skiing, his passion for nature grew as did his desire to protect it. After college, he and his wife, Tammy, moved away. He found trails and rode his bike in the Chicago area, but it just didn’t measure up to his childhood experi-
ences in nature. “We both missed the river and all of the activities we enjoyed in a rural area,” Marks, 45, said. “I was fascinated by the river and island as a young kid and there was a void that just couldn’t be filled in an urban area.” They returned to the Sauk Valley, and in 2010, Marks started working for Wipfli LLP, where he is an information technology security auditor. Through reconnecting with his neighbors, the Andersons and Schwabs, Marks got involved with the Rock River Development Authority, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting recreation and tourism along the river and the Hennepin Canal State Park feeder canal.
“Family involvement is key to this – the support my wife gives is second to none,” Marks said. “My kids, Grant, 18, and Anna, 15, have been participating in cleanups since they were little. There are a lot of photos in the family albums of the kids working at the canal.” Marks is also thankful that his employer has a service-oriented culture. Wipfli’s Sterling office is one of more than 45 nationwide. The company has an annual Community Day in September during which its employees step away from their desks to do volunteer work. “For our first local Community Day in 2016, I suggested that we do work at the IDNR government house,” Marks said. “This year’s project is cleaning up and organizing things at the Woodlawn Arts Academy.”
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“Great Deals, Great Service, Since 1926”
SM-ST1691834
While his community involvement is centered on environmental interests, it doesn’t end there. Marks is active in the local chambers of commerce – in Rock Falls through the RRDA’s membership, and as a former ambassador in Sterling as a Wipfli representative. He also spent time on the board of directors at Christ Lutheran School when his children were there. In 2016, he received the Rock Falls Chamber’s Shoulder to the Wheel award in recognition of his community service. Marks, as RRDA leader, has a seat on the Rock Falls Canal and Trails Committee. The panel meets as needed, and has taken a leadership role in developing a master plan for further development of the city’s trails system. “Easy access to trails is vital in attracting residents, visitors and businesses to the community,” Marks said. “The millennials will expect to have recreational amenities where they live and work.” In 1990, the RRDA led a fundraising campaign to pave 2.3 miles of trail from the mouth of the Hennepin near the IDNR house to state Route 40. Like his father, who was a flight instructor at the Whiteside County Airport, Marks is a pilot. He has been flying since he was 16 and is a member of Twin Cities Flying Club and the Sauk Valley Pilots Association.
The RRDA was established in 1984, and 1 year later, the first of its annual spring canal cleanup events was held. The cleanup area is extensive and sections are adopted by organizations and businesses that maintain them throughout the year. The organization’s efforts are a family-focused endeavor that bonds those in the community who are passionate about the environment and its role in residents’ quality of life. Marks, now president of the RRDA, is one of those members passing his love of the river onto the next generation. He firmly believes that whatever you do in life, those closest to you need to be on board.
Rt. 52 N. Sublette, IL Ph. 815/849-5232 1-800-227-5203 After 6, 849-5251
www.vaessenbrothers.com
• September 27, 2019
BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley. com 815-625-3600, ext. 55 70 @pam_eggemeier
When it comes to the great outdoors, the Sauk Valley has a lot to offer, and James Marks wants to make sure people know about it. He helps the Hennepin, he raves about the Rock River, and when it comes to trails, he doesn’t just talk the talk, he walks the walk
EVERYDAY HEROES | Sauk Valley Media
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force of nature
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Sauk Valley Media • September 27, 2019
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ALISONWHITE
I LOVE EVERYTHING A BOUT RECOVERY BECA USE I’M IN RE COVERY. I LIKE GETTIN G TO WORK H A N D S PEOPLE WITH ON WITH SUBSTANCE A BUSE ISSUES BRINGING A LE AND VEL OF UNDER STANDING FO R THE DISEASE OF ADDICTIO N.” Alison White
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afety in numbers
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Alison White is in a unique position to help those suffering from substance abuse, and she provides a level of understanding that can prove invaluable with someone’s recovery. White, a 29-year-old Dixon native who became coordinator of the Sauk Valley Safe Passage Initiative earlier this year, has been in recovery for more than 8 years. “I love everything about recovery because I’m in recovery,” she said. “I like getting to work hands on with people with substance abuse issues and bringing a level of understanding for the disease of addiction.” She was also part of a small group that helped bring the Safe Passage concept to the area; in which addicts can approach law enforcement, hand over their drugs and go directly into treatment without being arrested. “It’s a fun thing for me because it’s always a learning curve, and there are really amazing people who just need a little bit of help,” she said. She’s always ready to answer when a call comes in during the 24/7 job, and she blends an upbeat attitude with compassion and empathy as well as honesty. “I try and make an uncomfortable situation as comfortable as possible while doing my best to be honest with people,” she said. “It’s a difficult place to be asking someone to change their life drastically, to change everything they know and depend on. “I can understand that, and I hope that people can see that.” White finds it gratifying to be in a position where she also gets to educate people, law enforcement, medical staff, and families, and help break down the stigma of addiction. Statistically, about one out of eight people have a substance abuse issue, and about half of the population is impacted in some way by substance abuse.
SOMETIMES THE UNIVERSE ALIGNS PERFECTLY WHERE A PERSON GETS EXACTLY THE RESOURCES THEY NEED AND YOU CAN SEE THOSE FEELINGS OF HAPPINESS, Alison White
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• September 27, 2019
BY RACHEL RODGER S rrodgers@saukvalley.co m 815-625-3600, ext. 55 29 @rj_rodgers
EVERYDAY HEROES | Sauk Valley Media
The number one is a big part of Allison White’s life. She’s fighting the spread of addiction one person at time. She takes her own recovery one day at a time. And every day, she’s reminded that one out of every eight people is an addict – but if she had her way, that number would be zero.
“I wouldn’t be able to do good in the community without the support from so many people and organizations; it’s really a team effort,” she said. “My job is a circus, but there are a lot of acts that help make it a circus, and you need all of them to make it work.” Some of her duties are managing about a dozen cases a month and looking into post-treatment resources with job placement, food, housing, insurance, childcare needs and other services. “Sometimes the universe aligns perfectly where a person gets exactly the resources they need and you can see those feelings of happiness,” she said. “One of the main challenges is having connections to treatment; there are only so many beds available,” she said. “There’s also struggles with transportation and housing, especially housing.” White, a mother of two children, earned her associate degree from Sauk Valley Community College, has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Northern Illinois University and is pursuing her master’s in clinical psychology from Roosevelt University. Safe Passage, the first of its kind in the state and the second in the nation, has grown to more than 350 participants. “The powerful thing about recovery and treatment is it’s very individualized, meaning you have to be able to adapt and be knowledgeable of different situations, and they trust me enough to do that.”
Sauk Valley Media • September 27, 2019
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