Latest / WIXN AM 1460 - Shaw Local Radio / Talk Line: Clara Harris shares updates from Goodfellows of Lee County

Transcript

Talk Line: Clara Harris shares updates from Goodfellows of Lee County · WIXN AM 1460 - Shaw Local Radio

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Hey, there saw Value. You're with the Waking crew on
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: FM ninety five one and AM fourteen sixty WIXN. It's
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: just about eight thirty five and we're back for more
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: talk line and I'm joined in the booth once again
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: by my good friend from the Goodfellows of Lee County,
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: Clara Harris Claia. How are you.
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: I am good Brandon, and thank you so much for
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: inviting us today.
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: Always happy to have you on the show to let
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: everyone know about the wonderful work that you're you and
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: your organization is doing. And we're going to start off
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: the morning with some updates on that.
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: Okay, So in February we had our traditional giveaway. Eighty
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: some people came and received and we're very blessed, so
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: we're thankful for that. Anything that was left we took
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: to the Caring Place in Lighting Center, so again went
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: to two great organizations, always trying to help one another
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: in the community. So that's what's went on right now.
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: We are taking in and buying clothing, coats, all the
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: goodies that we're going to give away at Chrissmith's time.
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: So of course we have lots of volunteers that come
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: traditionally and help us do that. Have a great core
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: group of volunteers, and every once in a while we'll
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: get a new person thrown in the mix. So lots
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: of good friendships that are being made that way. So
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: can't say too much about more about that other than
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: good camaraderie is always a blessing. We want everyone to
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: know that we are going to make a few changes
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: this year. We'll talk about them probably further into the
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: year once our applications go out. Right now, we are
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: in the running for Sterling Federal ninth Employee Charity Challenge.
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: We're hoping that people will go on to Sterling Federal
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: site and they will vote for us. There are ten
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: great organizations on there. We're one of them, so every
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: one of them are worthy of giving a vote to.
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: But we're hoping if you like what we do in
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: the community, that you will reach out and vote for us.
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: You can vote once a day the whole month of March,
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: and then in April they will bless twenty thousand to
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: the first time winner, ten to the second, five to
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: the third, but all of us organizations will receive something.
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: So just putting that plug out there help us, help
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: others by voting for US. I do know that some
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: people are asking if our applications are going to be
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: the same, they will change. So when they go out,
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: we'll send them out in August, and then they are
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: due by September one through December first. October thirty first
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: is our first deadline, and that deadline traditionally has always
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: been if you want a food voucher or maybe to
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: receive food from I DOT because they buy about thirty
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: families food, you want your kiddos to be up for
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: a shop of the Copper Sheriff, then you need to
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: have those in by the thirty first of October. The
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: reason for that deadline is because those other organizations have
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: to know who they're taking shopping, so they know how
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: many funds they have to have in their coffers. So
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: that's why that first deadline's in place. Then we traditionally
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: always take them up through December first, so if you
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: do miss it and you still want to apply, you
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: can just know that again it will change. As far
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: as income guidelines, got we're going to go with what
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: traditionally is like public aid guidelines. Okay, it'll be based
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: on family size and income, so they can fill those
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: applications out get them into us. We are adding, as
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: I told everybody last year, and a lot of people
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: took advantage of it. We have a drop box on
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: the front of our building. It's a locked, locked so
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: you can drop your application off there if you can't
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: afford to send it below that we are going to add.
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: I'm not sure what you would call it, but I'd
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: call it a box. Traditionally, like realtors put out at
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: their locations where we will have our applications. So if
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: they can't get it, you know, wherever, because there's lots
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: of locations and you and I will talk about that
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: later in the year where those will be, they can
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: come to our building and they can pick one up. There.
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: Another great thing that's happened at our building, mister Fred
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: Bantram built us a giveaway library. It is on the
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: northwest side of our lot or out front I call it.
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: But from the street side it's a blank, brown, you know,
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: sided library. So I want people to know the location
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: that it's there. He made the open be towards the
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: parking lot because when you pull in, you want to
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: be able to walk up and grab it and not
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: have to walk behind it, so please come check that out.
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: We feel that it has been visited by many. The
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: top row is going to be adult books, bottom hals
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: children's library, so come and take please. We will replenish
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: it as they go away the books go away, we'll
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: want to make sure there's more there to offer.
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: I absolutely love seeing those pop up in places. It's
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: just such a cool thing. You go, you get to
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: browse through, you find a book, leave a book, right
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: you can. Maybe you've got a favorite story you like
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: you've read a million times. I always love that idea
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: of the give and the take. It's you know, it's
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: just a little piece of yourself and somebody else and
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: exchanging those stories. So that's always very cool.
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: Well, and we've had cookbooks in there, and they seem
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: to be the first ones that go off the top.
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: So I love that too, because you know, and this
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: time of food insecurities, there's one that cook what you
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: have in your home. I thought, well, that's pretty cool
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: because you can go to that and then maybe be inventive.
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: Of course, you know, with lots of apps on your phones,
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: if you have that, you're able to do that. But
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: isn't it nice to be holding a book in your
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: hand and looking at the recipe. It is.
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: It absolutely is. And I love the idea of that.
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: And I mean, I could see why a cookbook would
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: be so popular even if you don't like to read,
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: you like to eat. Yes, Yes, the tried and true
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: recipes in there. So that's that's very cool. And you know,
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: one thing I didn't think you know to bring up
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: at the start of this, especially when you're talking about
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: the voting, is tell people if they're not familiar with
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: your organization exactly what it is you'll do.
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: Okay, Good Fellows of Lee County we've been around one
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: hundred and fourteen years strong. This year. We are the
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: oldest non for profit in Lee County. We do the
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: entire family for Christmas. When they fill out their application,
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: they are entitled to, if they get it by the
• 7:08
  Speaker 2: first deadline, a food voucher or I to choose them
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: for food. Then they all are entitled to a coat,
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: snowpants for the kiddos if they need them, hats and gloves,
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: socks and underwear for the entire family, outfits for the
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: entire family, and then the kids get six new toys,
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: the parents get two new gifts. Christmas section, they're going
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: to get a couple gifts out of that. Our book section,
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: they get three books. It says three books, but our
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: librarian she usually bundles those kiddo books. Well in adults too,
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: I guess in threes and four. So when you're getting
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: one set that's one, you're getting four books, which is awesome.
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: So they get that, and then you get stocking stuffers.
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: And we've had a variety of different things for stocking
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: stuffers for the kids, usually coloring books and crans. The adults.
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: We were blessed by the Union out here on Bloody
• 8:06
  Speaker 2: Gold with chapstick. I asked people as they go through,
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: you know, when you're having a fellowship with them and
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: checking them in for their portion of receiving with our
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: people that take them through, what would you like as
• 8:22
  Speaker 2: an adult for you know, something reasonably priced. And everybody said,
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: I mean not everybody, but a majority said chapstick. So
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: I mentioned that to the Union hall. They blessed us
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: with chapstick for everybody, and we had enough that we
• 8:38
  Speaker 2: did it that year, and we gave away what was
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: left this year along with other things. So that is
• 8:45
  Speaker 2: what we do. We do that at Christmas time. We
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: do help people when there's an emergency. So we had
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: a family, a young family, I'm sure you reported on
• 8:56
  Speaker 2: it out in Nachusa. They lost their entire home, their pets,
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: they're kiddos, and them were homeless at a moment, notice,
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: you know, and they needed clothing in that One of
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: our faithful volunteers was a school teacher and had the
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: young man as a student, and she messaged me and
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: she goes, this family's lost everything. Can we give them stuff?
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: I said, yes, get their sizes. I had workers there
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: that day, assigned each person to different child and then
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: one to the adults, and we gathered clothing and we
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: had just got a donation of pots and pans and
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: a bunch of other stuff, so we made sure all
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: of that went to that family. We get calls from
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: recovery house people that are getting out of the program,
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: they've completed it, they're on their next step of their
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: journey to get back, and you know, with the rest
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: of us in society and just say hey, I want
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: to hands up. We make sure they can call us.
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: If we have it, we'll make sure they receive it,
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: or we'll connect them with who will help them. And
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: usually traditionally that's the Lighting Center because we can fill
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: a voucher out for them with their needs and they
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: work with us and make sure that person receives. So
• 10:12
  Speaker 2: that's just a couple of them shining star. I mean
• 10:16
  Speaker 2: the PAD Shelters, Okay, both of the men and women,
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: and we work with Team Turf and Amboy. There's a
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: lot of different organizations that we help that also help
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: each other. So we're learning that. You know, what, if
• 10:31
  Speaker 2: we don't look out for one another, what good are
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: we doing in the community if we're not helping. If
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: I can feel a need and another organization knows that,
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: they'll give us a call and say, hey, I have
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: a person with this need, can you help me reach.
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: It's that's a terrific mindset. You're absolutely right. I mean,
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: we're stronger together than we are a part. And I'm
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: considering the type of work that your organization and other
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: nonprofits do. I mean, it only makes sense be working
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: together and not competing.
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: Right, Well, I've never looked at it as competing. Our
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: theory is hands up. I know, when we spoke with
• 11:10
  Speaker 2: the Lee County Sheriff's Department and the PD, a couple
• 11:14
  Speaker 2: of years back, the officers came in, they visited our
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: facility just to see it set up, so they knew,
• 11:21
  Speaker 2: you know, because if they take the kids, the adults
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: still get to come shopping for themselves with us. So
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: it's kind of fun. And we like to think that
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: during that time. Because men are wired different than women,
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: they want they're the providers, you know, and if they
• 11:41
  Speaker 2: are prone to maybe wanting a little bit of extra
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: refreshment or other things, they tend not to do that
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: if they know there's someone there to give them a
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: hands up instead and that their family needs are met.
• 11:55
  Speaker 2: I always tell them, you know what, right now, you
• 11:58
  Speaker 2: may be going through hard times when you're you're going
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: to give back because you'll remember.
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: This moment absolutely. You know. That's always, well maybe not always,
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: but I think most of the time that is the
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: way it works. If you've ever had someone in your
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: life be there for you during a moment, it really
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: does just spark this need to when you see someone
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: else to give because you knew what it was like
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: to be in that vulnerable position and you can empathize
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: with someone right.
• 12:27
  Speaker 2: True, true, And ironically, we have a young lady on
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: our board. When she first came here from out of state,
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: her and her two well it was three daughters. They
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: needed the help of Goodfellows. She paid her bills, like
• 12:44
  Speaker 2: a lot of our young ladies and gents. We've got
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: a couple young dads. They pay their bills, but there's
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: no money left over for Christmas time. So it's kind
• 12:53
  Speaker 2: of neat to know that she's on board with us
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: now because she remembers that moment. She remembers being able
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: to come in and know that Christmas was taken care of.
• 13:02
  Speaker 2: That was something she didn't have to worry about, and
• 13:06
  Speaker 2: now she's giving back. So a lot of people do
• 13:09
  Speaker 2: come and help us out that way.
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: I absolutely love that. Was there anything else you want
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: to share?
• 13:15
  Speaker 2: What we had a couple of minis no, But if
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: they do want to make donations, I shouldn't say no,
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: because yes, I always have something to share if they
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: want to make, whether it be clothing or a monetary donation,
• 13:29
  Speaker 2: they could send the monetary donation to Post Office Box
• 13:33
  Speaker 2: six seven four Dixon, Illinois, of course Goodfellows, or they
• 13:37
  Speaker 2: could bring their donations of clothing and anything in the
• 13:42
  Speaker 2: Just call eight one five nine seven three five one
• 13:46
  Speaker 2: three five and we will set up an appointment for
• 13:48
  Speaker 2: them to drop them off.
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: Yeah. Absolutely, folks, you know springs right around the corner
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: spring cleaning. We all know we've got those outfits that
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: we haven't worn and god knows how long you know,
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: you go through the same thing in your closet ever,
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: you know, you probably got some clothes, some supplies that
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: you're not using that you could spare that you know
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: somebody else could use. This is a really good way
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: to do that. Clara, thank you so much for coming
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: and sharing this information and for all the wonderful work
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: that you're doing for our communities.
• 14:18
  Speaker 2: Well, good Fellows, thanks you for always inviting us back
• 14:21
  Speaker 2: because a lot of our clients said, yeah, I heard
• 14:24
  Speaker 2: you on the radio the other day. So it's nice
• 14:27
  Speaker 2: to know that people are listening and that they want
• 14:29
  Speaker 2: to reach out to it is.
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: You know, it's good to know they're listening. In my
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: mindset is always you know, somebody might not know as
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: much as you know. I've come to know Goodfellows and
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: know you. That doesn't mean everybody has heard of you,
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: despite the fact you've been around so long one hundred
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: and fourteen years.
• 14:48
  Speaker 2: One hundred and fourteen years strong.
• 14:49
  Speaker 1: This year You would think everybody known, but there might
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: be somebody who has it. And if you haven't, now
• 14:54
  Speaker 1: you know, get out there and give get involved. Clara,
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: thank you so much. I appreciate it.