Latest / WIXN AM 1460 - Shaw Local Radio / Talk Line 10-08-2026: Clara Harris talks Goodfellows of Lee County applications

Transcript

Talk Line 10-08-2026: Clara Harris talks Goodfellows of Lee County applications · WIXN AM 1460 - Shaw Local Radio

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Hey there, Sauk Valley, and welcome back to The Waking
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Crew and your promised second dose of TalkLine this morning.
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: I'm joined once more by our good friends from Goodfellas
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: of Lee County, Clara Harris, stopping in the studio. Ma'am,
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: how are you?
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: How you been?
• 0:13
  Speaker 3: Well, I'll tell you what, it's been fantastic weather-wise, so
• 0:17
  Speaker 3: who couldn't be okay? And I did have two cups
• 0:20
  Speaker 3: of coffee, so I'm ready to go, Brown. Laughter Good morning,
• 0:25
  Speaker 3: everybody out there. I hope you're all awake and ready
• 0:29
  Speaker 3: to listen.
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: Absolutely, because, you know, the year's just rolling by faster
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: and faster. I can't believe we're already a week into October.
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: I mean, Halloween's like five minutes away, and Christmas right
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: around the corner from there, because let's be honest, Thanksgiving's
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: just a nice meal. It's like it gets honorable mentions
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: in the world of holidays. It's like we still acknowledge you, but....
• 0:55
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: That's true. You're a good family dinner.
• 0:57
  Speaker 3: That is true.
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: I don't know. I love it. I could do that
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: for every holiday.
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: If that was more the focus, was a big meal
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: and everybody coming together, I'm for it.
• 1:07
  Speaker 3: Well, my grandkids said, now, Grandma, make double deviled eggs
• 1:11
  Speaker 3: and please make double dessert.
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: Oh, right.
• 1:15
  Speaker 3: Pumpkin crunch is their favorite. We don't do pie because
• 1:19
  Speaker 3: some don't like pie, but pumpkin crunch works. Fills the need.
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: Now, what is pumpkin crunch?
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: Because I think apple crisp, but you just said not pie,
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: so I'm like, okay.
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  Speaker 3: It has no base to it.
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: It's all just a mixture.
• 1:34
  Speaker 3: I'll bring the recipe next time I come. Okay.
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: Yeah, please do.
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  Speaker 3: My grandkids will say, we'll eat the first pan for
• 1:41
  Speaker 3: the meal. We all want to take leftovers home.
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: Okay.
• 1:45
  Speaker 3: All right. I'll make two pans. So, yep.
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: That's where I love our Halloween tradition is my wife
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: makes chili and cornbread for the night of Halloween. And
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  Speaker 1: then after everyone's trick-or-treated or whatnot, they come back and
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: they do that. So I also love the leftovers because
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: it's like, well, we'll probably be eating this for like
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: three or four days.
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  Speaker 2: And I'm like.
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  Speaker 1: I don't got to think of what's for lunch or dinner.
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: It's just sitting in the fridge. So I get it.
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  Speaker 2: But the point of all that to do is.
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  Speaker 1: The fact that Christmas is going to be here around
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  Speaker 1: the corner, the holidays. And so, of course, Goodfellas of
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: Lee County here to help. And folks want to start
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: thinking about their applications now if they already haven't, right?
• 2:28
  Speaker 3: Correct. We were hoping they would all flock in starting
• 2:32
  Speaker 3: September 1st. I had a couple before that date. But
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: they're kind of fizzling in slowly. That's why I'm so
• 2:39
  Speaker 3: glad that you invited me today because I want people
• 2:42
  Speaker 3: to understand two things are really important. That first deadline,
• 2:46
  Speaker 3: because we have two. The first one is October 31st.
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  Speaker 3: That one's put in place because we give names to
• 2:55
  Speaker 3: Shop with a Cop and Shop with a Sheriff. Those
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  Speaker 3: two organizations, they have to have names and numbers of
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  Speaker 3: how many kids they're taking. so they know how much
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  Speaker 3: money they have to raise. So by November 2nd, I
• 3:09
  Speaker 3: have to give them all of the names of families
• 3:12
  Speaker 3: that have applied up to that time because they're all
• 3:14
  Speaker 3: in the running then for maybe to be their kids
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  Speaker 3: chosen to go on that shopping trip. So October 31st
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  Speaker 3: is really important, everyone, because you're also guaranteed food, either
• 3:27
  Speaker 3: a voucher from us or IDOT to choose your family
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  Speaker 3: to buy food for. If you apply after October 31st,
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  Speaker 3: you're not getting a food voucher or food from IDOT.
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  Speaker 3: You are not going to have the opportunity for your
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  Speaker 3: kids to be in the running for one of the
• 3:44
  Speaker 3: law enforcement agencies to take them. There's a reason for that.
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  Speaker 3: Just like I said, they have to know how many
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  Speaker 3: kids they're going to take so they have enough money
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  Speaker 3: to cover the expenses. If your children are chosen by
• 4:00
  Speaker 3: one of them, you still come as adults and receive
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  Speaker 3: your gifts at our location, and we would send that
• 4:07
  Speaker 3: out to you. So please start getting those applications in.
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  Speaker 3: They're coming in slow. I want to highlight what's expected
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  Speaker 3: along with those because we've gotten quite a few again
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  Speaker 3: that do not have all the paperwork. Any kind of
• 4:24
  Speaker 3: income that comes into your home, it could be child support,
• 4:28
  Speaker 3: It could be disability or social security, one of those.
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  Speaker 3: And if you get it for yourself and a child,
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  Speaker 3: make sure both are in there because that's income. Paychecks,
• 4:41
  Speaker 3: if you are having a paycheck coming every two weeks
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  Speaker 3: or once a month, I need it for 30 days,
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  Speaker 3: no matter how many come in in that time. Some
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  Speaker 3: have weekly, but that's kind of rare. It's every two weeks.
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  Speaker 3: But I need 30 days' worth of income. Food stamps.
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  Speaker 3: People are like, you need that? Well, if you didn't
• 5:01
  Speaker 3: have food stamps, you wouldn't be able to buy food
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  Speaker 3: because you have to have money. So yes, it's considered income.
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  Speaker 3: Please include that so that we can make sure it's
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  Speaker 3: counted in all of your monies. Because it's based on
• 5:19
  Speaker 3: family size and income. I can tell you off the
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  Speaker 3: top of my head, for one person for a month,
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  Speaker 3: You can make $ 3, 913 and you qualify, okay? And then
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  Speaker 3: it goes up for every person additional in the family.
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  Speaker 3: So we have a really, we went with what public
• 5:40
  Speaker 3: aid and our local food pantry. They decided to go
• 5:45
  Speaker 3: 300% above poverty level and we stuck with that also
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  Speaker 3: because that gives people that really want that hands up
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  Speaker 3: at Christmas time and really need it the opportunity to
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  Speaker 3: apply with us. I'm hoping that we start getting more
• 6:02
  Speaker 3: and more applications in. Our final deadline, if you don't
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  Speaker 3: make that first one, is December the 1st. We'll take
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  Speaker 3: them all the way up to December 1st, and you're
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  Speaker 3: going to be able still to come shopping. A lot
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  Speaker 3: of people are like, well, what if I don't get
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  Speaker 3: it in by October 31st? What if I take it
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  Speaker 3: to the post office and they don't deliver it in time?
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  Speaker 3: walk to the counter with your application in the envelope,
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  Speaker 3: and it's got to have a stamp on it, or
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  Speaker 3: they won't process it, and tell them, I would appreciate
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  Speaker 3: if you stamp this with today's date. Because as long
• 6:38
  Speaker 3: as it has that date on it, it's honored as
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  Speaker 3: coming in on that time. So please make sure you
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  Speaker 3: do that for yourself. I don't want you calling me
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  Speaker 3: November 2nd or whatever and complaining because your name wasn't
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  Speaker 3: included for Shop of the Copper Sheriff because I will
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  Speaker 3: call them with late applications. Like say I got it
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  Speaker 3: that day and I turned it in and I didn't
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  Speaker 3: have it before October 31st, but it's stamped that. I
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  Speaker 3: will make sure I call them and add the name
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  Speaker 3: to their list. And then they make the selections. Don't
• 7:11
  Speaker 3: call me and say, make sure I go because I
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  Speaker 3: don't do that. I give them the names that are there.
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  Speaker 3: and they pick who they're going to go shopping with.
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  Speaker 3: And if you've never done it, oh, the kids love it.
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  Speaker 3: So parents out there, as I said at Tools for
• 7:27
  Speaker 3: Schools when I talked with a lot of you, your
• 7:30
  Speaker 3: kids really would love a shopping trip like that. But
• 7:34
  Speaker 3: if they don't get it, you're going to come to
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  Speaker 3: us and you're going to shop with us.
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  Speaker 2: There you go.
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  Speaker 1: You've got all these ways to get it covered, but
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  Speaker 1: the best thing to do is to get your application
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  Speaker 1: in early. I love that you throw in the helpful
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  Speaker 1: bit about getting time stamped. Quite honestly, you've got so
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: much time to get it in. Take your paperwork with
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: you to the toilet if you're such a busy individual.
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  Speaker 2: It's not going to take you all day to get
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  Speaker 2: that done. Just do it. You'll be thanking yourself later
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: for it.
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  Speaker 3: Right. And we made it even easier. We started last
• 8:09
  Speaker 3: year with a Dropbox. Then we talked about it and
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  Speaker 3: we're like, how about if we put all the realtors
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  Speaker 3: have those plastic clear things that they put their description
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  Speaker 3: of the home you're looking at out front in a yard.
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  Speaker 3: We put one of those next to our drop box
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  Speaker 3: on the front of the building. Applications are right there.
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  Speaker 3: All you got to do is grab it. If you
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  Speaker 3: don't have money to mail it, get all that information together.
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  Speaker 3: Put it in an envelope, please. Don't stuff your paperwork
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  Speaker 3: in that drop box because we laugh, Brandon, but I
• 8:41
  Speaker 3: had three people do that the other day. And when
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  Speaker 3: I pulled the papers out, I had to figure out
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  Speaker 3: whose papers were what to go with what application. So
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  Speaker 3: do yourself and me a favor and make sure they're
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  Speaker 3: in an envelope sealed. But drop them off in that
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  Speaker 3: drop box. If they're in there, and I check that daily.
• 9:01
  Speaker 3: And on the weekend, if I'm in town on Saturday,
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  Speaker 3: I will otherwise Monday morning, but I know they came
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  Speaker 3: in over the weekend. And when it gets close to
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  Speaker 3: the 31st, I will be checking it daily, okay? So
• 9:12
  Speaker 3: everybody don't panic and say, well, you didn't check it. Yep,
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  Speaker 3: I'm checking it every day that week, okay? So please
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  Speaker 3: get them in.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, that's just really the most important message of this
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  Speaker 1: morning is get them in.
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  Speaker 2: Do not wait.
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  Speaker 1: You know, there are two deadlines, but do yourself the favor,
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  Speaker 1: make it before the first deadline, get entered in for
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  Speaker 1: as much help as possible.
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  Speaker 2: And then you don't got to worry.
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  Speaker 1: About it come, you know, come later in the year
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  Speaker 1: when you're starting to scramble and wondering, you know, do
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  Speaker 1: I have time to get this in? Are there, you know,
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  Speaker 1: is there even any more help left at this point?
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  Speaker 1: Because maybe everybody else got theirs in and.
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  Speaker 3: We have more than enough to help, okay?
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  Speaker 2: Okay.
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  Speaker 3: Don't discourage him on that.
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  Speaker 2: No, I don't want to discourage anybody on anything.
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  Speaker 1: That's that's just the point you don't want to because
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  Speaker 1: you wait people would start panicking and then they start
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  Speaker 1: wondering all these things and they're like why should i
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: bother no you should always bother but just do your
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: due diligence and do it early is my best advice.
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  Speaker 3: True and and um you'll get your appointment earlier in
• 10:15
  Speaker 3: the week of our getaway there you go So number
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  Speaker 3: one application always is our first client to go through.
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  Speaker 3: I've made that a priority. I figured they're the first
• 10:25
  Speaker 3: one to make sure they got everything in. They're our
• 10:28
  Speaker 3: first client, provided they can come that day.
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: Sure.
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  Speaker 3: I leave that up to them. So we work with
• 10:35
  Speaker 3: a lot of other agencies to make sure. Shamrock Club
• 10:38
  Speaker 3: and Sister City will be taking an individual family, both
• 10:42
  Speaker 3: of them. Um, I just love that the community wants
• 10:46
  Speaker 3: to support us also. So I'm going to put a
• 10:49
  Speaker 3: plug out there. We're going to be putting our barrels,
• 10:52
  Speaker 3: which are, you can buy a gift and drop it
• 10:54
  Speaker 3: in that barrel. You don't have to have a tag,
• 10:57
  Speaker 3: but we are putting tags out in the community also
• 11:00
  Speaker 3: starting November 2nd. They will have the child's age, whether
• 11:04
  Speaker 3: it's a boy or girl, never names, just boy or
• 11:07
  Speaker 3: girl age. And then it'll put a couple things that
• 11:10
  Speaker 3: they've put on their wishlist. You don't have to buy
• 11:14
  Speaker 3: everything that's on that tag. You pull one off a
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  Speaker 3: tree and you say, oh, this is a lot of stuff.
• 11:22
  Speaker 3: You don't have to buy it all. Buy what you choose.
• 11:25
  Speaker 3: Put that inside of the bag, the tag. Put it
• 11:28
  Speaker 3: in the bag, tie it off, and take it back
• 11:30
  Speaker 3: to the location you picked the tag up at. Right now,
• 11:35
  Speaker 3: off the top of my head, we will have them
• 11:37
  Speaker 3: at Culver's. We will have them out at Walmart's. Anytime
• 11:41
  Speaker 3: Fitness always takes 5 to 10 because they want to encourage,
• 11:46
  Speaker 3: you know, there are people that come through to do that.
• 11:49
  Speaker 3: CGH out there, their satellite here in Dixon, Illinois, they
• 11:55
  Speaker 3: usually take tags and they have a barrel out also.
• 11:59
  Speaker 3: But we will have barrels out in the community all
• 12:01
  Speaker 3: over the place. So just look for one. And if
• 12:05
  Speaker 3: you see something, I know Walgreens usually have that. sale
• 12:09
  Speaker 3: sometime in November where you buy two toys, you might
• 12:12
  Speaker 3: get a third one free. So a lot of people
• 12:15
  Speaker 3: like to wait and do that. And then they put
• 12:18
  Speaker 3: their toys inside of our barrel.
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: That's awesome. I love hearing about this.
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: I love getting the message out early just because, again,
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: it's right around the corner.
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: It really is. So get them out early.
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: If anybody wants any more information on anything you've spoken
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: about today or anything to do with Goodfellas, what's the
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: best way to do it?
• 12:38
  Speaker 3: The best way right now, because our website is not
• 12:41
  Speaker 3: fully done, would be to call 815-973-5135. And then we
• 12:50
  Speaker 3: do have Jennifer Lang. I'm going to put a plug
• 12:53
  Speaker 3: in for you. She is our great advocate as far
• 12:58
  Speaker 3: as putting stuff out on Facebook. So look for anything
• 13:02
  Speaker 3: on Facebook because I know a lot of you are
• 13:03
  Speaker 3: out there on Facebook day late. So check there. There
• 13:07
  Speaker 3: will be messages there if there's something, you know, to
• 13:11
  Speaker 3: let the public know about. But if you're questioning, I've
• 13:14
  Speaker 3: had people call me and say, this is what I have.
• 13:16
  Speaker 3: Is that enough for my application? And then I'll ask
• 13:19
  Speaker 3: them the questions about maybe, you know, something else that
• 13:23
  Speaker 3: could be that they're not thinking of, like food stamps.
• 13:27
  Speaker 3: Food stamps seems to be the norm. They're like, well,
• 13:30
  Speaker 3: you have to have that? Well, yes, if you didn't
• 13:32
  Speaker 3: have food stamps, you'd have to have money. So it's
• 13:35
  Speaker 3: considered income.
• 13:36
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's the same thing.
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: Whether you're given something like that or given it directly,
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: it's considered the same thing. So I get it.
• 13:45
  Speaker 2: Yes.
• 13:46
  Speaker 3: So just call that number. It is on our board
• 13:49
  Speaker 3: out in front of our building at 704 South Lincoln Avenue.
• 13:54
  Speaker 3: So if you forget it and you didn't have time
• 13:57
  Speaker 3: or maybe a pen on you to write that number
• 13:59
  Speaker 3: down and you're driving by, it's out in front on
• 14:02
  Speaker 3: our billboard. Okay? Okay.
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: There you go. You've heard it here. You can go
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: drive by. Stop in and talk with them if you
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: need the information. But the best thing to do is whatever,
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: whichever of these options you need, get it started early.
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: They're there to help. Clara, thank you so much for
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: coming in and sharing this information, for all the hard
• 14:22
  Speaker 1: work that you're doing year-round for this.
• 14:25
  Speaker 2: Yes.
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: It is, you know, we think of the big event
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: itself and how this contributes to it, but it's a
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: year-round mission for you. And I really appreciate it because
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: it helps so many families in the Sauk Valley.
• 14:38
  Speaker 3: Well, our board loves what we do. We still have
• 14:41
  Speaker 3: a heart for giving. And we couldn't accomplish hands up
• 14:45
  Speaker 3: to these families without all of the public, and like yourself,
• 14:49
  Speaker 3: participating and making sure that these kids and families are
• 14:53
  Speaker 3: going to have a wonderful holiday season. So thank you all.
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: Yes, thank you all. I absolutely agree with that. So
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: and thank you, Claire. Appreciate it. And we look forward
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: to future updates.