| From the Dominican Republic to Freeport, Illinois: Introducing the Reverend Eldred George by Keith Bardell Grace Episcopal Church, located at 10 S. Cherry Street in Freeport, has a new Reverend. His name is Rev. Eldred George. He hails from the Dominican Republic, and has a fascinating tale to tell about how he ended up in Freeport, Il. Originally born as a native citizen of the Dominican Republic from a poor immigrant family to that country, he has now realized his dream of serving to his calling at this Freeport church. Wanting to first be a doctor, then finding himself employed as a DJ on a radio station, where he played a variety of music and spoken poems, he realized that these things were not for him, and looked elsewhere for advice. He spoke to a Dr. James Douglas, who came to the Dominican Republic from Louisiana, and was surprised to find that this man possessed an $8000 check that could put him through the schooling that he really desired, Seminary school. Fearing he would mis-spend the money, he asked that the check be given to a Bishop(Paul Kellogs,) and the funds were then held for him, and he next attended the InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico, in 1967. He later graduated from the Episcopal Seminary of the Carribean with a master’s degree in Divinity. Through some changes beyond his control, he found himself as unemployable in Puerto Rico. That did not stop this man. He became employably by getting himself trained to be a Paramedic, and teaching paramedics at the World University, and the University of Puerto Rico. He could now provide for his family by making a living with the knowledge that he had gained along his journey. He continued to, at all times, to volunteer at his local church until 1988. Project Hope, an organization that travels the world looking for those to help others, found him and convinced him to go to Costa Rica. Through Project Hope, he helped develop the Emergency Medical Technician Service there. That is similar to our 911 telephone help line. He then traveled to Panama and as of Jan. 14, 2009, became the pastor of Grace Episcopal Church. He hopes to bring the community churches together, and draw the youth of our community back into worship. He is here with his family, wife Odillia Nanzzi, and his two sons, Edgar and Cristian. His wife is from Peru, and his sons were born in Panama. Grace Church invites you to attend, and they will have a website up and running soon. Hope to see you at service.
Sunday Fun in Freeport Freeport- What to do on a lazy Sunday. Many families head for the parks around Freeport to enjoy the weather and activities with their family members. The water seems to attract lots of people for boating and fishing.  One family was preparing to take a boat ride at the Krape Park boat launch. Scott Lawson and his family were waiting to set sail on Sunday for a short boat ride.   “We’re regular riders of the paddleboats,” said Lawson. The Wetlands Preserve serves as an excellent place to spend a sunny afternoon of fishing. Tom Schoop spent the afternoon at the preserves with his three grandchildren. “(The Wetlands,) it has easy access for fishing,” said Schoop. Bullfish are the most common to catch here. His three grandchildren were visiting from Okaniwa, Wisconsin. Nikayla(of Forreston),Keaton, Zach and Scott Lawson at Krape Park Tom Schoop and Grandchildren Gabriel, Xavier(center) and Patrick Another new business opens in Freeport. by Keith Bardell Dec. 29, 2008 I happened accross another new business in Freeport today. Believe it or not, there are a lot of new businesses opening up in the Freeport area. Those of us who intend to survive know to run our businesses without taking on huge initial financial debt. We are the ones who will survive. It is a whole new economy. Think positive. The business I had the pleasure of running accross is a business owned by Scott Stephenson. He is located at 5 E. Stephenson St. in Freeport, Illinois. His hours are Noon - 7 PM Mon. thru Fri. Scott has been open about a month and is in business to refurbish computers, virus cleaning, repairs and sells new and used parts. Be sure to stop in and check this new business out. Scott Stephenson is also one of our newest advertisers and you will see his ad posted soon.
The Salvation Army in Freeport  by Keith Bardell Waiting in the office of a local business, a poster on the wall caught my eye. It was a poster from the Salvation Army in Freeport. I decided to pop in to the Salvation Army and talk to Major Mickey Hale, the Corps Officer/Pastor, the person in charge of the Freeport Salvation Army. Major Hale’s first order of business was to express his genuine thanks to all who have helped the Salvation Army get through the holidays. He wishes to thank all, including the local high school students that volunteered their time. He summed up their donations for the season, although the kettle donations were up about $3000, their dollar donations were down by about $20,000, with a total of being about $27,000 down, overall. Please support the Salvation Army by donating. I wasn’t sure exactly of what all that the Salvation Army does. It is, of course, part of the national organization of the Salvation Army, and often lends aid to the national Salvation Army by providing natural disaster assistance, including volunteers to help, and they have a mobile canteen capable of providing hot meals for those in need. They also receive funding from and are part of the United Way. In Freeport the Salvation Army located at 106 W. Exchange Street provides help to all by providing a food pantry, where people can apply to receive once a month, free food. The pantry is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9-11 and 1-2. They also serve hot meals to anyone Monday through Friday between 11-12:15. Major Hale says that about 300 meals a month are served. The office is also a warming center, where anyone who needs to warm-up from the weather, can simply walk in and get warm Mon-Fri between 7:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. The Salvation Army is also, first, a church. Major Hale is the pastor of this Salvation Army church, with worship services on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. There is a Sunday school at 9:30 and they offer bible study. We will be featuring them as Church of the Week in the near future. Donate to the Salvation Army. They can be reached at 815-235-7639. You’ll be glad you did. Major Hale’s administrative assistant is former Alderperson Nickee Bender, and their case worker is Sheila Smiley. The Army is calling on you, the Salvation Army.
Do you know what the VAC in Freeport is? By Keith Bardell The VAC in Freeport is the Veterans Assistance Commission. It was started, initially, on July 1, 2007 as an expanded project proposed by Henry Boettner. He is the man who helped get the 7 passenger VA van ride program started, which takes veterans to the VA hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. The Veterans Assistance Commission is run by a wonderful woman named Maryna L. Misiewicz, whom you see pictured. The office is located at 7 N. Walnut Avenue in Freeport. Maryna is very happy that she is located inside of the Township office, because she has been able to gain valuable knowledge from the Township employees, who are used to helping people meet their basic needs. The question then becomes, who can get help, and how do they get it. If you are a veteran, and you must live in Stephenson County, you can ask for assistance. Do not forget, you worked for this, you agreed to serve your country, this is not welfare, it is your tax dollars at work! The Commission is funded by county tax dollars. Maryna asks that you please come in with your DD214 in hand. This will speed up the process. The VAC will help veterans meet their basic needs, like their rent payment, help with their utility bills, and other personal items needs. If you are a veteran, and you need a ride to the Madison VA hospital, please call, 24 hours in advance, 1-815-233-5284. The van can even pick up people on their way, like those in Cedarville, Orangeville, Monticello, and even New Glarus. If you are a veteran in need of assistance, call Maryna Misiewicz at 1-815-233-7282. She understands what your needs are, after all, she is a veteran herself, with 2 tours of duty, one 2 year tour in Vietnam, and a 1 year tour in Cambodia. Her current project is to get a grant to provide the veterans with a handi-capped equipped van, as the current van is not equipped to handle the disabled. She is hopeful that she will get a grant to accomplish this task. Hats off to Maryna! P. S. Please visit our Illinois Veterans page for even more information on other services that are available to Illinois Veterans.
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