The Christmas Crew in Sullivan is gearing up to help local families as the holiday fast approaches. An offshoot of the local “Giving Place” Facebook page created by Elizabeth Houser when she saw the needs of the community and wanted to be able to help bridge those gaps, the Christmas Crew helps local families enjoy the season by meeting the needs of those families during the holidays.
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Members of the Moultrie County Impact Giving Circle hold a check for $5,000, which was split evenly between two local organizations.
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The evening of November 13th marked the very first gathering of the Moultrie County Impact Giving Circle, where members broke bread at Sweet Vail Cafe before settling in for an evening centered on generosity, collaboration, and community.
One of the most meaningful parts of this giving circle is its member-driven spirit. Any member can nominate a nonprofit serving Moultrie County. After hearing the nominations, members voted for the organization they felt most called to support.
$5,000 was granted, shared by two local organizations. $2,500 was granted to the Sullivan Area Ministerial Association, quietly and faithfully offering emergency assistance, supporting local initiatives, and uniting clergy to care for the community with compassion.
Another $2,500 for the CEFS Outreach Moultrie County Food Pantry, providing groceries, personal care items, and hope to neighbors facing food insecurity.
To learn more about or to join the Impact Giving Circle, go to heartofillinois.org/moultrie-county-impact-giving-circle.
On Tuesday, November 11th, Sullivan High School held its annual Veterans Day celebration at the Sullivan Middle School gymnasium. The event began with a brunch for Veterans, followed by the assembly celebration.
The celebration included the Sullivan American Legion Color Guard, performances of branch songs by the SMS choir and Singers Jr., a reading of the winning Veteran’s Writing Contest held by the American Legion, a performance of TAPS followed by a reverent moment of silence, and a speech by Principal Dan Allen. In his speech, Mr. Allen’s topic focused on how to show appreciation to our veterans, and paralleling the popular movie, “Saving Private Ryan,” he shared the pivotal two words from the movie: Earn This. Mr. Allen continued to emphasize this point by sharing what that meant: thanking Veterans, being a patriot, respecting the rights of others, serving others and not just ones self, being productive and working hard, being grateful, learn how to disagree respectfully, and last but most importantly, not to take freedom for granted- to earn it.
On Tuesday, November 4th, the Mid-Illinois Senior Services hosted their monthly ‘Dine with a Doc.’ Their guest speaker was Asad Sohail, MPH, DPM, with Decatur Orthopedic Center. This highly engaging and accredited guest informed diners about the importance of proper foot care, covering a wide variety of issues such as neuropathy and other common maladies, selection and wearing of proper footwear, medications, effective over-the-counter remedies, and the tremendous advancements in surgical procedures with much quicker healing times, less scarring, and better end results.
On November 3rd, the Sullivan Fire Protection District, after receiving a grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for half of the funding for a TurboDraft Fire Educator device, was presented with the remaining half of that funding from the Thomas Houser Memorial Scholarship Fund, with Elizabeth Houser and her family presenting on behalf of the Fund.
“The IDPH is recommending that parents and caregivers pause use of certain ‘ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula’ while a federal investigation is underway. The following lots have been recalled by the manufacturer: Lot #206VABP/251261P2 (“Use by 01 Dec 2026”) and Lot #206VABP/251131P2 (“Use by 01 Dec 2026”).
What to Do: stop using these recalled lots and return or dispose of the product. Clean any bottles or surfaces that may have come into contact with the formula. If your infant has consumed this product and isn’t feeling well, contact your healthcare provider for guidance.”
Additionally, the following information was located regarding the above IDPH recall and public safety alert:
On Friday, October 31st, Heritage Woods held a Halloween party for all residents and their families. While some residents preferred simple and subdued costumes, others went all-in. Scarecrows, train engineers, Red Hat Society members, inmates, teeny-boppers in bobby socks and poodle skirts, Mardi Gras/masquerade, and maps are just the beginning of the variety found at the party.
Holiday-themed refreshments were served, and there were smiles to be found at each table, with many taking great interest in each other’s costumes and talking of the many Halloweens they had celebrated before.
The Sullivan City Council debuted a new ordinance for public body comment periods at their meeting Monday night, limiting the time to 30 minutes total and giving citizens up to three minutes each to ask questions or make comments.
“I would hope people would be respectful of other people and limit their comments,” said Mayor Mike Mossman in explaining the new rules. The system seemed to work very well for most of the period with comments about inoperable motor vehicles, sewer line issues and even a thank you to the council for the work they do. But, when the subject of feral and stray cats came up, the temperature in the room heated up.
Last Saturday afternoon, November the 8th at Hydro-Gear in Sullivan, the Moultrie County Sheriff’s Office and Deputies, Dispatch, Sullivan Police Department, Sullivan Fire Protection District, Bethany Police Department, Bethany Fire Department, Lovington Police Department, local EMA CECOM, and Bethany EMS and Sullivan High School students as role-players, met in a training scenario of law enforcement, fire and EMS to coordinate a more unified response in an active shooter situation.