News Progress

“Turn Awareness into Action”

•May 21, 2025•

Mental Health Awareness Month began in the United States in 1949 and was started by Mental Health America (MHA) (then known as the National Association for Mental Health) by presidential proclamation. 

The purpose of Mental Health Awareness Month is to raise awareness and educate the public about mental illnesses, such as the 18.1% of Americans who suffer from depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder. It is important to educate and raise awareness concerning the realities of living with these conditions, plus share strategies for attaining mental health and wellness. Mental Health Awareness Month also strives to reduce the stigma (negative attitudes and misconceptions) that surrounds mental illnesses.

•May 14, 2025•

Sarah Bush Lincoln is teaming up with the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois to host a kidney screening event from 10 am to 2 pm on Friday, May 23, in the Lumpkin Education Center, located in Entrance C at the Health Center.

•May 14, 2025•

On Saturday, June 21st, at Crowder Park in Bethany, beginning with sign-ins at 10:30 a.m. the Bethany “Bake off” will begin with judging of items submitted at 11:30.

•May 14, 2025•

by Jody Boulay 

As Memorial Day approaches, Americans nationwide prepare to honor the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our country. Ceremonies will be held, flags will be flown at half-staff, and families will gather to pay tribute. But amid the solemnity and gratitude lies a quieter, often overlooked truth. Many of our heroes return home not to peace but to a new battlefield, one waged within.

It’s a battle that doesn’t make headlines and is waged silently behind closed doors, far from the front lines. Military service members and veterans face unique and profound challenges that can linger long after their tours of duty end. While we rightfully celebrate their courage and sacrifice, we too often fail to recognize the invisible wounds many carry, particularly those that lead to substance use disorders.

The Hike to Mattoon

•May 14, 2025•

by Janet Roney

When I was a child, my Grandmother Shuman told me that when my great-grandmother Mary McPheeters Shuman was a little girl playing in her yard, Abraham Lincoln once waved at her as he rode by on the old Charleston Road that passed through our family farm. That story and others inspired my life-long interest in local history and old trails. 

In the summer of 1982, I suggested that our family hike the old Charleston Road from our home north of Sullivan to Mattoon. Our son, Clay, was twelve and daughter, Cynthia, just nine, but we were used to short hikes. On nice summer evenings, the kids and I, plus our dog, Ernie Bob, often walked down the road to visit Roger’s 92-year-old Grandfather Hall, about two miles, round trip.