The Giving Place, in conjunction with Allied Capital Title, is holding a winter coat drive. They are accepting clean, gently worn, or new winter coats as well as other winter gear. Drop off locations are at Allied Capital Title between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., 18 W Harrison Street in Sullivan, or The Giving Place between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., at 1102 W Jackson Street, Sullivan.
These coats are available for anyone in Moultrie County or the ALAH School District. If you need a coat, come to Allied Capital Title during business hours.
The Lovington Working Women’s Collective will host their annual Christmas in the Park event on Saturday, November 29th, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Tom Conn Park in Lovington. The community is invited to join in as they kick off the holiday season with an afternoon filled with festive cheer, community spirit, and magical moments for all ages. This event is free and open to the public. Bring your family, friends, and holiday spirit to celebrate the season with the Lovington community.
Front row L-R: Millie Hendry, Erin Woolridge, Sadie Meadows, River Polley, Claire Kursell, and Becky Lawson. Back row: Tina Bolsen, Sullivan American Legion Auxiliary President; Ruth Keown, and Mike Keown.
The Sullivan American Legion Auxiliary Unit #68 presented awards for its 2025 Veterans Day Art and Writing Contest at their Veterans Day Dinner on November 7th. Club Vice President Ruth Keown, Sgt. at Arms and contest coordinator Becky Lawson, and Sullivan American Legion Post 68 Board Member Mike Keown gave out trophies to junior Claire Kursell (1st place 11th/12th grade art and Best in Show); sophomore River Polley (1st place 9th/10th writing); and to three 5th graders who submitted art pieces: Sadie Meadows, first place; Erin Woolridge, second place; and Millie Hendry, third place.
Claire Kursell with her Best in Show and 1st place 11th/12th grade art piece.
Claire Kursell also received a monetary award for her Best in Show piece, and Polley was recognized for his piece, which honored Moultrie County veterans. Auxiliary President Tina Bolsen and Secretary/Treasurer Melanie Byers also assisted with the contest and the dinner.
On Friday, November 14th, a retirement was held at the Moultrie County Courthouse for Chief Deputy County Clerk Pam Wittkowski, after her over twenty-five years of service. Many of her friends and colleagues came to the party to wish her well, thank her for her service, and many an eye teared up as hugs, handshakes, laughter, and stories went around. As Pam said, “Many of the people I have worked with have become like family, and we support each other both at work as well as at home.”
Pam moved to Sullivan in 2000, and when she began looking for work outside of the home, after spending time first working on her home and volunteering with her church, the position was a perfect fit for her strong bookkeeping skills. “Georgia needed a lot of help,” she said. Pam shared that the position kept her very busy, from hearings, ongoing law changes, helping employees, servicing the board and election judges, as well as the community.
On November 11th at 2:10 a.m., a Sullivan Fire Protection District Ambulance was involved in a collision with another vehicle on Illinois Route 121 and approximately 300 feet east of Moultrie County Road 1600E. Both firefighters/EMTs were taken to Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center for non-life-threatening injuries, and both have been released. There were no occupants in the other vehicle.
The crew was returning to quarters after completing a transport to a local hospital. The ambulance sustained heavy fire damage and is considered a total loss. The Moultrie County Sheriff’s Office completed the investigation and report. The Sullivan Fire Protection District was assisted by Coles-Moultrie 911 and the Bethany Fire Protection District.
Okay Valley held their Veterans Day celebration last week to honor all those who serve our country. Keynote speaker SFC Heather Colclasure spoke about her life in the military and also shared a story about weathering a storm on the ocean while out on a fishing boat with her grandfather. Instead of dropping an anchor and being tethered to one spot during the storm, he kept going and faithfully followed the compass and it guided them through. She shared how the story was relevant in her life and challenged everyone to follow the compass.
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.
