Business Deal Sparked After Golf Course Quip
Published in the 1/11/11 issue of the Suburban Journals
Business Deal Sparked After Golf Course Quip
What began as a quip on a golf course evolved into a business transaction for Jeff Herr and Mike Ogle.
One day on the links last year, Herr — owner of Cullop-Jennings Florist in Collinsville — jokingly suggested Ogle purchase his business.
Herr, who owned the shop for 18 years, was kidding at first, but the two got talking and realized they were on to something. Continue reading
A second-grader’s mission to warm Madison
Published in the 12/20/10 issue of the Suburban Journals
A second-grader’s mission to warm Madison
‘I kept seeing a lot of kids without coats,’ says girl
When Z’Sanique Sanders, 7, told her principal she had an idea to warm up her classmates this winter, she meant business.
The second-grader at Harris Accelerated Elementary School in Madison was serious about opening up her heart to the community, Principal Terrien Fennoy said.
“She came to me in September and said ‘I have an idea’ and then she kept stopping by my office each week to remind me. She was persistent and genuinely concerned as the weather got colder,” Fennoy said.
Sanders’ idea evolved from a wish to help her classmates into a community-wide winter coat drive called “From Our Hearts to Yours.” Continue reading
Family Works to Remember Fallen Edwardsville Soldiers
Published in the 11/8/10 issue of the Suburban Journals
Family Works to Remember Fallen Edwardsville Soldiers
Monument Planned at City Park
Doug and Jill Garbs remember their son as a “behind-the-scenes” type who aspired to serve his country as an army ranger. Spc. Ryan Garbs spent two years on secret operations as a U.S. Army Ranger before he was killed Feb. 18, 2007, in Zabul Province, Afghanistan.
Ryan Garbs’ story is similar to those of at least 74 other soldiers from the Edwardsville area. One fought in hand-to-hand combat during World War II, another was killed in a plane crash in North Carolina and two Hamel brothers were killed on the same day. Continue reading
Nonprofit Recognizes One of Its Own
Published in the 10/5/10 issue of the Suburban Journals
Nonprofit Recognizes One of its Own in Fairview Heights
Goodwill worker went from shopper to manager
Tenia Buchanan spent years shopping at Goodwill to provide necessities for her children. On a whim, she said, she applied for a job and 15 years later, as the store manager of the Fairview Heights store, she is now considered a local hero by the nonprofit.
“I was a welfare recipient, a low-income parent looking for a job. When I started here, I never thought I would find myself in this position 15 years later,” Buchanan said. “I’ve been very blessed with an opportunity of a lifetime.” Continue reading
Collinsville educator gets another chance to conduct
Published in the 9/14/10 issue of the Suburban Journals
Collinsville educator gets another chance to conduct
Retired music teacher to lead band in November
Bruce Hawkins said he got the best going away present imaginable for a music teacher when he retired from Collinsville schools last year: A published piece of music dedicated to his years of service.
“It is one of the most thrilling, memorable things anyone has done for me, and I’ve had a lot of thrilling moments in my 35 years,” said Hawkins, who led the middle school band for two decades. Continue reading
Family Donates in Memory of Life Cut Short
Published in the 7/9/10 issue of the Suburban Journals
Fairview Heights family donates in memory of life cut short
New playground equipment added to center
Family and friends say Lauren Glueck was a child at heart. Children flocked to her when she baby-sat and played on the playground at the Elks Lodge in Fairview Heights.
So after Glueck died suddenly from cardiac arrest in November 2008 at 23, it only seemed fitting that her loved ones would honor her memory by helping build a new playground. Continue reading
Metro East Libraries Brace for Massive Cuts
Published in the 6/6/10 issue of the Suburban Journals/Collinsville Herald
Metro East Libraries Brace for Massive Cuts
Library System Lays off Staff, Slices Services
Evaporated state funding is claiming another victim: Libraries.
The Lewis and Clark Library System, which links nearly every library book in the Metro East, on July 1 will no longer offer nonessential services to members – meaning the continuing education, legal advice and advocacy provided since the 1960s will end. Six positions will also be chopped. Continue reading
About Me
Three words to describe me? Passionate. Motivated. Curious. These traits help me as a college media adviser and professor, freelance writer, author and mom. From student journalism and higher education to parenting and freelance writing, this site, focused on writing, reflecting and teaching, offers a mix of blogs with a hint of humor, sarcasm, and inspiration, as well as my published stories on just about every possible topic.
Feel free to browse my sample works including feature news, magazine, and web copywriting pieces from the past and present. You can also pick up my new book “Screen-Free Fun: 400 Activities for the Whole Family” now available. Check back often for daily updates, blog entries, and additional stories. Feel free to contact me directly at shphilpott@gmail.com, follow me on Twitter, or grab tips for Screen-Free Fun on our Facebook page. Comments are welcome!
Shannon Philpott-Sanders 