When people see him coming up the driveway at local garage sales, they usually send George Schneider away packing. Schneider, president of the Collinsville Noon Lion's Club, spends his Friday and Saturday mornings at area yard and rummage sales collecting suitcases for foster children. Read the rest at http://www.suburbanjournals.stltoday.com
Category: Sample Work
City manager cooks up plans and food
After a long day managing city departments, implementing a strategic plan and fussing with budgets, it only takes a little food to relax Collinsville City Manager Robert Knabel. Knabel, 58, is amateur gourmet chef, a hobby few who interact with him at City Hall know about. "I've always been interested in cooking. It's therapeutic for me," Knabel said recently. "It allows me to focus on something different." Read the rest at http://www.shannonphilpott.com
Collinsville teacher charts growth in new learners
Published in the Suburban Journals/Collinsville Herald: 8/18/09 Decorated with bright yellow borders and character cut-outs, Doris McFall's classroom at Jefferson Elementary School in Collinsville has all the essentials of a typical kindergarten space, complete with crayons, markers and fairy tale books. But it's also filled with something more difficult to pin down, McFall said. "I tell my kids I love them and I mean it," McFall said as she prepared her room for her new batch of 24 students before the start of school last week. "No matter how old they are, you treat the kids the way you want to be treated." Read the rest at http://www.shannonphilpott.com
At Ashmann’s, Just ‘Ask Lenny’
Brief version published in the 8/9/09 issue of the Suburban Journals/Collinsville Herald He’s the go-to guy. He’s the one to ask about how to treat a wasp sting, how to test blood sugar and how to relieve a sunburn or rash. “Let me ask Lenny” is a common phrase heard throughout the aisles of Ashmann’s Pharmacy in Collinsville. Lenny Locus, owner of Ashmann’s for the past 11 years, has been a fixture in the store since 1967. It’s not his hard work or long hours that most notice – it’s that he is a people person. Read the rest at http://www.shannonphilpott.com
Hospice of Southern Illinois Comforts Entire Family at the End of Life
Margaret Hettenhausen is not afraid to die. Lying comfortably in a chair in her own home, she strokes her beloved cat, Missy, and says, “I’m not afraid; I’m ready.” Two months ago, Hettenhausen was driving a car; today she is unable to walk without support. The 92-year old is suffering from ovarian cancer. She may live two more days – two more years.
Faith, Overwhelming Support Gives Family Hope
He plays with his brothers – Jack and Joey – attends first grade, sits in the pew next to his parents each Sunday and goes about life as most –year olds do, but J.D. Maher is not your average –year old child. His name is on numerous prayer lists, including several in diocese. His grandmother, Althea, who lives in Arkansas, sends mailings to national prayer groups to pray for her grandson who is in desperate need of a liver transplant.
Gardening at its Best
Not only do fountains spruce up the life around it, they add a sensational look and feel to existing gardens or areas in the lawn that are not quite up to par.
A Family’s Journey of Life and Death Tests, Strengthens Faith
Every night, Jamie Detmer clutches a teddy bear as she sleeps. A recorder inside the bear allows her to hear the heartbeat of her baby who died suddenly this summer. The crib is packed away in the basement and the baby clothes are no longer hanging in the closet – yet the teddy bear remains.
Weathering the Storm with Rainbows
Sitting at a small table in a school cafeteria, approximately 10 students gather to talk. One student expresses anger, another expresses disbelief, while a third says she is finally at peace. Though their feelings drift from one extreme to the next, all of these students have one thing in common – they have experienced a significant loss through divorce or death.
A Twist(er) of Fate for Tornado Survivors
The silence was eerie. No one screamed, no one cried and no one spoke. Crowded among 25 people in a frigid meat cooler, Mark Philpott said a prayer. At that moment, a tornado plummeted through the County Market in Canton, Mo. as the building shook, beams crashed to the ground and winds up to 230 mph caused the walls to cave. No one screamed, no one cried and no one spoke. Mark Philpott kept praying.
Shannon Philpott-Sanders 