| Habitat for Humanity's goal is to 
			provide decent and affordable housing to those unable to secure it 
			through more traditional means. Nearly one-quarter of the world's 
			population, including 10 million Americans, lack adequate housing. 
			Families and individuals chosen for 
			Habitat for Humanity homes do not receive a handout, but a hand up. 
			Habitat homes are financed with affordable no-interest loans. 
			Mortgage payments are made locally to Habitat for Humanity of Logan 
			County, which in turn uses these funds to build or rehabilitate 
			other houses within the county. Families must have the financial 
			ability to make monthly mortgage payments. In addition to a monetary 
			down payment, families must provide 350 hours and individuals must 
			provide 250 hours of "sweat equity" into the completion of their 
			home and the homes of others. Interested families and individuals 
			should attend the Habitat for Humanity orientation on Sunday from 
			1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Logan County Housing Authority, 1028 N. 
			College. For more information on Habitat for 
			Humanity of Logan County, call 217-732-6412 or visit
			www.habitatlogan.org. 
			Habitat for Humanity is not only building homes and lives, but a 
			sense of community as well. 
 
	
			
			 Seating limited for Russel Allen Garden Day 
	Limited space is still available for 
	attendance at Russel Allen Garden Day. The event will be from 9 a.m. to 1 
	p.m. March 9 on the campus of Lincoln College. The program features keynote 
	speaker Dianne Noland, host and moderator of "Mid-American Gardener" on PBS.
	
			 
	Preregistration is highly encouraged. The 
	registration fee is $10 before March 2 and $12 at the door. To view a 
	brochure and
	
	register online, visit the Logan-Menard-Sangamon Extension website,
	
	http://web.extension.illinois.edu/lms/. For additional information, call 
	217-732-8289. 
 
	
			
			 LaVerne 
	Landers, director of nursing, to retire from ALMH 
	LaVerne Landers of Lincoln will retire from 
	Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital this month after providing 28 years of 
	service to the hospital and its patients. 
			 Landers began her career as a nurse 
			technician in the obstetrics unit. From there, encouraged by her 
			husband, Terry, and the obstetrics staff, she returned to school and 
			earned her associate degree and diploma in nursing. Her continued 
			desire for learning resulted in a bachelor's degree in leadership 
			from Lincoln Christian University and most recently a bachelor's 
			degree in nursing from Benedictine University in Springfield. 
			 Landers moved from her position in 
			obstetrics to serve as a hospice nurse before moving into the role 
			of case management. She was then selected for the assistant director 
			of nursing role and subsequently assumed the director of nursing 
			position in November 2007.  According to Landers, nursing 
			seemed a natural fit as she believes she was blessed with the gift 
			of caring for others. Her career at ALMH allowed her to do 
			purposeful work in a value-based organization working side by side 
			with others who cared as much as she did. She is proud of the 
			nursing team and believes they are the "best of the best of us."
			 "Many of our nurses drive by other 
			hospitals and clinics to work at ALMH. They choose to practice in a 
			culture that places the patient at the very center of all that we 
			do," said Landers. Landers is proud to leave a legacy 
			of exceptional nursing leaders who are prepared to do whatever it 
			takes to care for our community and for each other.  Former and current employees along 
			with the public are invited to join Landers as her contributions to 
			ALMH are celebrated with a cake and punch reception from 1 to 3 p.m. 
			Friday in the Steinfort Rooms at ALMH, 200 Stahlhut Drive. 
 
	
			
			 Blood 
	drive Monday 
	To help ensure an adequate 
	blood supply for the region, there will be a blood drive at the Lincoln 
	Masonic Center, 2022 N. Kickapoo, on Monday, March 4, from noon to 6 p.m. 
			 For your convenience, call Alexis to 
			sign up toll-free at 1-866-GIVE-BLD (1-866-448-3253), ext. 5158, or 
			schedule an appointment online using sponsor code 60057 at
			
			www.bloodcenterimpact.org. Walk-ins are also welcome and truly 
			appreciated.  Central Illinois Community Blood 
			Center, a not-for-profit organization, is the provider of lifesaving 
			blood for 14 hospitals throughout central Illinois, including 
			Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Lincoln and Memorial Medical 
			Center and St. John’s Hospital in Springfield. CICBC is a division 
			of the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center, which collects over 
			180,000 units of blood annually and serves a total of 87 hospitals 
			in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin. 
 
	
			
			 Middletown 
	Presbyterian Church hosting a soup buffet 
	MIDDLETOWN -- Middletown Presbyterian Church 
	will host a soup buffet on Sunday, March 3, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. On the 
	menu will be vegetable beef soup, chili, homemade chicken noodle soup, 
	cheesy broccoli soup, relish tray, pie or cake, and drinks. 
			 
            It's an all-you-can-eat meal. The cost 
			is $6 for adults, $3 for children ages 4-12, and youngsters 3 and 
			under eat free.  
 
			 Lincoln 
	Writer's Club will meet March 12 
	Lincoln Writer's Club will 
	meet Tuesday, March 12, at 6:30 p.m. in the Alumni Room of the Lincoln 
	College student center. 
            Suggested writing topics: story about 
			Easter; nicknames; to be 13 again; or springtime. 
			All are welcome. For more information, call 732-2723. 
			 
 [to top of second 
			column] | 
 
 
			 Lincoln 
	Jaycees Lawnmower Clinic 
	Have the Lincoln Jaycees get your mower ready 
	for the upcoming season. Bring in your push mower (no riding mowers) and the 
	Jaycees will change the oil, change the spark plug, sharpen the blade, clean 
	the mower deck and check the air filter. 
			Mowers may be dropped off from 9 a.m. 
			to noon on Saturday, March 9, at the Lincoln Jaycees Center, 325 S. 
			Chicago St. Mowers may be picked up the same day from 3 to 5 p.m. The cost is $30 at drop-off. (Save 
			$5 if you prepay online at
			
			lincolnjaycees.com.) All profits help fund upcoming Lincoln 
			Jaycees community projects. ___ The Lincoln Jaycees are a 
			not-for-profit organization serving Lincoln and the surrounding 
			communities. The organization gives young people ages 18-40 the 
			tools they need to build the bridges of success for themselves in 
			the areas of business development, management skills, individual 
			training, community service and international connections. 
			Membership meetings are the third Friday of each month, 7:30 p.m., 
			at the Lincoln Jaycees Center, 325 S. Chicago St., and are open to 
			everyone. 
 
			
			 Community 
	Action board meeting notice 
	The next regularly scheduled corporate board 
	meeting of the Community Action Partnership is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 
	28, at 7 p.m. The meeting will be at Community Action's corporate offices, 
	1800 Fifth St. in Lincoln. 
			For 
			transportation to the meeting, contact the resource specialist at 
			your county office: 
				
				
				DeWitt County:Anita Russell, 217-935-2455
				
				Logan County:Cyndi Campbell, 217-732-2159
				
				Mason/Fulton County:Anna Richardson, 309-543-6988
				Piatt 
				County:Wendy Dotson, 217-762-2421
 
 
			
			 Polar 
	Plungers across Illinois will be freezin' for a reason Feb. 22-March 17 
	NORMAL -- It's not every day that people are 
	willing to "go jump in a lake" -- particularly in the winter -- let alone do 
	so with thousands of other people, including members of the law enforcement 
	community. But that's exactly what will happen on various weekends in 
	February and March as part of the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run Polar 
	Plunge to benefit Special Olympics Illinois presented by GEICO. Any adventurous soul is invited to 
			join law enforcement officers, as well as media and business and 
			civic leaders from their community, by donning bathing suits, 
			costumes or any clothing of choice (just no wetsuits!) to jump in a 
			lake. Each plunger must collect a minimum of $75 in donations that 
			will be used to support Special Olympics programs in Illinois.
			 The event has grown from one location in 1999 to 20 locations 
			across the state this year. The Polar Plunge series will kick off 
			with a Super Plunge -- where participants raise a minimum of $2,500 
			and plunge into Lake Michigan once every hour for 24 hours -- on 
			Feb. 22-23 at Northwestern University's North Beach in Evanston. The Logan County plunge will take place on Sunday, March 17, at 2 
			p.m. at Lincoln Lakes. Please note this is a change in both day of the 
			week and time. Anyone wishing to know more about the local plunge 
			can click on the "Polar 
			Plunge" button on the Top Stories page of LDN or contact Joanie 
			Keyes of Special Olympics Illinois at 217-428-9255. Individuals and teams can register for the plunge on the Special 
			Olympics Illinois website at
			
			http://www.plungeillinois.com/ or by contacting Keyes at the 
			number above. Plungers are encouraged to form teams to spread the fun. Each 
			team member must raise the minimum of $75 in donations, and all team 
			members' individual fundraising totals will be merged to form a 
			combined team total. Teams are placed into divisions based on size 
			and are awarded prizes for the most money raised. All plungers will receive gifts, compete for prizes, and enjoy 
			food and camaraderie with other chilly participants. The more money 
			a plunger raises, the more chances he or she will have to win a 
			four-night trip for two adults to Cancun, Mexico, with 
			accommodations at Riu Peninsula, courtesy of Apple Vacations. For 
			every $500 a plunger raises, he or she will get an entry into the 
			drawing for this grand prize.  The Illinois Law Enforcement Torch Run is the single largest 
			year-round fundraising vehicle benefiting Special Olympics Illinois. 
			The annual intrastate relay and its various fundraising projects 
			have two goals: to raise money and increase public awareness for the 
			athletes of Special Olympics Illinois. Each year, more than 3,000 
			officers in Illinois run more than 1,500 miles carrying the "Flame 
			of Hope" through the streets of their hometowns and deliver it to 
			the State Summer Games in Normal in June. 
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