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62644.com This active publication and company is dedicated to the purpose of working for the good of the community, Central Illinois, and its citizens. The online publication, www.62644.com, has been very successful throughout its history of helping where help is needed. This focus, direction, and commitment will not only continue but it will continue to grow. Thank you for your support of these important community programs and projects in the past and in the future. Contact:
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Amber Alert System
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THE BIRTH OF 62644 by Ted Connolly, Written December 2005 I remember vividly
growing up in the small town of Bath, Illinois. My dad was the Postmaster
there and always working on something when he got home. My mom was, and
still is, one of those great mothers who are always there for you when you
needed someone. I was lucky and very blessed with a great childhood in a
great home because of these two wonderful people. I specially remember my
fascination with cameras and pictures during my childhood. Somehow I got my
hands on an old Kodak Brownie 127 Box camera, which was my The summer of 2001 found me living in Champaign, Illinois, working for a huge corporation based there. One evening I was talking with an old friend who had moved out West. During our conversation he asked me what I did on weekends. When I replied that I normally went to Havana for the weekend, since he is from the area, he replied, “What in the world ever goes on in Havana, Illinois?” At that very moment 62644 was born in my mind. I went out later that evening and purchased the cheapest digital camera I could find, some little HP, $50, no adjustments, fixed-focus one...but it was a digital. The next few days passed and my computer was all set up to handle the photos from the new camera and I had done some experimenting with AOL Homepage. Needless to say, I took the camera with me to Havana the following weekend and grabbed a few photos around town. Back in Champaign after the weekend, I couldn’t wait to place my photos onto the Homepage I had created. That Sunday night did not include sleep in its outcome; little did I know how many of those sleepless nights would follow in the next few years. But 62644 was not only born but crying and screaming for more in my mind. The last task before showering and off to work in the early morning hours was to email a link to my friend out West. Upon returning home from work that evening I found over 20 emails, not only from my friend but others he had forwarded the link to. Everyone loved it and wanted more, more, more. In December of 2003, I acquired the domain name of 62644.com and the website was moved to the WWW and able to walk on it’s own. You know the rest, you are 62644.com, you are the reason it exists, and you are the reason it will never die. Sleepless nights...sure there have been many of them, sitting there working on the site with only my friend, Furby, at my side. Often I ask myself, “Is anyone really looking at all this stuff?” I received very little feedback in those days, the daily reports I got each morning said that lots of people were going there and I do mean a lot, but why wouldn't anyone say anything? Sure there were a few, but not the response I thought it would get from people on the street. It is still pretty much the same today but there is one simple fact that cannot be ignored, over 13.5 million visitors have clicked on 62644.com since it was placed on the WWW in December of 2003. Think about this for one moment, 13,607,806 people have clicked on our pages and have seen for themselves what Havana is all about...how remarkable is that? An online publication about a town of 3,500 people has done that today and will continue to do so far into the future. 62644.com was born not only of great passion but also out of a desire to celebrate our wonderful corner of America, the heart and soul of the Heartland. But mostly it is all about you; the dirt farmers, the mechanics, the truckers, the blood, sweat, and tears of The United States of America. Over the past few years we have celebrated great races, familiar faces, and incredible places. Sometimes stretched beyond our own limitations we have continued to bring you over 75 web pages over three hundred thousand photographs and stories from our American life in Central Illinois. But priorities ultimately have to become priorities and at times we must all take personal inventory. After the recent success of such features as FLIPSIDE, PHOTO ESSAYS, captured moments of walks down Main Street at midnight, full moons and dazzling sunsets than normally cannot be adequately captured in a camera lens, we have chosen just one focus…62644.com. IN CLOSING…Thank you also to those of you who have made the counter on a main-frame computer sitting in California roll over 13,607,806 on our tally sheet as of December 2005. It is truly a remarkable milestone. Frankly, one I never dreamed possible. With quite enough said here, let’s get on to what we do best. Please allow us to show you just a few of the places we have been, the sights we have seen, the incredible faces that made us smile, and yes; even a few of the things which placed a tear in our eyes. We humbly give you our look at your neighborhood, your neighbors, and the place we call home and it's electronic publication www.62644.com. |
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Our Most Important 62644.com Community Project Ever
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Many of you know about Charlie Wilson and his battle with cancer. It can have devastating effects on the individual and the entire family involved in these all-to-numerous battles. Late Friday night
we were told of Charlie's latest reports. It seems that everything
had been going well until the last couple of days ago when everyone
learned that the cancer he is battling has now spread to his brain
We stopped by to take photos of the ramp being built on Saturday morning and those there helping were: Terry Holmes, Brett Wilson, Megan Wilson, Gary Stambaugh, Dan Wilson, and Ed Wilson was running an errand while we were there. We returned later to get a shot of the finished ramp and a structure which will make the life of Charlie Wilson and his family much easier in the future. Thank you to everyone who helped us help this great family.
Charlie’s Gift
Charlie’s family jumped right in and was able to get the ramp built in time from the lumber delivered there on a moments notice. Sadly, the factors changed and the cancer which advanced into Charlie’s brain stem and all too quickly took the life of this loved Havana resident much sooner than expected. On Monday, November 26th, the day of Charlie’s visitation and then his funeral services today, his family contacted me to share their plan for Charlie’s Gift. His son Dan (Danny), as many of you know, is always the first one there when someone else needs help. Charlie’s Ramp will be dismantled in a way that it can be installed at the homes of other Havana residents who are in need of one. Charlie’s family hopes that this ramp lovingly built for him will now help many of his friends and neighbors over many years in the future. There will be no charge for this ramp or the work to set it up at a needy household. Danny and other family members will install this ramp all in the memory and honor of Charlie Wilson.
Once again we would like to thank
Just this morning I have received a note from Senior Services of Central Illinois, part of which I would like to share with all of you... Senior Services of Central Illinois serves Mason, Menard, Logan and Sangamon counties by providing non-medical services to seniors. Basically, we provide solutions to everyday problems so seniors can continue to live independently, in their own homes for as long as possible. We serve all seniors but programs focus on those who live at or below the poverty line. In rural Illinois, these services are still relatively unknown and I think your readers might benefit from the information contained in the attached story. Also there is a significant savings to the state of Illinois because of the costs involved with nursing home placement, compared with seniors living at home. Here is the link to our website www.ssoci.org and this contains information about the programs are available to seniors. Unfortunately, Charlie is Please feel free to contact me with questions. Respectfully, Ron Homann Senior Services of Central Illinois |
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CORY MILLER, Welcome Home
Some of you may already know Cory but if you don't this is one 13
year old kid you need to know. In so many ways he is just like any
other typical teenage boy until you get to know him a little bit and
realize just how brave this young man really is. His eyes and smile
bring out Cory's personality which will immediately steal your
heart. How we met Cory is a story we hope you have read about here
on 62644.com because it was actually Charlie
Kimball Miller was able to bring his son Cory home recently. Cory
had been living in Indiana with his mother but last April a tragedy
unfolded when Cory was forced to witness his mothers murder. It was
a fight to the end for Kimball with the State of Indiana but a fight
that is now over and Cory is home with his dad. Cory instantly
became a popular student here in our Havana Schools with his new
classmates and teachers. There goes that smile of his again at work.
Yes, Cory is a brave young man; he not only has had a lot of tragedy
to deal with in his young life but Cory has been given other battles
to fight. As a result of a birth injury Cory has Cerebral Palsy and
confined to a wheelchair. Now is when you find out how brave this
young man really is; since coming home to Havana he has had the
opportunity for his life to open up considerably compared to his
former life. Cory has not let this opportunity slip by. Cory
LOVES school, Country Music, girls (hey, he's a typical 13 year old
boy), being around people and especially kids his own age...Cory
even loves chores. He wants so much to be a part of everything,
including work that needs to be done, that he has someone tie the lawnmower
behind his wheelchair
Cory has had a rough road in
his short life but he is a fighter with the heart of a lion and
don't forget that smile. We would like to send a very special thank you to a very special person, Dan Wilson, you rock! There were some others on our special thank you list also who made this all possible and they are; Dan's son...Brett Wilson, Terry "Homey" Holmes, Gary Humphrey, Chris Schnoor, Sam Sanguedolce, and Scott Pherigo. Thank all of you from the bottom of our hearts. So Cory, stretch your wings young man, spring will be here soon and there will be lots of grass to mow, but after spending some time with you I am very sure that will only make your smile bigger. You are a great young man, never stop fighting because I am sure you will never let the world take away that smile. And...thank you Charlie.
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A HERO COMES HOME
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62644.com's "Art for All"
Pumpkin Night Monday's at 4:30 in
Riverfront Park is the place to be if you want to have some fun with Art.
Kids of all ages stop by and really enjoy themselves as you A special Thank You to Misty Long and Janet Maddox who always come up with some great things for everyone to do and the necessary items to do it with. As you can see, pumpkin painting was a lot of fun and I am not sure who enjoyed it more the kids or the adults. We hope to keep the program going
all year round as long as the interest continues. For more
information on the Art for All Program email Janet Maddox at |
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Havana 6th Grade Joins 62644.com's Pen Pal Program Patti Downs and her 6th Grade Students recently started their first session of writing letters to our troops currently deployed to Iraq. A sample of these beautiful letters is at left. As I read through all of the letters I wanted to try and find one that stood out and came directly from the heart of one of these 6th graders. Austin, you did a fantastic job. Your letter touched me as I know it will all the soldiers who read it and I am sure it will get passed around a lot in Iraq. Thank you Austin for your great letter and for showing how much you care about our troops. I feel that your words say very loud and clearly what all America should have in our hearts. You have said what we should all be saying. I and all of us are very proud of you. I want to thank Ms. Downs and her students for this great gesture in support of America's Troops. They will love receiving them and they will get them as soon as possible as we are shipping them out today. |
 Become a 62644.comPen Pal One thing never
changes with time and soldiers. Our deployed soldiers are our neighbors who
are off in some lonely and dangerous foreign land doing a very difficult job
for us. When it is time for mail call their hearts beat a little faster
thinking "Maybe they will call my name today." Imagine the disappointment
when once again your name is not called. You can change this by becoming a
much needed pen pal for our troops. There are many soldiers in Iraq and many
other global locations who do not get mail from home. It is so easy, takes
very little time, and makes such a difference. Please get involved...anyone
can help, are you a teacher, a coach, a scout leader, a senior citizen? You
and your groups can get involved. Please send a soldier a huge smile, send
them just five minutes of your time. These brave men and women are not
strangers they are our neighbors. To get addresses and names please contact
62644.com by emailing
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ALL YOU CAN DO IS TRY... Brian Piccolo, left, the great running back from Wake Forrest and the Chicago Bears, said shortly before he died at the age of only 26 years old from cancer, "God, please don't judge me for what I accomplished but on how hard I tried." Picc's famous last words rang very loudly in my mind on Saturday night in Bath. ROCK THE RIVER 2 was a benefit concert scheduled to help our Central Illinois troops currently deployed to Iraq, The Central Illinois SkatePark Project, and the Stephen Hamm Memorial Fund. We would like to thank everyone who helped with all the hard work of organizing this event and the great entertainment line-up who volunteered their time and talents to make this possible. |
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The Stephen R. Hamm Memorial Fund THE 62644.com FRIDAY COOKOUT The Foundation held a cookout at County Market last Friday 14th with all the proceeds going directly to Stephen's Memorial Fund. We are happy to report that we had a total sales for the day of $166.50. The necessary items purchased from County Market for the cookout totaled $47.41. We received a total of $39.81 in cash donations resulting in a total amount of $159.00 which was presented to the family on Wednesday, September 19th, by Secretary/Treasurer Janet Maddox, a copy of the check is shown here. We would like to thank all of you who came by for a sandwich on Friday and County Market for your kind donation to this project. To see Tara Mattimoe's story in the Pekin Daily Times |
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Report on Other Projects There is one other project which we have not been able to report the status of until now. On August 25th we held a Spaghetti Dinner at the VFW in benefit of our troops. We had experienced a delay while waiting for the final bill from one of our vendors which has now been received and the results of this benefit can now be published. The total receipts from the evening was $394.00 from dinners served and donations. Expenses for the dinner totaled $370.12 leaving a profit of $23.88. As promised we have presented a check (right) which was presented to the VFW for 1/2 of the proceeds on Friday, September 21st by Secretary/Treasurer, Janet Maddox. We have also purchased as many items as possible from other donations and operating funds and these items were shipped on Friday as shown at left. The cost of the items and shipping total is $201.16 from our general fund and not generated by this event. As you can see at left the shipments are on their way and we will have photographs of the items being distributed in Iraq as soon as the photos are received back. |
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The 62644 Foundation Makes it's First Presentation Note: I would like to thank the Foundation for allowing me the honor of making the first presentation. The following are the same notes I prepared for myself to use onstage during the actual event. Ted
Mary was a very
patient and gifted teacher. But Mary was much more. We played a
number of events earlier that year back in the ‘50s and passed
the hat at every one of them. We had a neighbor in Bath and her
name was Cynthia. Cynthia had been severely stricken with
cerebral palsy and Mary made a
Mary Lacey’s kind heart and willingness to take that extra step to help a neighbor is what The 62644 Foundation is all about. Sometimes God works in some remarkable ways as fifty years later Mary and I are back on a stage together just eight miles away. In the same spirit of Mary Lacey’s act of love and kindness fifty years ago the Foundation has a little something back here…. At this time we were going to introduce you to a young lady named Angela
Mary, 50 years ago you taught a
small group of kids a lot more than just some music. Your
kindness and caring has been an inspiration for many and it is
that same spirit in which this foundation
Mary, I think that it was very special that we were able find another wheelchair again after 50 years, I thank you very much for letting us surprise you after all those years and for your help in presenting it. It was great to see you and to finally thank you properly. Would everyone please give Mary a big round of applause?
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ON A MISSION The 62644 Foundation was proud to present a check to Barbara Sawyer, Director of the Mission of H.O.P.E. located right here in Havana. The Foundation's donation is earmarked for the Mission's School Supply Program. In the next few days you will be learning a lot more about Barbara and Jerry Sawyer's efforts to help others and what drives these two wonderful folks to work so very hard at helping their neighbors. |
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Havana Ministerial Association is a group of Havana Ministers dedicated to helping people who are experiencing a personal emergency or crisis. Recently this fine organization, represented by Ruth Beaty, was presented a check to help with their programs by The 62644 Foundation treasurer. Neighbors helping neighbors is a very contagious thing. |
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It is no
secret that the Seward family loves
horses. It is also no secret that they love kids. When The 62644
Foundation ask them to make a donation to help with some of its
goals they did not hesitate to hand the foundation a gift
certificate allowing a Happy Birthday Summer! |
most cherished
possession. When one of my photos was published in The Mason County
Democrat, this eight-year-old kid was hooked. If 62644.com was not born at
this time, then it’s conception had certainly just occurred. My love of
photography has never changed since those early years. Photography has taken
me all over this old world of ours working with lots of very interesting
people and businesses over the many years since that very first photo in the MCD. I must say that it was people like Neil Braendle, Bob Martin, Sr., and
Bud Cullinane who saw fit to encourage me in those early years that I am
thankful to. Fred Schnell, an incredible man who also possessed great
talents with camera and pen, became one of my closest friends. Like many who
knew him, his early passing was a great loss to myself and this world.
So the solution to
the problem was simple, helping hands were not a problem only
getting the lumber to build the needed wheelchair ramp was holding
back making the life of a good and very brave man very much
easier. I am very happy to tell you that when we were asked if we
could help, we of course said yes. The very first thing on Saturday
morning found Janet Maddox and I talking about the best way to
Not
long ago we told you about the special needs of Charlie Wilson’s family, as
Charlie was stricken with yet another advancement of the
Wilson who introduced us.
and
does a great job of cutting the grass. Cory even underwent surgery a
few days ago and is already back to his normal self. 
"I
SUMMER'S
SONG
youngster to attend their riding camp for kids. At the recent
Beach Party held by the foundation, I soon learned about Summer Bath, who has wanted to