Hammond-Henry Hospital to Close Orion Clinic – By Claudia Loucks

By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current

The Orion Clinic will close its doors on Thursday, Nov. 30.

Information from Hammond-Henry Hospital, stated that due to staffing difficulties and a recent clinic assessment that highlighted concerning barriers to success, Hammond-Henry Hospital Group, 1001 Division Street, Orion, will be closing on Nov. 30. In the meantime, Orion Clinic staff will assist patients who have questions about transitioning their care to another provider and/or clinic.

“Orion Clinic staff diligently working to ensure all our Orion Clinic patients know that their walk-in and family practice needs can be met at most of our other clinic locations,” said Colton Anderson, Director of Clinic Services. “I, or the Orion Clinic staff, will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the closure.”

Hammond-Henry Hospital currently has family providers accepting new patients in the Port Byron and Geneseo locations. They include:

-Dr. Julie Brown, Port Byron and Geneseo Clinics.

-Katie Sowder, APRN, Port Byron Clinic.

-Elyse Wolf, APRN, Geneseo Clinic.

-Katie Grimes, APRN, Geneseo Clinic.

-Dr. Loren Soria, Geneseo Clinic.

Hammond-Henry Hospital Medical Group has clinics in these locations:

-Port Byron Clinic, 105 N. Main St., Port Byron (309-523-2015).

-Geneseo Clinic, 600 N. College Ave., Geneseo (309-944-1275).

-Kewanee Clinic, 1258 W. South St., Kewanee (309-853-3677).

-Colona Clinic, 1604 Cleveland Road, Colona (309-949-2999) – walk-in care only.

-Annawan Clinic, 2023 W. Front St., Annawan (309-935-4100) – walk-in care only.

-Cambridge Clinic, 106 N. East St., Cambridge (309-937-3560) – family practice only and currently not accepting new patients.

Information from Hammond-Henry also stated that the hospital “will work to assure that resources and communication are available to meet questions or concerns. Please do not hesitate to all the Orion Clinic staff at 309-526-3957 or Colton Anderson at 309-944-9182.

Operation Christmas Child In Need of Filled Shoeboxes – By Claudia Loucks

By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current

Shoeboxes also can filled online by visiting Samaritan’s Purse.org and finding Operation Christmas Child Build a Box. According to Shelly Emerick, by filling a shoebox online, people are able to choose items they want included in their shoebox…”You can even include a personal note and download a picture that will be printed and placed in your shoebox. Cost is $25 and you are able to follow your shoebox to its destination.”

Teresa Johnson, left, Operation Christmas Child coordinator at Geneseo Evangelical Free Church in Geneseo; and Shelly Emerick, representing Operation Christmas Child in Geneseo, show the empty shoeboxes that still need to be filled, and some that have been filled. Empty shoeboxes are available to be picked up at Geneseo Evangelical Free Church, 914 North Chicago St., Geneseo. Photo by Claudia Loucks

The Packing Party dates are set and the shoebox drop-off dates are in place, but there are still many empty shoeboxes to be filled for the Operation Christmas Child outreach.

Team members are aware that the Christmas season is drawing closer and there is a concern of making sure the OCC shoeboxes get to disadvantaged children worldwide.

A display of empty shoeboxes has been set up in the gathering area at Geneseo Evangelical Free Church where people can pick them up and return them when they are filled. The church will be open from 8 to 4 on weekdays, with the exception of being closed from 12 to 1 p.m. Shoeboxes also may be picked up during Sunday church services at GEFC.

Packing a shoebox can be done by anyone and the first step is to decide to pack for a boy or a girl in age groups 2-4, 5-9 or 10-14. It’s best to begin with a “wow” item such as a doll, stuffed animal, deflated soccer ball with a pump, toy cars or trucks. It is important to include school supplies and hygiene items such as a washcloth and soap, toothbrush, but toothpaste is not allowed.

Clothing or shoes also can be included in the shoebox as well as fun toys, but no food, candy, liquids or jells.

Each shoebox contains a copy of “The Greatest Gift” booklet, a storybook that shares the message of salvation, written in the language of the child receiving the shoebox.

Items that cannot be included in the shoeboxes are anything glass, liquid, camouflage or war-related, or any type of food.

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Richmond Hill Players to Close Season with Comedy – By Claudia Loucks

By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current

Geneseo’s Richmond Hill Players close their 2023 season with “Unnecessary Farce,” a comedy by Paul Slade Smith. The show will be presented Thursdays through Sundays, Nov. 9-19, at the Barn Theatre in Geneseo. Jonathan Grafft, Geneseo, directs the show.

Chris White and Dana Skiles, both of Geneseo, are among the cast of “Unnecessary Farce,” to be presented Nov. 9-19 at the Barn Theatre in Geneseo.

ABOUT THE PLAY:

“Two cops. Three crooks. Eight doors. Go! In a cheap motel room, two incompetent undercover cops wait anxiously to videotape a meeting in the adjoining room between an embezzling mayor and his female accountant, who is working with the cops. But there is so much confusion; who’s in which room now? Who’s being videotaped? Who took the money? Who hired a Scottish hit man (whose accent becomes more incomprehensible the angrier he gets), and why does the accountant keep taking off her clothes?”

The cast features Nathan Johnson, Dana Skiles, Jessica White, Chris White, all of Geneseo; Katie Orwig, Atkinson; Mike Kelly, Rock Island; and Scott Harl, Peru.

The staff includes co-state manager Patrick Kelley, Kewanee; co-stage manager/costumer Jackie Skiles; Lights and sound designer/set painter Dana Skiles’; set builder Mike Skiles, all of Geneseo; booth operator David Shaffer, Moline; and set builder Jim Skiles, Colona.

On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, the doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the show beginning at 7:30 p.m. Sunday shows are 3 p.m. matinees with the doors opening at 2 p.m.

Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling the Richmond Hill box office at 309-944-2244 or by visiting the website at rhplayers.com.

Late seating is not permitted; no one will be admitted to the theater after the show has started.

Admission to all performances is $12.

An audio description performance will be held Friday, Nov. 10. Richmond Hill also offers Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs), which can be requested at the time reservations are made.

Jessica White and Nathan Johnson, both of Geneseo, rehearse a scene from the upcoming Richmond Hill Players production of “Unnecessary Farce.”

ABOUT RICHMOND HILL PLAYERS:

A non-profit community theater group presenting plays in the converted top floor of an old dairy barn in Geneseo since 1968. Approximately 100 active members are involved on and off-stage each year, with actors, directors, backstage personnel, support staffs, and audience drawn form a 75-100-mile radius that includes cities in both Illinois and Iowa.

Katie Orwig, Atkinson, and Scott Harl, Peru, are shown in a scene from the Richmond Hill Players comedy which will close the 2023 season.

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New Dog Runs To Be A Reality At Geneseo Shelter – By Claudia Loucks

By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current

“Dreams do come true,” according to Linda VanDerLeest, president of the Henry County Humane Society Geneseo Shelter.

Those dreams became a reality in part from grant money received from the Miller Foundation, $39,000, and from the Geneseo Foundation, just over $14,000, in addition to charitable donations from the community.

VanDerLeest said the money will provide for six new dog runs, one more than the original five runs which are about five years old…”We want to stay within our means financially and we will do some of the work ourselves on the runs.”

Original plans were to build the new runs using pea gravel but VanDerLeest said, “Ideally, dog runs have turf surfaces,” and with the grant money received, the Geneseo Shelter will have the turf surfaces.

Kim Park, who with Kristen VerStraete, make up the facilities committee at the shelter, said the current dog runs are not “dog-friendly,” as the dogs can dig under the fencing and at times their nuzzles get stuck in the chain link fence due to the large openings.

Park said each of the new runs will be enclosed with vinyl privacy fencing… With the vinyl fencing, the dogs will not be able to see each other in the other runs, and that will create less anxiety which will be safer for the dogs and the staff and volunteers.”

She said with the turf surface, the dogs will be less able to dig under the turf and also will improve disease control because the turf can be sanitized.

Park estimated the Geneseo Shelter, a no-kill shelter, cares for about 10 dogs at a time, not including the two or three that are in foster care and in addition, there is a waiting list.

“We have seen an increase in animals coming to the shelter, which could possibly be because of the financial hardships people are experiencing,” she said, and added, “We have six dogs on our waiting list and we get calls daily.”

It is expensive for the shelter to care for the animals, and Park explained that each animal typically requires spay or neuter, updated vaccinations, and about half of them require some additional care. “In addition, we also have the expense of keeping up the kennels, maintenance and cleaning supplies.”

She said the turf will reduce cleaning expenses because with the turf surfaces the dogs will not be dragging dirt and mud into the kennels.

Demolition to the current runs will be completed by JB Excavating, Geneseo; and the new runs will be built by American Greens, Bettendorf.

Donations, monetary or supplies can be sent to Henry County Humane Society Geneseo at 14606 Roos Hill Rd., Geneseo, IL 61254.

Groundbreaking was held this week for the new dog runs at the Henry County Humane Society Geneseo Shelter. Those at the event included, from left, Jim Kelly, Henry County Economic Development; Erin Knackstedt, HCHS board member; Linda VanDerLeest, president; Kim Park, co-chair of shelter facilities committee and board member; Tyler Mackey, trust officer at Central Bank Geneseo; Kristen VerStraete, co-chair of shelter facilities committee and board member; Allison Roberts, Shelter Manager; Cindy Hoste, board member; Ashley Moore, board member, with “Petey,” who soon will be ready for adoption.

Kim Park, left, and Kristen Vertsraete, who make up the facilities committee at the Henry County Humane Society Geneseo, are shown at the current dog runs at the shelter, which are in need of replacement. In addition to the need for new dog runs, there also is a need for volunteers at the shelter. Photo by Claudia Loucks