HONORING VETS
CAP CITY
Springfield veterans in need have a new ally looking out for them: an enthusiastic Filipino woman with a heart of gold. Rose Amon of Springfield is founder and chairman of HONVEE (HONoring VEts Event), a local nonprofit group that raises money for homeless veterans. Created in February 2010, HONVEE now has the backing of Sangamon County Circuit Clerk Tony Libri, who serves as co-chair, and Sangamon County Auditor Paul Palazzolo, who serves as treasurer. The group recently donated $6,000 to Fifth Street Renaissance, another local nonprofit, to help fund the construction of a new homeless shelter in Springfield specifically for veterans.
Amon says she was working for the Illinois Department of Human Services when she became overwhelmed by “tearjerking” stories from homeless veterans. The federal Veterans Administration wasn’t doing enough, Amon says, so she stepped up to help. HONVEE will soon branch out from homelessness to take on different projects, Amon says, and the group needs project ideas, donations and volunteers. “We’d like to solve as many problems as we can,” she says.
To donate to HONVEE, send a check to 2505-C Chapel Hill Rd, Springfield, IL 62702. For more information or to volunteer, contact HONVEE by phone at 787-8826 or by email at honveehome@comcast.net.
SEIZE THE DAY
CAP CITY
A winning float in the Jan. 1 Rose Parade had a little touch of central Illinois on it.
The Springfield branch of the Heartland Lions Eye Bank dedicated three roses on the Donate Life “Seize the Day!” float in honor of two Decatur residents, Wilma Shewhart and Roena Henne, who received cornea transplants, and the late Cody Dunham, of Divernon, who was an eye donor. The eye bank, which in central Illinois in 2009 helped transplant 156 corneas, also honored 12 other donors and recipients from throughout Illinois, Missouri and Kansas.
Donate Life is a nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging organ, eye and tissue donation. The float, which depicted several flying kites meant to represent the opportunity to enjoy laughter and the visual beauty of the moment, won the 2011 Theme Trophy from the Tournament of Roses. This is the fourth year in a row that the Donate Life float has been awarded a trophy at the Rose Parade.
For more information about Donate Life, visit www.donatelifeillinois.org. For more information about the Heartland Lions Eye Bank, including personal stories of donors and recipients, visit www.hleb.org.
