What are some of these reasons of which you speak? I’ve noticed this and been fascinated by it and wondered why.

Some of Highland Springs is in the Rogersville school district, which is a great district. Much smaller class sizes than in Springfield. Lots of community support. Small enough that kids can get involved in about anything, but large enough to hold its own at the state level.

Be sure to check out the Springfield Nature Center for fantastic walking/running trails. Nathanael Greene is the best park. Restaurants are hit and miss, but there’s plenty to choose from. Andy’s Frozen Custard alone is worth the move!

This really is a great place to live.

I’m genuinely wanting to know. All I hear are assertions. Please can someone offer some information about how this business is affiliated with the church as has been alleged? I stopped attending the church for a reason. I’m not blind to the issues or wanting to defend the church. I just don’t see anyone offering anything concrete to back up their assertions.

How are they affiliated?

I’m trying to read between the lines on some of these comments. Are you saying that James River Church owns this dental practice?

Jimms for sure.

I’m not sure what $550 you are referring to, but you can donate directly to The Connecting Grounds Outreach Fund here. https://theconnectinggrounds.churchcenter.com/giving/

Volunteers are desperately needed. The shifts are only four hours. There’s also a need for donations to help fund all of this. They will be taking food donations as well.

By space I meant that they need more buildings to open up overnight. Churches are ideal because they typically have a lot of room and they already have fire code approval, so it’s just a faster to process to turn them into emergency shelters. But they certainly don’t have to be churches.

If you fill out this form, there are some options for ways to help that you can choose. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf4QClsKBdzUXHygUkCxpLg8kMaocBB_Mlcod1EGZ5E6viGAw/viewform?mibextid=Zxz2cZ

(Edited to clarify what I mean by space being needed.)

Good for you. Thanks for being one of the good guys!

You’re welcome. Thank you so much for sharing it.

Below is the full text from The Connecting Grounds Facebook page about this critical need in our community next week. If you aren’t comfortable filling out the form here, you can look them up on Facebook to see how to get involved with either TCG or other agencies in town. There are unsheltered people, including little ones, who are living on the streets or in cars and will not survive this weather crisis if we don’t get enough volunteers to open up more shelters. ————————

“Please share this critical call for volunteers from our TCG Outreach Volunteers group:

As we look ahead to the forecast for the next week, there is a life-threatening drop in temperatures headed our way! I know it is Christmas week, and it is hard enough to staff our current shelters to open for current services. However, we will need to find creative ways to open more capacity these days to save lives.

As we have done in the past, massive hoteling is not an option this year as many more rooms are being used as weekly rentals for individuals and families. There is not enough volume of open rooms to meet the needs.

Many people are working on solutions for additional shelter spaces and expanded daytime options to protect the lives of our neighbors. Still, the most critical factor is going to be willing volunteers!

I am putting this sign-up sheet out BEFORE WE HAVE A FULL PLAN because our plan(s) will largely depend on how many people are willing to help.

Please help in any capacity between December 22-December 26; please fill out this form to help shape the crisis response of TCG and many other agencies as we plan ahead. ❤ https://forms.gle/2CSujdchFgTETwPW7

This is a brutal and real reminder that Homelessness does not take a holiday.”

All good suggestions. May I add that another desperately needed resource is PEOPLE who are willing to volunteer? It’s so easy to say, “ They need to do something,” or throw a few bucks here or there at a problem, but the people who are trying to help our unsheltered friends right now need HELP. The staff at Connecting Grounds is working literally around the clock to run their emergency family shelter and outreach center, and so much more help is needed. Volunteers who are willing to get their hands dirty, to sit with vulnerable folks when they are going through their darkest hour, serve food, clean toilets, play with kids. If you care about the unsheltered in our community, we need you to step up and help. Look up Connecting Grounds on Facebook and learn what you can do (or go to any other social services agency in town and volunteer … but do something … everyone can do something.)

Second this. They can likely help.

Petite Jean Park in Arkansas - You can rent a nice cabin on-site or a yurt. There’s a great restaurant near the cabins. Lots of hiking and outdoor recreation in the area.

Pilot Knob, Mo (or somewhere near by) - close to both Elephant Rocks State Park and Johnson’s Shut-Ins, which are the biggest gems in our state. Absolutely worth the trip!

Kansas City - so much to do. Union Station is incredible, and always has fantastic traveling exhibits. Right now they have one of the Mayans. That’s just one of the thousands of things to do in KC.

St. Louis - several free museums and attractions, including the zoo. It’s a good low-cost plan if you’re taking kids.

I’ve had babies at both hospitals, and both were wonderful. I loved that everyone gets a private room at Mercy, but Cox may now do that also (though they didn’t back when I had my first two babies). Either way, we received excellent care at both hospitals. I absolutely think the food is better at Mercy, but that’s obviously subjective. There will always be negative anecdotal experiences about both, as there are bad eggs anywhere. But overall, you’re going to get excellent care in Springfield. The bigger consideration is finding a good doctor you gel with, and insurance usually limits choices somewhat. Concentrate on the choice of doctor first, and the rest will fall into place.

First Watch!

I’ve noticed the trend is moving away from every kid trick or treating in their own neighborhood to everyone traveling to certain neighborhoods that are known for tons of decor and lighted displays. If you’re in one of the “Halloween” neighborhoods, you probably go broke trying to serve all the kids. But if you live in another neighborhood, you don’t really get the traffic anymore.

I don’t know much about vanlife, so these may be dumb questions … but I’ll ask anyway. Isn’t it more of a travel lifestyle? I can see how this works if you’re moving around from one campground to another, but I can’t imagine living on city streets this way (where do you shower, easily access bathrooms, etc). With Springfield’s ordinances and crime on the streets at night, it seems a pretty risky way to live. Instagram pictures make this all seem so romantic, but I’m curious how all the practicalities work after the honeymoon period wears off.