Little Free Libraries popping up all over Springfield. I became familiar with the movement in 2015, when I went for a stroll in my neighborhood and walked past Kara Daniel’s house, 834 S. Mission Circle. At first, it looked like there was a giant birdhouse outside her home, but I…
Author: Juliana Goodwin for SGFNN
Chris Straw chuckles at the thought of a typical day. As Springfield’s director of Building Development Services (BDS), he arrives at the office at 7 a.m., facing 15 to 20 emails and another 10 calls to return. Safety is always at the forefront of his duties. A licensed architect, Straw’s…
A mosaic is a metaphor, says artist Christine Schilling. “I love the symbolism that a mosaic is many small pieces that add up to one great story. That is a real metaphor for life. Every little colorful piece among us has a role to play. You take one out and…
On Thursdays, you will find volunteers sorting clothes, snaking hangers through shirts, and folding items at the Springfield PTA Clothing Bank at Study Alternative Center. The first four days it was open this school year, 462 kids sought clothing and shoes, compared to 383 children during that same time frame…
On Springfield’s southwest side, at Marcella Street and Golden Avenue, just behind the Walmart Neighborhood Market, is a small trail that, at first glance, looks like a gravel path. But the corridor is carved in history. From 1837 to 1839, Cherokee Indians trudged through Springfield on the Trail of Tears.…
The last year has been life changing for Kathy Lutz. “I went from hopeless to beyond hopeful,” said Lutz, who lives in the Grant Beach neighborhood. Lutz and her husband Bruce found hope in The Northwest Project, which aims to give families on the northwest side of Springfield the tools…
Kneeling down in the Springfield Community Gardens Market Garden, Denise Charlesworth picks up a clump of clover clippings being used as natural mulch. “You can juice these or put them on your salads,” said Charlesworth. “I love to learn and have learned so much from other people here.” Charlesworth is…
On the 7 Billion Ones website, side by side in a quilt of faces, are photos of Springfield’s elite, middle class – and homeless citizens. Money doesn’t matter, status doesn’t matter, all that matters are stories. These people are part of a Randy Bacon project – a vision that celebrates…
Never take what you don’t earn and give what you can, said Josh Christian, standing in his garden in the Doling Neighborhood. That’s the spirit behind the fruits of his labor- an impressive, hand-built sprawl which is practically an urban homestead. Christian is able to grow much of what his…