
Vanessa Ferguson
Community Voices - Production CoordinatorVanessa is the Community Voices Production Coordinator. Reach Vanessa at vfergu3@uis.edu.
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David Anderson is the co-owner of The Corkscrew. He spoke to Community Voices about how he and his wife came to own the business. He also shared his expertise about wine and explained what is offered at the Corkscrew.
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Kathy Le Comte is a genealogist who helps people find census records, marriage records and other clues used to uncover family history. She spoke to Community Voices about how to begin exploring ancestry and the 1950s census data released on April 1.
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The Mobile Museum of Tolerance is an interactive museum experience on wheels, which empowers people to combat anti-Semitism, bullying, racism and hate. Alison Pure-Slovin the Simon Wiesenthal Center Mid-West Region Director and Jacob Thornton spoke to Community Voices about the mobile museum and what they’ve learned from students who have participated in tolerance discussions.
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Shawna Harris the program supervisor for St. John’s Breadline. She spoke to Community Voices about the service that the breadline provides the community and the misconceptions about the people who utilize it.
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Two students from Franklin High School have competed in this year's Poetry Out Loud regional and state competitions organized by the Springfield Area Arts Council. Thaddeus Bergschneider placed first at the regional competition and Cole Delaney placed second. As they moved on to the state competition Bergschneider placed third and Delaney placed first. Delaney will go on to compete in the national competition. Delaney and his teacher Elise Black spoke to Community Voices about how the students from Franklin High School prepare for Poetry Out Loud competitions.
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Lori Schlosser is the host of the podcast “Blessed in this Mess,” which provides encouragement to family caregivers. Schlosser spoke to Community Voices about how she uses her experience as a caregiver to her son and mother to provide helpful tips on how to find peace and preserve wellness.
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The Old State Capitol Art Fair kicks off on May 21. This is also the start of the downtown farmer’s market and the summer festival season. The Phoenix Center’s pride festival is also May 21. Julie Beveridge with the art fair and Kayla Graven with Downtown Springfield Inc. spoke to Community Voices about what visitors to the downtown area can expect.
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E.G. Keith is an 11-year-old author who has written a book called "Havoc." She spoke to Community Voices about how she became interested in writing and what she plans to write in the future.
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Mark and Suzi Pettyjohn live in Rochester. Mark is a retirement asset manager and Suzi is Rochester’s Scholastic Bowl coach. They spoke to Community Voices about their organization, Nature’s Child Academy, which is a nature-based pre-school in Rochester. They also own the Brunchfield Café, and Mark runs the Retirement Peace Project.
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The Sound Celebration Chorus is a women's singing group, which falls under the umbrella of the internationally known Sweet Adelines. Jean Welch and Gena Sommer spoke to Community Voices about the upcoming spring concert and how others can join the Sound Celebration Chorus.