The Taylorville Kiwanis Club heard about the local Hope House being constructed, at the club’s weekly meeting on Tuesday at the Taylorville Moose Lodge.

Jon and Monica Wamsley are founding board members along with several other local residents, to build the Hope House providing a place for parents and families that have lost children to death between 22 weeks and 24 years old.  The Wamsleys’ lost a baby in 2013.  Monica shared information that within a one-hundred mile radius of Taylorville between 2012 and 2021, some 600 families lost children. 

Monica added that for most families that have undergone the grief of a child’s death, it’s a period of adjustment.  In their case, Monica and her husband got away to figure out how their roles would change.

Monica added the Hope House, which has the driveway and shell up and is enclosed remaining under construction, will provide a safe environment away from others to make the adjustments to life without the child.

Jon Wamsley added volunteer contractors are lined up to finish the inside work, but some $217,000 or less is need to buy materials to complete the home, which is located south of Taylorville off the Nokomis blacktop.

Kiwanis Drive-Thru Donation Day chair Randal J. Miller shared with the club Tuesday, that the club’s efforts to collect non-perishable food and monetary donations for the Taylorville Food Pantry has provided them over 56-hundred pounds of food.  2 more Drive-Thru Donation Days are scheduled for September 9th and 16th in the front parking lot of the Miller Media Group studios at 918 East Park.

The Taylorville Kiwanis Club is part of a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time.  Weekly meetings are held Tuesdays at noon at the Taylorville Moose Lodge.  For information on the club, go to taylorvillekiwanis.com.