By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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As 2021 comes to a close, we’re looking back on some of the most touching stories we shared over the past year.
From an emotional homecoming for a Rockford mother, to an inspirational artist and a Rockford man’s work to rebuild his life after wrongful imprisonment, here are some of the stories that stirred our emotions this year.
Related: Rockford in review: A look back on 2021
‘Everything I asked for, plus more’
Charae Howard delivered an emotional thank-you to members of Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity in early December after receiving the keys to her new home.
The mother of four said her new house could be transformational for her family, who were living in the Concord Commons housing project before being accepted into Habitat’s program. She also shared her personal journey toward achieving her goal of earning her degree and landing a good full-time job.
“God gave me everything I asked for, plus more,” she said. “I couldn’t be more grateful and humble to go through this and share this with everyone.”
Read the full story here.
Rockford nurse turns past pain into inspiration for others
Lakhila Tellis, a Rockford nurse who shares a painful past in her book “Excuse Your Excuses,” has become a multifaceted business woman who transitioned from nurse to entrepreneur with a company that combines her health care experience and motivational guidance.
Read the full story here.
New life after wrongful imprisonment
On Sept. 22, Alan Beaman marked 4,836 days since he was released from a wrongful prison sentence, meaning he had lived freely after his release as long as he was locked up.
He’s built a new life centered around his family since his release. He coaches his daughter’s soccer team and has worked as a design and application engineer for roughly a decade.
“I’m not going to let my frustrations in the past take over and keep me in prison for the rest of my life, too, emotionally and mentally,” Beaman said at the time.
Read the full story here.
Rockford gives back
There are too many examples to count of Rockfordians giving back to their home community when someone is in need. Here are a few that struck us in the past year:
• ‘Pure joy on kids faces’: Rockford police help 100 children shop for Christmas
• Fathers, police officers team up to deliver Christmas to Rockford kids
• Fred VanVleet shop gives away 500 turkeys in downtown Rockford
• Schnucks customers donated hundreds of thousands to Salvation Army
• B103 listeners help bring toys to MotherHouse Crisis Nursery
• After challenging year for bars, local owners give $25K to charity
Seven babies. Five months. One unit at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center
Employees in one small unit of workers at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center gave birth to seven babies in about five months.
The five girls and two boys were born to four registered nurses, two technicians and one OB-GYN doctor within 164 days.
“During COVID they couldn’t have family over, they couldn’t have family during their delivery. So our work family was more important than ever,” said Genevieve Stoner, the unit’s nurse manager.
Read the full story here.
Colorblind artist creates vibrant new mural
Rockford artist Brett Whitacre, who is colorblind, has built a reputation for creating vibrant and eye-catching murals that transform blank buildings into works of art.
Read the full story here.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas.