There’s something special about every town: places, traditions, and attitudes. These all draw people to a place that they care about and live. Like many small towns, businesses have relocated, and numerous downtown stores remain empty. Unlike other communities though, Mendota has recently had fires that two of the three main street buildings in rubble. With a blank slate left in these spaces, Reimagine Mendota applied for and received a Community Heart & Soul® seed grant program. This grant will support residents to share what they love most about the community, what future they want, and how to achieve it. The information gained will help develop the community’s plans, priorities, and investments.
Dollars received will support community conversations and efforts to revitalize downtown, parks, and other activities identified.
The SRCCF has created a Fiscal Sponsorship for Reimagine Mendota. All funds contributed will be restricted for that purpose. Your donation will be acknowledged by the Foundation with your tax deduction information.
Pavilion To Replace Contaminated Mendota Site
Step off the train in Mendota and facing the platform is an abandoned dry-cleaning business – and the contents of the soil beneath it are uglier. That building finally is coming down, followed by remediation of the contaminated earth. In its place will go a bandstand called the Pavilion on Main, which will beautify downtown and potentially spur downtown growth.
Construction of the pavilion begins late next year or early 2026 depending on the success of the fundraising drive spearheaded by Reimagine Mendota in cooperation with Starved Rock Country Community Foundation.
Black Bros. Co. has pledged to match donations up to $100,000.
The Dementia Friendly Mendota Initiative
The Reimagine Mendota Fund has added the Dementia Friendly Mendota initiative as a component fund to raise awareness and develop respect and inclusion for individuals living with dementia and their caregivers.
Someone in the world develops dementia every three seconds, with an estimated forty-seven million people worldwide living with dementia. Over five million Americans, one in eight people ages sixty-five and older, is living with dementia. Nearly 60% of people with dementia live in their own community homes and one in seven live alone.
What is Dementia Friends?
Dementia Friends is a global movement developed by the Alzheimer’s Society in the United Kingdom and now underway in the United States. The goal is to help everyone in a community understand five key messages about dementia, how it affects people, and how we each can make a difference in the lives of people living with the disease. People with dementia need to be understood and supported in their communities. You can help by becoming a Dementia Friend.
Normal Aging vs Alzheimer’s Disease
- Memory that disrupts life
- Challenges in planning or problem solving
- Difficulty completing familiar tasks
- Confusion with time or place
- Trouble understanding visual images or spatial relations
- Decreased or poor judgement
- Problems with words
- Misplacing things and trouble retracing steps
- Withdrawal from work or social activities
- Change in mood or personality
5 Key Messages of Dementia Friends
- Dementia is not a normal part of aging
- Dementia is caused by diseases of the brain
- Dementia is not just about having memory problems
- It is possible to have a good quality of life with dementia
- There is more to the person than the dementia
Resources
- Illinois Cognitive Resource Network https://ilbrainhealth.org – tons of short info videos* Weekly video email sign up
- Alzheimer’s Association www.alz.org. Caregiving and Spanish portals 24/7 Helpline (800) 272-3900
- Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral Center www.nia.nih.gov\Alzheimers.
- Alzheimer’s Foundation of America www.alzfdn.org
- Family Caregiver Alliance www.caregiver.org
- Area Agency on Aging www.eldercare.gov
- Dementia Friendly America – https://dfamerica.org
