Barb Chidley is the Neighborhood Specialist for the City of Rockford. A Dixon native, she taught English at Auburn High School for six years before moving to her current role. In a recent conversation at her office in City Hall, Barb talked about creative ways to meet...
The Sunday that Kaylin Carlson led the worship song Rattle at Rockford Rescue Mission, she knew she was in the right place. Kaylin is part of a team of volunteers that lead worship at the Rescue Mission, one of two offsite venues for First Free’s Sunday worship...
Early in my post-college life, I experienced a season of intense depression and anxiety. Something I found helpful during that time was acknowledging how my emotions were tied to my surroundings and circumstances. It’s not wrong to not want to feel depressed or...
“People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.” Rogers Hornsby, Hall of Fame baseball player All due respect to Mr. Hornsby, but that’s no way to spend Rockford’s long...
Editor’s Note: This story was originally published in December 2020. By a wide margin, it is the most-read and most-shared post in this blog’s history. We present it again in honor of what would have been Darcie’s 56th birthday. “There’s no...
Kids at Spring Creek Elementary School will learn some Hebrew, thanks to a Jeremiah Fund grant from First Free Rockford. Wait, what? OK, it’s just one Hebrew term: gaga, which means “touch-touch.” The $750 grant from First Free will help the school’s Parent...
