Ruthie Fairchild remembered as selfless, faithful leader

ROCKFORD — Ruth Fairchild kept two things in the trunk of her car at all times: a bag of toiletries and a jar of her homemade barbecue sauce.

A friend to the homeless, convicts, community leaders and priests, she judged no one and helped everyone. She was known to drive around town and stop to hand out toothbrushes, clean undergarments and, yes, barbecue sauce — just in case you hadn’t tried it yet.

An entrepreneur at heart, Fairchild moved to Rockford in 1994 with a plan to improve the lives of those in public housing. While she became known in the community for her eclectic style and large, elaborate hats, it was her relentless networking skills that made it almost impossible to find someone whose life she didn’t touch.

“At 10 years old, when I lived in public housing, I asked God, when I get out of here, I’m going to help other people get out,” Fairchild told the Register Star in 2016. “Every job I have ever had, I always knew that I would do this.”

Ruthie Dell Fairchild, 71, died Tuesday at Mercyhealth Hospital-Rockton Avenue as a result of injuries sustained in a traffic accident Sunday afternoon in Jo Daviess County.

“It’s overwhelming how amazing she was,” said her daughter, Malika Williams-Miller, of Atlanta. “She was everywhere, she knows everybody, she’s dependable and she gets things done. It’s tragic the way she passed, but I’m also heart warmed to know how many lives she touched.”

A Mississippi native, Fairchild grew up in Chicago, graduated from high school at 16, and attended college in Clinton, Iowa, where her work with impoverished communities began. She went on to help various communities in the Midwest launch outreach programs for the homeless and public housing communities before landing in Rockford. It was in Iowa that she met her former husband and raised two children. She had five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

In the late 1990s, Fairchild became the community outreach coordinator for Zion LutheranChurch, a partnership that fostered dozens of relationships within the community. While she wore many hats — quite literally — one of Fairchild’s favorites was simply “Miss Ruth.”

Working with children became a primary focus for Fairchild. She went on to help forge partnerships between Zion Lutheran and the Patriots Gateway Community Center, as well as found the Buddy House at Blackhawk Courts, a two-bedroom apartment at the BlackhawkCourts public housing complex that she turned into a place of solace for residents, particularly children, to feel safe.

“With the black community, we don’t call you by your first name,” said Janice Forrest, manager of the Buddy House. “It’s always ‘Miss’ or ‘Mrs.’ as a sign of respect. They respected her as a black leader.”

Fairchild also fostered the partnership between Angelic Organics Learning Center and theRockford Housing Authority that resulted in creation of Blackhawk Farms and Garden, which was planted and maintained by Blackhawk residents. Produce from the garden is available to them at all times.

“They only need one person to be there for them that they know that they can count on,”Fairchild said in 2016. “This is so rewarding because you can see lives change, and the children have a chance if you can influence them in a positive way.”

It wasn’t just the children’s lives she changed. Forrest said that during their eight-year friendship, working together every day, Fairchild made her a better version of herself.

“She taught me how to love Jesus and how to reach out to people when people are in need, not to be selfish, to always look for the good in people, and to do the right thing,” Forrest said.

Ruth Fairchild, outreach coordinator for Zion Lutheran Church, poses for a photo on Sunday, Nov. 26, 2017, at Zion Lutheran Chuch in Rockford. [KAYLI PLOTNER/RRSTAR.COM STAFF]

“She taught me to hold my head up and be a role model and leader because you never know who is watching, and to never come out the house without your hair not done.”

In recent years Fairchild worked as a liaison for the Family to Family program, a coalition of 26 faith communities that came together to ease the transition of former residents of the RHA’sFairgrounds Valley housing development on the west side to new homes at the Grove at KeithCreek. The program connects families with financial, legal, career, education and transportation resources to improve their lives.

Jim Andrews, program lead for Family to Family, said Fairchild was the backbone of the program and the bridge to the black community.

“Whenever we were frustrated or stumped in our work with the families of The Grove, we would turn to Ruth and she would have insight to our situation,” Andrews said. “She helped me see my own racism and dismantle my own personal prejudices.”

Fairchild housed a large personality in a petite frame and could be simultaneously sweet and tough as nails. She would crack jokes, mumble frustrations under her breath and raise a hand to say “Lord help me.” But amid any frustration she kept an unwavering faith that tomorrow would be a better day.

“Her legacy is going to live on because so many folks are so connected to her that it can’t help but continue,” said Ron Clewer, a former RHA CEO who spent years working with Fairchild on public housing initiatives. “She really is one of a kind; the only thing bigger than her hat collection was her heart.”

Funeral services for Fairchild are pending.

Kayli Plotner: @Kayplot

500 years on, Luther's heirs turn Reformation into 21st century mission

ROCKFORD — From the outside, some of Rockford's old-lineLutheran churches look like monuments to the city's early immigrants — sober, solid, built to last.

Inside, however, their mission is planted firmly in the 21st century.

Oct. 31 will mark the 500-year anniversary of the day German priest and theology professorMartin Luther, as legend has it, nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the doors of All Saints' Church in Wittenberg, Germany. His goal was modest: to prompt an academic debate on the sale of indulgences by the Roman Catholic Church — the only Western Christian church at the time.The result was dramatic: Oct. 31, 1517, is seen by scholars as the start of the ProtestantReformation that split the Roman monolith.

In Rockford, many Protestant worshipers will recall the event at Sunday services.

"We're not celebrating the Reformation, we're commemorating it," said the Rev. MichaelThomas, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church. "It's not like we're celebrating a schism. It's more like, what happened, and why — like telling your family's story."

Luther was scandalized by the sale of indulgences, the practice of paying for the forgiveness of sins. At the time Luther crafted his theses, the proceeds from the sale of indulgences were being used to fi nance the construction of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

"The Reformation premise has always been: saved by grace alone through faith apart from works," Thomas said. "There's nothing you can do to earn your salvation. Works are a response to grace."

Fast forward to 2017. What does the Reformation tradition look like in Rockford today?

When Swedish and German immigrants settled in Rockford in the mid-1800s, many of them took up residency in what we know today as the Midtown district. Of the congregations inRockford that are part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, nearly half are in theMidtown Parish, a location Thomas said is far from an accident. The ELCA is the largestLutheran denomination in the United States.

"So many people are committed to this neighborhood and the community in a way that represents the cultural diversity and opportunity to serve," he said. "We live in a community where there is violence, yes, but we live in a community where people care and love one another and are willing to deal with the challenges we all face not by running away but by staying engaged."

Over the years Zion has found many ways to extend its mission beyond the church walls. The nonprofit Zion Development organization was founded in 1982, Patriots Gateway Community Center in 1995, Blackhawk Buddy House in 2001 and Katie's Cup in 2005.

"Being involved in the community is a holistic response to the needs of the community," Thomas said. "It's not just the spiritual care, but education, jobs and social relationships."

The Lutheran school system took root in Rockford with the founding of St. Paul school in 1888.

"One of the defining elements of Luther's personality is that he was really involved in education," said Don Gillingham, executive director of Rockford Lutheran School. "Our purpose isn't to make (students) into Lutherans but to give them a connection with Christ."

Of the students in pre-K through 12th grade at Rockford Lutheran, 40 percent are Lutheran, and 25 percent don't claim a specific church.

"We're really encouraged when non-Christians come to us," Gillingham said. "We do a good job exposing kids and giving them the message, but really what defines Lutheran education is its ability to adapt to all of the options and technology available in education today."

Adapting to the needs of the community is part of what keeps the Reformation alive, said theRev. TroyAnn Poulopoulos, pastor of Rockford's Emmanuel Lutheran.

"The Reformation started back then but has never ended," she said. "We have a need to reform to make the church alive and meaningful and accessible to people in a way that is comfortable to them. It was the beginning of a process that only continues now."

Founded in 1885, Emmanuel is one of the oldest Lutheran churches in town. In 1898, it was the first Lutheran congregation in Rockford to offer Sunday services in English instead of German, a big step for the community at the time. And in 2013 Emmanuel took another progressive step, voting to become a Reconciling in Christ parish, a designation given to Lutheran congregations and organizations that openly welcome people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.

"The entire denomination has been accepting of LGBTQ individuals, but each church gets to decide how far they go in that decision," she said. "This one flies a rainbow flag. People don't have to be cautious about who they are here."

Poulopoulos and Thomas both said that it's important to strengthen relationships with theRoman Catholic Church.

"That's something that happened 500 years ago," said the Rev. Phillip Kaim of Holy FamilyCatholic Church. "We don't seek rank or animosity. It's been a great working relationship between Catholics, Lutherans and Protestants on community projects."

The reconciliation between the Catholic and Lutheran faiths is especially important to 28-year-old Roscoe resident Don Stein, whose wife is a former Catholic.

"The coolest part about Lutheranism is it doesn't matter how you worship," he said. "Rock guitars, pianos or the organ, it's what you believe that matters."

Next year, Stein said, he will "take the plunge" and begin seminary in St. Louis, with the goal of becoming a Lutheran pastor. He views the milestone anniversary as a chance to remember Luther's message to always care for your neighbor.

But his 3-year-old-daughter, Beth, has a different view.

"She calls it a party for Jesus," he said.

Kayli Plotner: 815-987-1391; kplotner@rrstar.com; @kayplot

Cards Against Humanity Black Friday stunt raises $100K — for nothing

OREGON — Goodbye Holiday Hole. It was nice knowing you.

A hole outside of town — as large as it was pointless — was filled in Wednesday, putting an end to the latest Black Friday stunt by Cards Against Humanity, the “party game for horrible people.”

The nationwide publicity stunt mocked America’s willingness to literally throw money in a hole by digging one, for no reason, for as long as people were willing to pay for it. For every$5 donated, the dig time increased by 16 seconds. The more money people gave, the deeper the hole went. Fifty-two hours and $100,573 later the internet’s piggy bank was tapped.

The company’s website said the hole was located in “America. And in our hearts.” It turns out that’s about 30 minutes south of Rockford.

Ogle County property deeds show the 5-acre lot in the 1700 block of W. Pines Road 5 miles outside of Oregon, was purchased by Hole Holding LLC, on Nov. 2, for $25,000. CardsAgainst Humanity Experience Manager Claire Friedman signed for the property and deemed herself the “hole mom” on her Twitter account, where she tweeted updates of the digging progress.

Digging began at midnight on Black Friday and concluded Sunday afternoon. The online buzz stirred local residents to stop along Pines Road to watch the excavating crew move dirt from point A to point B.

“There’s a lot of local people complaining about it, but it’s not their money to care about,” saidKrystal Portner, who drove from Mount Morris to attempt a look at the hole on Sunday. “I think it’s cool. I kind of don’t want it to end.”

But all good things must come to an end — even pointless ones.

“It’s nearly completely filled back in,” Mike Reibel, Ogle County planning and zoning administrator, said Wednesday morning. “Soon they’re going to cover it with black dirt and get it seeded. It didn’t appear to harm anything.”

Myers Excavating, based in Oregon, was contracted to dig the hole but owner Rob Diehl said he was sworn to secrecy on what they were paid. Diehl said he thought the idea was pretty weird when the company contacted him a couple months ago.

“To dig a hole and then just fi ll it back in isn’t really our normal work scope,” he said of the job that took six men. “But we did it.”

Cards Against Humanity also live-streamed the digging, which according to co-founder Max Temkin’s latest tweet, accumulated 17 years worth of viewing time.

The Holiday Hole isn’t the first time Cards Against Humanity has humored America with pointless jokes. In 2015, if you paid $5 they would mail you a box of nothing — literally an empty box. They made $71,145. In 2014, you could purchase a literal box of bulls---, or send it to someone you felt deserved such a gift.

The company hasn’t announced what it plans to do with the money from this year’s stunt. Last year, however, employees kept it all to themselves and listed how they spent it. Don’t worry, most of the staff made some sort of charitable contribution with their extra cash — but they didn’t stop there. Scott paid $1,500 for LASIK corrective eye surgery; Alex bought $500 worth of cat litter — because “my two cats poop a lot,” he said; and Jenn splurged on a $1,200bespoke Robin Hood costume.

That’s right, America quite possibly threw money in a hole for Jenn to buy yet another Halloween costume.

—Kayli Plotner: 815-987-1391; kplotner@rrstar.com; @kayplot