Apparently, Southern Illinoisans are so strong that there were briefly two Facebook groups and a new dot com with the same name…
This morning, I heard from a friend who had said she had sent a request to join Southern Illinois STRONG, formerly the name of the Facebook group that is related to what was the “Eat & More to Help” section of this website and the ASOSI app. I went to approve her request and found others, but not hers. Then she said that it had been on the news. That was news to me…
With a little research, I discovered that there is a newer Carbondale area group that has surfaced since the sheltering at home in Illinois response to COVID-19. They use Southern Illinois Strong as the name of their Facebook group and dot com that also sells a t-shirt. This appears to be the one that was on a local news outlet with a mission of ensuring the survival of locally owned food establishments in the Carbondale area.
As a Slice of Southern Illinois also supports that mission, assumes the duplicate name was oversight, and forgives any perceived appearance of intent, we have chosen to change the name of our Facebook Group to match everything else: A Slice of Southern Illinois. The section of the app that has and will continue to help people find help and ways to help others in Southern Illinois will remain titled Southern Illinois STRONG. Long after COVID-19 hits the history books, we hope you will still be sharing and participating in each others fundraisers and community needs.
We feel that this is also in the best interest of both groups in terms of transparency. Our definition of Southern Illinois extends from I-70 south to the southern state line. Again we wish the other group well as we also want our local business to thrive and succeed. This is why we continue to add links to locally owned spots in the ASOSI app for shopping, artisans, food, lodging and more. There are links to sites to see and places for family fun. The Southern Illinois STRONG section has been important for helping to get the word out for local fundraisers for schools, families with medical needs, fur babies needing help, and more. Please keep sending these to us! Keeping the blog, business, group, video, and social media name the same seemed best for consistency.
A Slice of Southern Illinois is somewhat of a lifestyle blog, and you will undoubtedly continue to find recipes and travel suggestions for our region and more. It is family-inspired, from the heart, and should be Christ-honoring. I am unapologetic for those elements. Much of the app and other planning was how I kept myself occupied with something meaningful while I was mostly on bedrest during chemo a few years ago. My desire is to continue building upon it with my family.
The A Slice of Southern Illinois app, also called ASOSI, is free for download on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Please feel free to like our Facebook page. Requests to join the group, and start helping to spot opportunities to help in Southern Illinois may be sent via Facebook. Thank you for your continued support and participation. Even more importantly, thank you for continuing to support each other and our region. Faith, family, friends, fortitude, and more are abundant in our region. Let our hope be contagious. Southern Illinois truly is STRONG!
