Name Dropping | It takes a village; Urbana man helping to build many in Africa | Columns

Children and teachers in 10 African countries are benefitting from Chris Moyer’s architectural abilities.

The 82-year-old Urbana resident has designed nearly 300 buildings for orphans of AIDS victims and others in need. Moyer has made 49 trips to east and west Africa and hopes to soon make it an even 50.

The pandemic has been a travel hindrance the last few years, but he is still able to do much of the work on his home computer.

“I haven’t been able to (travel there) partly due to my age and the difficulty getting in and out of countries,” Moyer said.

“I have to look at the site where we’re going to put a building and get the information such as elevation and where the power is coming from; then I will produce the drawings for the building and either take it or send it over there.”

The village director or other people in charge of the planning in that country will solicit bids from contractors.

“These villages in each of the 10 countries are self-contained,” Moyer said. “They’ll have everything they need for the children and missionaries as far as housing and dining hall and laundry. We do have four schools from preschool to primary and junior secondary and senior secondary.”

Eight of the 10 teacher college buildings that are planned have been completed. Each village is on a 50-acre site. Sites vary from jungle to what used to be farmland or the side of a hill.

The faith-based work is sponsored by Rafiki Foundation Inc., headquartered in Eustin, Fla.

Rafiki established 10 training villages within each of the countries it serves — Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

Moyer’s wife, Sandy, has also been to Africa eight times in a teaching role.

“I go and stay in one village and teach,” she said. “I have taught in the teacher college and the different grades. It’s a blessing to teach in the buildings that Chris has designed.

“Our curriculum is Bible-based. We do have Muslim children in the village. When we give our curriculum to the governments, they’re teaching the Bible right out of it.”

Rafiki’s vision is carried out in each village through five programs: Bible study, education, teacher training, orphan care and widows.

The first Moyer-designed buildings were constructed in 2001.

“We opened the first one in Ghana,” Moyer said. “At that point, it was a very serious AIDS problem. We estimated 43 million AIDS orphans in Africa at that time. That has fortunately improved to a great extent. The countries themselves are doing a better job of taking care of their orphans.”

The 300 buildings include four levels of schools, housing for missionaries, cottages for the children (each holding a maximum of 10 children with a room mother), dining hall and laundry facility.

“There’s all the infrastructure of generators, septic systems and water supply,” Moyer said.

The teacher colleges were built because it was discovered that many of the teachers were woefully under-educated.

“So we thought if we’re going to concentrate on education, then we need to teach these high school graduates how to teach,” Sandy Moyer said.

Rafiki works with various churches in the countries. In one country, it might be the Lutheran church, in another, Baptist.

Moyer said he misses being able to go overseas and has plenty of frequent-flyer miles.

“I’m very familiar with Delta’s seats,” he said. “It’s been a great experience. Most architects would have loved the opportunity to design whole villages.”

Moyer, who taught architecture at the University of Illinois for 15 years, then became associate dean of student affairs for the College of Fine Arts. He retired in 1999.

The Moyers said the people are highly appreciative of the work being done in their village.

“The presidents of (the) countries are just kind of amazed as to what is going on in the villages,” Sandy Moyer said. “We have a good relation with the government.”

She said the people are generally happy despite not having many of the things Americans deem essential.

“They appreciate everything that they do have,” she said. “The children are like little sponges. They take in everything you say and are happy to be learning.”

Barbershop Beatles concert set

A barbershop concert featuring music by The Beatles will be presented at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 7, at Fischer Theatre in Danville.

The concert will be presented by the Danville Barbershop Chorus, including several quartets and The Other Guys from the University of Illinois.

Marty Lindvahl will direct.

Tickets can be purchased online or at the door.

Buckley to debut musical albumAndrew J. Buckley will debut his professional album as the 2021 Krannert Debut Artist at 7 p.m. April 28 in the University of Illinois School of Music Building auditorium.

Buckley was named the Krannert Center Debut Artist in January during the first year of studying for his master’s degree at the University of Illinois

The album consists of newly composed works by composers from the Champaign and Cleveland, Ohio, areas, is titled “Where We Go Next.” The program will consist of five short pieces for clarinet and piano.

Buckley said the album title is not a question but rather “a statement of where we, the artists of this youngest generation, are headed musically.”

“As we look to add our own voices to the canon of great composers of the past, I realized that composers and performers of this generation do not receive enough recognition,” he said. “It is my goal that this album and these new pieces will inject a newer and younger voice into the clarinet repertoire and serve to bring the artistic works of our young generation out into the light of the professional world.”

Youth receive scholarships, grantsFarm Credit of Illinois has named several area high school seniors as agriculture scholarship recipients and awarded 50 community-improvement grants to FFA chapters and 4-H clubs in central and southern Illinois.

Agriculture scholars: Caitlin Corzine of Watseka, Anna Crites of Rantoul, Quentin Day of Lovington, Jace Green of Arthur and Colby Luth of Hume.

Community improvement grant recipients by 4-H clubs:

• Fantastic 4-Hers of Fisher — built picnic table for Heritage neighborhood pond;
• Philo 4-H Friends — made improvements to multipurpose room in township hall;
• Royal Ag 4-H Club — installed water-bottle-filling station at community building;
• Sadorus All Stars 4-H Club — improved livestock gates at Champaign County Fair;
• Farmer City Cloverbuds 4-H Club — planted sunflower garden in town square;
• Cisco Clovers — refreshed paint at Dewitt-Macon-Piatt Fairgrounds.

Rao qualifies for nationalsChristina Rao, an 11-year-old Urbana resident, placed second at regionals in Indiana and won zone finals in Ohio to qualify for nationals in equestrian competition at the end of April in Pennsylvania.

She has been riding horses since she was 4 at J&S Farm, Monticello. This is her third year competing in hunt seat in the International Equestrian Association.

Parkland students get artsySeveral Parkland College art and design students were accepted into the 2022 Illinois Community College Juried Exhibition at Governors State University. They included Jori Basset, Katy Geurts, Kalyn Warner, Jordan Frederick and Alexa Harmon.

Geurts won best in show, and Basset won a merit award.

The exhibition ran from Feb. 14-26, with $1,500 in awards presented during the reception Feb. 26.

Frederick, Warner and Liam Dee were also included in the Northern Illinois University Community College Virtual Art Exhibition.

Urbana woman’s song highlights community gardenAn Urbana woman’s song highlighting an Urbana community garden has drawn some national attention.

Lizzie Duckworth Carter penned “Let’s Move!”

A YouTube video of the song includes Carter singing with family members in a choreographed number. The song was included in the National League of Cities newsletter marking the fourth anniversary of the Let’s Move! Initiative.

She was inspired to write the song while working in the Lierman Neighborhood Community Garden.

The city of Urbana and Let’s Move! Urbana joined with a community group to build the garden on an empty lot in a troubled neighborhood in 2012. It helped to bring neighbors together to raise and share vegetables. The community garden served more than 550 people in 209 households in its first year.

Let’s Move! Urbana also focused on promoting healthy eating and active living and helping children grow vegetables from seed to table under the mentorship of a community elder.

Duckworth Carter’s song celebrates those goals. Choreography for the video was created by Duckworth Carter’s granddaughter.

Honors students celebrateGifford Grade School students who made honor roll the first three quarters of the school year were recognized and rewarded with a day at Elevate Trampoline Park in Champaign.

The trip was in partnership with Gifford State Bank.

Making the trip were fourth-grader Graham Huls; fifth-graders Kolbie Busboom, Rylan Fiedler, Raylan Ihnen, Mazie Nugent and Kaira O’Sullivan; and sixth-graders Silver Button, Landon Cravens, Marisa Crosbie, Devin Ehler, Lainey Ehler, Makenna Horn, Jackson Pannbacker, Hadley Pruiett, Rowan Beach, Chesney Franzen, Lillian Hedrick, Charlie Huls, Bailey Rollins and Rebecca Withers.

Also attending were seventh-graders Brynn Nugent, Aubree Rosenstiel, Levin Duitsman, Korinn Hesterberg, Elie Lomax, Tyler Rigg and Traxton Roberts and eighth-graders Mason Ihnen, Tinley Parkerson, Josie Roseman, Evan Ingalsbe, Caroline Kuntz and Kassidy O’Brien.

Amish center gets $25,000The 2022 season for the Illinois Amish Heritage Center, Arcola, began April 5 with a celebration lunch, during which Farm Credit Illinois presented a $25,000 check toward its $50,000 commitment.

In recognition of the donation, the Gathering Pavilion will install the center’s first donor plaque on which Farm Credit Illinois will be honored.

Angi Carter, vice president, lending at Farm Credit Illinois, has been instrumental in launching the relationship between IAHC and Farm Credit Illinois and its 16,000 farmer, rural landowner and agribusiness members in the southern 60 counties of Illinois.

Kiwanis Club to hand out moneyDanville Noon Kiwanis will celebrate its second Day of Giving on April 21 at the Danville First Church of the Nazarene, 2212 N. Vermilion St.

Checks will be presented to 25 local organizations.

Despite the challenges of the most recent year, Danville Noon Kiwanis found a way to overcome and continue its annual October pancake day and raise more than $19,000 for area children and youth agencies.