Our Daily Show Interviews! Megan & Jake: Trivia Night, Film Premier & Discussion, and More!
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ALTON - Sacred Spaces of CARE is gearing up for a great 2025 with several events already planned.
The Alton-based nonprofit works with individuals experiencing homelessness, substance use and mental illness. They help connect people to resources, and they also work with the Alton Police Department to respond to crises in the community. They have multiple events planned in the next few weeks, including a film screening and a trivia night fundraiser.
“There’s significant need out there,” said Megan Tyler, founder of Sacred Spaces. “But also, one thing I want to talk about today is we still need to celebrate the success stories, because these are people’s lives behind these numbers…We do have those numbers, but we need to tell stories and we need to understand that those are people behind those numbers.”
From 4:30–6:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, community members are invited to a “Community Connect” event at Calm Waters Counseling & Resource Center in Alton. This open house will allow attendees to learn more about Sacred Spaces, volunteer opportunities, and other resources in the community. For more information, visit the official Facebook event page.
Tyler is especially excited for a film screening and panel discussion on March 1, 2025. Sacred Spaces of CARE helped produce the film “Finding Jacob,” which tells the stories of Jake Dunavant, the Alton Police Department, the Illinois Recovery Council and Sacred Spaces.
Dunavant shared that he is in long-term recovery from substance use. The film follows his reflections about homelessness and substance use disorder while also sharing resources like Sacred Spaces and the IRC. Dunavant pointed out that it’s valuable to hear from the perspectives of people who have experienced these challenges.
“I’m honored to be a part of it, but really, my story is one of many. And I think what this film can do is bring awareness to that fact, that it is one of many,” Dunavant said. “With the right support and the right connections and the right community support and collaboration, we can fight this thing. We can help people.”
Tyler echoed Dunavant, noting that the creation of the film was emotional for everyone involved. She explained that Sacred Spaces helped fund the film, and she is proud of the finished product and the collaboration between all of the people and organizations who made it possible. She hopes the film screening and panel will encourage people to help others.
“It’s going to be hard to watch it without emotion, because addiction and these types of challenges, they touch everybody in some way, shape or form, whether that’s yourself, your family member, neighbor, loved one, whoever,” Tyler explained. “It was a moving experience for all of us, and the message that we want to deliver with this event is just show up. Please show up. This isn’t the time to hide in the shadows.”
The film premiere will take place from 1–4 p.m. on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at the Hatheway Cultural Center at Lewis and Clark Community College. While it is free, Tyler asks people to register online. You can find out more at the official Facebook event page.
For those who want to do more to help the Sacred Spaces of CARE mission, the organization will also host a trivia night on Feb. 8, 2025, at the Alton Wood River Sportsmen’s Club.
For more information about the trivia night, visit the official Facebook event page. Doors open at 6 p.m. and trivia starts at 7 p.m. There will be a silent auction and 50/50 raffle. It costs $200 for a table of eight, and all proceeds will go back to Sacred Spaces.
“We do need support because we need to sustain these programs,” Tyler said. “We did have some grants that we are grateful for that we were lucky to get that are ending during 2025, and if we don’t have continuation support, then some of those things have the risk of falling off if we don’t have enough funding to continue. And then we also have some big things that we want to do in the community related to youth specifically, so we need funding to try to get some of those things off the ground. These are programs that make a significant impact.”
Sacred Spaces of CARE has services available year-round for community members. To learn more about their upcoming events and the community’s resources, visit the official Sacred Spaces of CARE website at SacredSpacesOfCare.org or their official Facebook page.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
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