PEORIA MAGAZINE February 2023

Nickels says her faith in God motivates her to action. In addition to more community involvement, she said there needs to bemoremoney available to help residents rehab their homes. “This is a nice area to live in,” she said. “I pray that one day we can get this area restored and looking like it’s supposed to be. This is God’s land and we are supposed to take care of it.” Gene and Mable Rayford lived in an apartment in the north part of the city after they got married 47 years ago. When the Rayfords decided to buy a home, the couple returned to the South Side, where they both had grown up. Rayford bought his first home on Ann Street in 1979 while working at Caterpillar. After he was laid off in the late ‘80s, he took jobs with a friend who worked as a carpenter. He learned as

full-time employment. His wife Mable said she was not sure what they had gotten themselves into. “In my head, I kept wondering if this was really going to work,” she said. It took seven years and a budget of about $70,000 before Rayford could get the house ready for his family to move into, in 2010. “I enjoyed the work … It was a great experience,” he said. “I wouldn’t trade it … I am tickled every day about our house.” The 68-year-old Rayford said he is content with living in the area even though it’s not like it used to be.

Almelia Nickels

you have to do is fix up where you are,” Nickels said. A widow, Nickels said she does not plan onmoving out of her neighborhood. She has been an active member of the Goose Lake Neighborhood Association for more than 20 years and wants to see more focus on beautification and anti-litter programs. The 79-year old picks up trash year-round in the neighborhood. ‘I DIDN’T WANT THOSE HIGH MORTGAGE PAYMENTS LIKE IN THE OTHER AREAS’ — Almelia Nickels “It’s a joy to pick up to make your area look nice,” she said. “You get so many people who stop and say thank you. There’s a lot of nice people down in this area. One man always rides by. I don’t know who he is but he says ‘there’s my queen’ when he sees me picking up litter.” Meanwhile, Nickels said getting more people involved in neighborhood associations would help prevent crime. She supports programs like the annual National Night Out Against Crime. “We’d have cookouts and neighbors down here would come and we gave out school supplies to children. We tried to help kids in this neighborhood and if other kids needed some, we gave it to them. Some kids needed uniforms and we went into our pockets and bought them,” said Nickels. “That’s the way it’s supposed to be. If there’s a need, you meet that need.”

‘I WOULDN’T TRADE IT ... I AM TICKLED EVERY DAY ABOUT OUR HOUSE’ — Gene Rayford

Gene and Mable Rayford

“I would like to see it prosper again. There used to be businesses all up and down Western Avenue. We don’t have as many businesses, not even a grocery store. The closest Kroger is on Sterling,” he said. Nonetheless, the Bradley University retiree is committed to the neighborhood and active in it. “I am happy that I am still here and I believe there’s always room for improvement.”

much as he could about fixing up homes. In 2003 when another property in foreclosure became available, Rayford couldn’t pass it up. “I saw the real estate lady outside and I offered her $5,000 for the house and she told me to come back with my best offer. I bought it for $8,500. I was elated,” he said. “I could already begin to see in my head how I was going to fix it up. I was anxious to go in there and start work.” Initially, the plan was to restore the house for his parents. Things changed when his father died unexpectedly. Rayford moved forward with gutting the house but soon realized that the job would take longer, as he’d resumed

Denise Jackson is a native South Sider and former television journalist who now represents District 1 on the Peoria City Council

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