- Into challenging situations comes newfound hope.

A Peoria organization has a new program to help single moms and their babies, - And it's only one of its kind in Central Illinois.

You've gotta see this.

(upbeat music) I remember when I had my baby long time ago, but it was a struggle back then.

I had a full support system of my husband and my family, but Zoe House, they help people who don't have that.

- It's a new program by Dream Center Peoria, and like you said, it's the only one of its kind in Central Illinois.

Take a look In Greek, Zoe means life, and that will be the focus of Zoey House.

- Welcome to Zoey House.

Our vision is for young moms and their babies to have a safe haven where they can find stability and hope for the future and look at what their options are and how they can succeed.

- This is so important because this is a generational domino effect that I think people have the opportunity to get involved with.

Not only are we helping these moms change their story and helping them become more successful, but also helping their kids and their kids' kids and their kids' kids.

It alters the course of what a happy life might look like for a lot of people.

- [Phil] Located outside Washington, Zoe House will open in May.

- We want this to be a family environment where we eat together, we laugh together, we cry together, and there will be a lot of time spent around the table together.

- [Phil] It's the latest program by Dream Center Peoria, the Faith-based social service organization headquartered in Downtown Peoria.

Dream Center's many services include an emergency shelter, but it can get crowded with upwards of 150 guests nightly.

- But what we have heard from a number of them is that because of the size of the population in the shelter, that they don't always feel comfortable.

So we are trying to offer a smaller environment that feels a little bit more like a family environment for them.

- [Phil] Ranisha Riddle plans to volunteer at Zoe House.

She wishes she'd had a resource like that when she got pregnant at age 15.

- I feel like Zoe House is that space to grow with each other, to learn everything with each other.

- We've actually talked with other agencies, other partner organizations and corporations who have said, we would like to partner with you in this, which could mean training programs, childcare.

- We don't want to see girls that live at Zoe house at our emergency shelter, but we want them to see that this is the foundation of where they could succeed in life.

- [Phil] That's the goal of Zoe House, the first of its kind in Central Illinois as a residential site for pregnant mothers.

- We will have area volunteers that will come in and help instruct the girls, and this will be a space where they can hang out and talk about things that are important to them, like parenting and other life skills that we want them to learn.

- The way that it will work is we will find out about a mom that could be right early in pregnancy or a little bit on, and she will come here and we will walk with her all the way through the birth, and then for a year or so after the birth.

- [Phil] An in-depth application process will help Zoe House make the right fit for pregnant moms.

- 'Cause we want to make sure that we've explored some different areas, and if there are other issues that moms might need to deal with before they come to us, if there are some addictions or things like that, then we want them to be able to go where it's most appropriate.

- [Phil] The annual budget will be about $180,000.

- We can have up to five moms and five babies.

We will have staff 24/7 and so we will have a rotating schedule, and then we will have volunteers that are on a regular schedule also.

We will allow them to have jobs, to go to school, and it's not even, we will work with them, we want them to set goals, and then we want to walk with them as they accomplish those goals.

- [Phil] And there's one other lesson Zoe House hopes to share.

- We are Faith-based, and we believe that true long-term transformation comes through God's power and through his love and his care.

- [Phil] The purchase price for the one acre residence was $330,000.

Dream Center got pushed back at public meetings regarding worries over public safety.

- The fear of the unknown is huge with something like this, especially when you're near homes, so obviously security always comes up.

What about the security?

We have done some extensive research throughout the country when it comes to these types of homes and security.

What we have found from just talking to so many is that that's not an issue.

- [Phil] Moreover, King thinks the community will embrace Zoe House residents.

- We can't do this on our own, just with Dream Center staff.

There'll be churches and businesses and individuals and families within the Washington community, so that the community can have impact on the girls as well.

- [Phil] There will be all sorts of opportunities to help.

- On a Monday night.

There could be a small group of a church or a business that has a group of people that want to do the meal on a Monday or a Friday, or things like that, or even take the girls to a restaurant.

- What I'm most looking forward to is watching those light bulb moments where the moms are like, oh yeah, or I can do this.

Or they are gaining that confidence of they are capable, they are worthy, they have value, and they're loved.

They can accomplish more than what they've ever dreamed of.

And watching that unfold and watching it happen, I can't wait.

- If I understand it right.

March is Women's History Month.

- It is, absolutely.

And Girl Power has been around for a long time, especially here in Peoria.

The Peoria Women's Club has been raising money, doing good deeds and good things all right here.

Let's take a look.

- [Julie] 1886 was a great year.

Coca-Cola created the world's first soft drink, Carl Benz invented the car, and a mighty little club with a powerful idea started, the Peoria Women's Club.

(soft piano music) - This is the Parlor.

So, this is like a fancy sitting area for us with our members.

And what's really unique about this room is this fireplace is original to the building, but this is our founding member, Clara Parsons Borland.

She's always looking over us at our different events.

- Our founder, Clara Parsons Borland, was a very wealthy woman, as most of the founders at that time were.

She had six children in, I think it was the 1880s.

She and her husband just went off to Europe.

I think they spent like six years in Paris.

Now, prior to that, she and a group of ladies had met at her home on Knoxville called the Ladies Art Guild, where they talked about famous painters, international painters and that.

So when she goes to Paris, she's got some background in art for the Momart area and that, but she also at the time, Paris was the cultural whole hub of the world.

So during that time there, being that she had a worldview anyway, she thought to herself, why can't I do this in Peoria?

- [Julie] So before women even had the right to vote, the Peoria Women's Club banded together, gathering inspiring women like Borland, the founder, and Lucy Ting, Dr. Anna Adams, Julia Proctor White, and more to meet in various members' homes for a singular purpose.

- In my studying the women at the time, there is a phrase called no bles oblege, and it's an old, it's an old concept, but basically what it means is that nobility has an obligation.

And when I thought of that and I looked at what they did in all the different interests that they had, I thought that was their worldview, like bloom where you're planted.

- [Julie] And they grew and grew.

What started out as a group of 24 ladies grew to nearly 700 members.

The Peoria Women's Club officially needed a meeting place, and the corner of Madison and Fayette became their new club home.

(soft piano music) - So this is our cornerstone of the building.

This was placed in 1893, and so it was just restored by one of our restoration committees.

So the letters were all replaced, before, it was kind of breaking apart.

- [Julie] This two story building was built with a full stage and tiered seating on the second floor.

It hosted performances by the Peoria Players, Peoria Symphony Orchestra, and numerous nationally renowned entertainers, such as Carl Sandberg and Victor Hugo.

- This our 432 seat theater, it is original to the building.

It has not been used since the seventies.

So currently we don't use it at all for any events, but we can take tours through.

The seats that you see are original to the building.

They even have the little shawl hangers on the back, I think, and there's hat hangers on the underside.

So that's kind of a fun little fact about who used to come to the theater.

- [Julie] It's not just about entertainment.

This club isn't focused on fun and games, it's a dedicated service organization.

DWC played a pivotal role in establishing Peoria's first kindergarten, appointing the first woman police matron, and contributing significantly to the mental health initiatives and the development of the Peoria State Hospital.

The club also actively supported political and community causes, such as the Women's Suffrage Movement.

- One of the things I read in the history was none of these women had organizational backgrounds other than the fact that they ran their homes, but they didn't sit on boards anywhere or do anything.

And somehow when they put all their ideas together and it came together, it just worked.

It really worked.

- I think I'm more empowered by it, and that's something that we always say, is that we have been empowering women since 1886, but I'm really, truly inspired, because they were doing all this stuff before they even had the right to vote.

- [Julie] With a recent grant from the National Park Service, the club's building will get some much needed renovations so that generations of women to come will be able to give back to Peoria.

- It's a privilege to be part of a plan that develops and brings good things to people because we all need that.

We can entertain, we can do service, but to me it is a real privilege anytime you can help other people in any way.

- Phil, isn't it time to gas up and head out on the road?

- Springtime is almost here, time to hit the open road.

And whether you're on a motorcycle or car, we got you covered.

- [Phil] Mechanic Charlie Rice is a maestro of motorcycles.

Exhibit A, his 1997 Honda Valkyrie.

Most riders would be thrilled if their odometer hit 100,000 miles, but Charlie's, an astounding 350,000 miles and counting.

- And I'm gonna keep it as long as I can still ride it, which I can still ride it.

- [Phil] He's got the same attitude for his business of 45 years, Charlie's Cycle Supply.

The place isn't fancy and can get a bit messy, but 74-year-old Charlie gets the job done.

- Well, just getting things fixed for people, because I got a pretty darn good reputation out here.

- [Phil] Out here is pretty much in the middle of nowhere amid the vast crop fields of Stark County.

About 30 miles northwest of Peoria, his shop is just outside the unincorporated community of West Jersey.

- The church is still going, used to have a grocery store, and it used to have a restaurant.

And the schoolhouse is now a trucking outfit, trucking company.

- [Phil] Charlie grew up in nearby Tulon.

At age 16, in 1966, he bought a year old 65 CC Honda for $225.

At the first squeeze of the throttle, he was hooked.

- Just the freedom of being in the wind and in the air and stuff.

- [Phil] He quickly proved to be handy with a wrench.

- And some of my friends bought bikes and I worked on them.

My dad had a barber shop in Tuon, that's kind of where I started working on 'em.

They had a back room in his barber shop, and I started working on motorcycles back then.

- [Phil] He later worked for Honda shops in Galesburg and Peoria, before opening his place in 1979 on the former site of a one room schoolhouse.

Ever since, he has mostly worked on Japanese motorcycles and ATVs, especially Hondas.

- I've never had problems with, especially Hondas over the years.

They make the best ATVs and I think they make the best motorcycle ever made.

- [Phil] The shop is bare bones.

Charlie uses neither a cell phone nor computer, and to an outsider, the inventory can look more like clutter.

- Like these shelves, all this stuff has been up there for 30 years.

It's like you said, it's controlled chaos.

I know where about everything is in here anyway.

- [Phil] Customers appreciate his work ethic along with his decades long knowhow.

- Being here that many years and being fair and honest, and most shops won't work on anything over five or six years old.

- [Phil] Greg Hawk used to collect vintage Hondas.

For repairs, he couldn't go to modern dealerships, which don't want to mess with old parts.

So he'd head to Charlie's.

- Well, he just one of the old mom and pop shops.

He's one of the, sometimes people talk about the good old boys, well, that's what Charlie is.

He's not so into just the money, about getting the consumer in and just seeing how much he can make or whatever, he'll actually talk to you about your problems before making an appointment, and nobody else really does as much of that today.

- [Phil] Rod Paule is another fan of Charlie's.

In fact, 11 years ago, Charlie sold him a 1975 Honda CB 550, which still motors along strong thanks to Charlie's maintenance.

- Yeah, and you get to sit down in a chair and sit with him there, and if it's also the end of the day, and you might want to stay a little longer and have a adult beverage, might have a beer with ya, depending on how fast you gotta go.

And if it's a nice day, he wants to get on his motorcycle and ride, he can't sit there and he's gotta get down the road, 'cause he wants to put some miles on that Valkyrie of his.

- [Phil] Charlie has owned 50 motorcycles over the years, but his pride and joy is his Valkyrie.

- I just get on it.

I never get off the thing in the summer.

That's the only thing I'm on in the summer.

I got rain gear, I'm always on a motorcycle.

- [Phil] His favorite trip is an annual trek out west.

No radio, no phone, just the open road.

- No phone, no food, no pets.

I don't smoke no cigarettes and I'm singing down the road.

Oh God, I love it.

I tell you what, out west, the smells, the morning smells of sage breaks is, you swear to God you're in a bakery.

You're riding along and if it's a damp morning, you're riding along and the sweetest smells of sage break, you wouldn't think they would, it would be that smell, but oh my God, it's, just the quietness out there, that I got a quiet bike and pipes aren't loud and just ride and ride.

I do 500 mile days too usually.

- [Phil] Even in his eighth decade, he sees no reason to stop riding as long as his trustee Valkyrie remains roadworthy.

- I went to the ocean twice, to Mexico.

I've had it to Glacier National Park, and up into Canada, and 26 times out west, this year will be the 27th, well if I make it.

- [Phil] Laughingly, he ponders the question, which will last longer?

Charlie or his motorcycle?

- I think it would be the bike, maybe, I don't know.

I might outlast it, who knows.

- [Phil] At Volpe's Service Station, you can pull up and get gas, just not by yourself.

Located in downtown LaSalle, Volpe's is one of the few filling stations left anywhere that's completely full service.

That's right, don't even try to touch the pumps.

That's the job of Ron Volpe, who is 84 years old.

Meantime, the lone mechanic bay is manned by his 60-year-old son David.

They're the third and fourth generations of Volpes to run the family business.

A landmark for local residents.

- I would have to say I know all of our customers, it's a first name basis.

People trust us.

- [Phil] The Volpes have been pumping gas since 1940.

That's when Peter Volpe opened the station.

His dad, Gusano, who had immigrated from Sicily, before Peter was born, later also would work there.

In 1959, 19-year-old Ron Volpe joined the business.

A few years later he married and had son David who would hang out at the place - This, at one time, this was Route 51.

To go from Rockford to Bloomington, you had to go by here.

That was the glory days for my dad when this was Route 51.

- [Phil] Eventually the interstate system would take much of that traffic and business away from the station.

Still, Volpe Service Station pushed along thanks to David joining the staff at age 18, whether he wanted to or not.

- I think it was June 8th, 1982, my dad woke me up out of bed on a Monday morning and said, you're going to work.

I had just graduated high school, and I said, it's summer vacation.

He said, no, you're going to work.

So that's how I started here.

- [Phil] Luckily during all those years hanging out at the station, he'd learned how to work on cars.

He took over the mechanic bay, his main job to this day.

- He does the mechanical work and I run the gasoline and run for parts and do the odd jobs.

- [Phil] At the pumps, he sees mostly familiar faces.

- Yeah, mostly older people that don't want to pump their own gas.

- [Phil] It runs a few cents higher than the per gallon price at self-serve stations, but you get extra attention.

- They come in for full service.

We wash the window, we check the oil, we put air in the tires.

- [Phil] You can pay with a debit or credit card inside the station, but don't look for any other modern extras inside, like sodas or snacks.

Meantime, every now and then, an out of towner will happen upon the station.

Invariably, they're stunned when Ron Volpe beats them to the pump and explains that it's full service only.

- They're a little shocked, you know, and it's like, wow, these kind of places still exist.

I go, yes they do.

- [Phil] That's good news for loyal customers.

They're fond of the Volpe family and vice versa.

- Well, we take care of our customers, you know, I mean, we get invited to the weddings and unfortunately we have to go to funerals and all that, but we know everybody, they trust us.

- [Phil] As for the future of the station, there are no relatives interested in taking over.

Then again, Ron Volpe, in his 65th year at the pumps, isn't planning on going anywhere.

Why not retire?

- No.

- [Phil] Why not?

- No.

It takes two people to run this place.

- [Phil] That sounds good to his son, who is committed to the family business as well.

- I'm sticking with him.

My dad's 84, so I got some time to go.

I mean, you know, I figure I'll work until I don't enjoy it anymore or I can't.

- Welcome to hard-working Worth Township, Illinois, and my garage, for another episode of Eight Track Time Machine where we look into the songs and the songs of the eight track era.

50 years ago, I can scarcely believe it was 50 years ago, Bachman Turner Overdrive released what might have been the most definitive song of their career.

♪ And I've been taking of business everyday ♪ ♪ Taking care of business every way ♪ - The song was written by guitarist, Randy Bachman, when he was with The Guess Who, which had a string of hit singles in the late sixties and early seventies.

And he started writing this song, it was called White Collar Worker, and he based it on one of the technicians who worked with the band, especially that this guy took a train everyday to get to work.

You know, take the 815 into the city.

But the song was hated by Burt Cummings, the lead singer for the Guess Who.

He thought that the song was a ripoff of the Beatles.

The Beatles, Paperback Writer, White Collar Worker, Paperback Writer.

Who knows.

But Cummings told Bachman that he was ashamed of him.

La de da.

But Bachman stuck the song in his back pocket.

Didn't do anything with it until he left the band.

After that, he started Bachman Turner Overdrive with singer Fred Turner.

And he pulled out that old song and started reworking it, especially after he heard a Canadian DJ yelled his famous catchphrase, we're taking care of business.

And Bachman's like, boom, I think I got something here.

♪ Taking care of business ♪ Everyday ♪ Taking care of business ♪ Every way Still, the band doesn't do anything with it, until one day at a gig, Turner loses his voice, so Bachman has to take over as lead singer.

And that's going okay, but then they start running out of material that Bachman can do.

So he tells the band, hey, play that taking care of business song and they just figure they're killing time, right, but as they sing it and they sing it over, the crowd starts getting into it.

They get really crazy.

They start chanting, taking care of business, over and over and over, and they know they've got something good going.

So they go to the studio to record the song and put it on an album.

But there's one more twist to the story before the final version gets done.

When BTO's in the studio, next door is the Steve Miller Band.

And that's important to this story only because someone with the Steve Miller Band orders a pizza.

Well, the pizza guy shows up and he starts listening to BTO doing their recording, of this, taking care of business thingamcbob, right?

He likes what he hears and he says, this sounds really good, guys, but you know what you need, a little boogie woogie underneath.

And the band doesn't say take a hike, they say, why don't you get behind the piano and show us what you mean.

And in one take, he adds the underpinnings to this song, and boom, it's on the album.

The single spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, the greatest run for any BTO single ever.

Not bad for such a shameful song.

Well, we certainly took care of business during this episode, really, because our business is sharing great stories, and having a good time.

- Ooh, we definitely, good points.

And we wanna make a point to you to keep watching WTVP and You've Gotta See This, more is coming your way.

(bright music) - Watch, one finger here and one finger here, and another one.

'Cause our business is sharing great stories and having a great time.

Good one.

- That's enough.

- Alrighty.

(bright music) (bright music) (bright music)