By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Ila Belle Kenner has been forced to adapt her playing style since she first played hymns on an old upright piano for the Rockford Rescue Mission 60 years ago.
The 93-year-old pianist, who started playing at age 7 and still plays for her church each week, lost the use of three fingers on her left hand through a combination of arthritis and trigger finger that locked the digits in a bent position. She never stopped performing, instead learning to stroke the correct keys with only her right hand and the index finger on her left.
“I didn’t notice until about five years ago that she was playing with six fingers, basically. We couldn’t hear the difference,” said John Shirk, who directs the music at Chapelwood Community Church in Rockford, where Kenner continues to play. “She’s amazing.”
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On Wednesday, 60 years to the day of Kenner’s first piano performance for the Rescue Mission, she again sat behind the ivory to play for the morning chapel service.
The faith-based nonprofit shelter and recovery service provider opened on May 1, 1964, in a former seed store on Kishwaukee Street with roughly 20 homeless men as its first guests. Dean Hoobler, a member of the Kilburn Avenue Church of the United Brethren in Christ, preached during the first service. Kenner played the hymns. When the Rescue Mission learned she was still active and playing, they invited her back to commemorate the 60-year anniversary.
“Nothing about the Mission looks like it did 60 years ago. But having Ila Belle here again reminds us that our original purpose hasn’t changed,” said Sherri Pitney, CEO of the Rescue Mission. “Just like it did in 1964, the Mission offers hope and help, in Jesus’ name, to struggling people in our community.”
Kenner’s late husband, Gary, was one of the founding board members of the Rockford Rescue Mission. He died in 2008 at age 77. Ila Belle Kenner now lives at TLC Living Community in Machesney Park and plays weekly at Chapelwood. Shirk let the Rescue Mission know that she was still actively playing when he saw the anniversary approaching.
“I didn’t think they would remember me, let alone ask me to come and play,” Kenner said. “I’m honored to do it.”
She couldn’t recall exactly when she started losing the use of her fingers because she kept playing piano and adapting the whole time.
“I’m always a little hesitant about which key I’m going to be hitting. Sometimes it’s not the one I want to,” she said. “I’m sure John hears me hit a sour one every so often.”
She said despite the ailment, she’s grateful she still has use of her left index finger.
“I pray that it continues to be like that because I love playing piano,” she said.
She said she can’t recall much about the first performance, mostly because she was at the Mission so frequently with her husband and their four children. She sees her piano performances as a way to honor God.
“If I can do anything to honor the Lord I do that,” she said. “That’s what my life should be about, is to honor him and help those who need help.”
Mission history
The Rescue Mission moved from Kishwaukee Street in 1971 to 121 S. Madison St. Then, in 1999, it moved to its present location at 715 W. State St. in downtown.
“They’ve done wonderful work, I know that, over the years,” Kenner said. “This building is tremendous compared to the one they started with. It’s wonderful what’s been accomplished over the years.”
The Rescue Mission was founded by Ray Stewart, a recovering alcoholic who came to Rockford from Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago and wanted to establish a similar organization here.
Stewart rented the original Kishwaukee Street location for $100 a month, placing a sign on the front door that read, “All are welcome here. The alcoholic, the addict, the stranger, the sojourner, the pilgrim, the poor. There is hope for all who enter here.”
The Rev. Gerald and Nadine Pitney were brought in about a year after the founding to lead the mission, with Gerald Pitney serving as its first director. Sherry Pitney, wife of the Pitneys’ late son, Perry, leads the organization today.
Working with the Pitneys in the early years was Dr. Charles Inskeep, the Mission’s first doctor. In “Rescuing the Raggedy Man,” a history book of the Rockford Rescue Mission, Inskeep is described as a committed Christian who would come to the Mission a couple times a week to treat people’s medical needs. In the early years, tuberculosis was a widespread issue, according to the book.
Inskeep and his wife of more than 70 years, Doris, were also at Wednesday’s 60th anniversary chapel service.
“I felt that this was something that Rockford needed really badly, to have a sense of spiritual grounding and foundation,” Inskeep said of the Mission on Wednesday. “That’s the sort of thing that I wanted to be connected with as long as I was practicing here.”
Doris and Charles Inskeep, a former member of the Mission’s Council of Elders, were also both acknowledged and honored at Wednesday’s chapel service.
“He’s another piece of history that has been here since Day 1,” Sherry Pitney said.
Today, the Mission serves hundreds of people each year with shelter and through programs designed to help people turn their lives around after struggling with addiction, homelessness or mental health issues.
Its Crisis Center served more than 1,100 people last year, and it provided 20,185 nights of lodging for men and 23,902 nights of shelter for women, according to its annual report.
It helped 161 people secure employment and 476 people obtain stable housing, according to the report.
“When someone comes to the point where they really want help in their life — whether that is homelessness, abuse, addiction — someone is here to applaud their bravery and say, you want to move forward and we’re here to help you with that,” Sherry Pitney said.
Rockford Rescue Mission dual celebrations
About: The Rockford Rescue Mission will hold a 60th anniversary open house and self-guided tour of its recovery and crisis program areas. The Mission opened May 1, 1964, and has been in its facility at 715 W. State St. since 1999.
The tours will be available from 6 p.m. to 6:40 pm. Tuesday, May 7
Then, at 7 p.m., the Mission will host its Restoration Celebration honoring graduates of its men’s and women’s Life Recovery Programs.
“This is always one of the highlights of the year for us, and for everyone who attends,” said Sherry Pitney, CEO of the Mission. “God changes lives here. It’s such a joy to see and hear the stories, and to celebrate together as a community.”
Where: 715 W. State St., Rockford
When: 6 p.m. to 6:40 p.m. Tuesday, May 7 (tours); 7 p.m. Restoration Celebration
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas
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