The Irreverent Warriors, a group with an impactful mission. The Irreverent Warriors are an organization working to improve mental health and prevent suicide among Veterans. They strive to create a healthy culture among their members. They work to accomplish their goals through events, creative engagements, and strong Veteran-based support networks.

The Hopedale Rescue Squad is a volunteer rescue squad that is a part of the Hopedale Protection District. The rescue squad has 15 members, 10 of which are EMTs and five are first responders. Brian Reed is the EMS Chief in Hopedale. When asked about the squad Reed commented, “We come from all backgrounds and we kind of share the responsibilities. We are primarily a transport unit that transports to all of the local hospitals. We don’t do medical transports, but 911 type transports.” The rescue squad started in 1971, so this year the squad will be celebrating their 50 year anniversary. 

When you think about the small towns in our area, the first word that likely comes to mind is farming. However, we know that all small towns have their own gems that distinguish them aside from farming. Atlanta has The Bunyon Giant, Danvers has Danvers Days, but what about Hopedale? Well, Hopedale has the Willis Snowmobile Museum. The Willis Snowmobile Museum began with a small collection of snowmobiles and has grown rapidly since. They have about 150 on display at all times, but more than double that amount in their total collection. Willis Snowmobile Museum is located in a refurbished general store in downtown Hopedale, IL. Two generations of the Willis family have been involved with the museum. Russel Willis and his three sons, Danny, Darrin, and Donny, find the snowmobiles for the collection and take care of the museum. The family keeps the snowmobile museum as a hobby and passion of theirs, more than just running it like a business.

The Hopedale Betterment Association is an organization that seeks to serve and improve the quality of life in Hopedale. They run the Hopedale Happenings Facebook page that shares information about upcoming “happenings” in Hopedale. With the Hopedale Happenings Facebook page, the Hopedale Betterment Association is able to provide a very open source for communication amongst Hopedale community members, giving them even just a slightly increased quality of living. The Hopedale Betterment Association also offers a $500 scholarship to high school seniors within the Olympia School District. They also have sponsored town-wide garage sales, euchre tournaments, Hopedale birthday calendars, farmers market, maintained Hopedale Business Directory, and donated to the village for flowers planted on Main Street. 

Hopedale is a village in Tazewell County that has a lot of history in its past. The first settler of Hopedale was Aaron Orendorff, in the fall of 1827. When he discovered the village, Orendorff first named it Osceola, but later found out that there was already a town in Illinois named Osceola, so the name was then changed to Hopedale. Aaron Orendorff’s youngest granddaughter, Lydia Orendorff, was the town’s first telephone operator and organized the “Hopedale Chapter of Eastern Star and was their first worthy matron.” Lydia Orendorff’s family still owns the original map of Hopedale to this day. Staying in the Orendorff family, Lydia’s uncle, Thomas Orendorff, was in charge of creating the town’s first ever post office in 1852, organizing the first ever bank of Hopedale, and even gave the town it's then 20-acre park. The Orendorff family was also in charge of adding a sawmill, a woolen mill, a lumber yard, a furniture store, and a public hall. The family not only discovered the village of Hopedale, but they also helped set the foundation for a successful small town.