April 24, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Foundation created to honor Oberheim

The family of Police Officer Chris Oberheim is working to develop a not-for-profit foundation.


The foundation name was announced Tuesday night at the St. Joseph Village Board meeting.


“We are proud to announce for the first time in public the name of our foundation is ‘Peacemaker Project 703,’ said a statement from Amber Oberheim. “Together with the community, we are looking forward to defending our blue family and their badges in Chris’ honor.”

The announcement was made after St. Joseph Village Trustee Jim Wagner presented Officer Oberheim’s cousin, Bev Pridemore, a check for $1,500.

Wagner Signs and Graphics had sold T-shirts, hats, yard signs and car decals to honor Officer Oberheim. The items can be found on BackBlueLine.com.


Proceeds were donated to the family.


Wagner said the response has been massive.


“It has been pretty overwhelming,” Wagner said.


The Wagners have sold more than 300 signs, 100 T-shirts, and 100 decals.


Wagner said he feels the response to the project is not only to honor Oberheim, a family man who served his community for more than 20 years but also to show support for all police officers.


“This is bringing people together in the community. They want to show their support of the law enforcement,” Wagner said.

Pridemore read a statement from Amber Oberheim.


“We would like to express our deepest gratitude to Jim Wagner, Wagner Signs and Apparel, the community of St. Joe, and everyone who has supported our family in the last three weeks. Your generosity has been abundant and your love is giving us strength to move forward every day. We have been completely overwhelmed with the way that people continue to show up for us on a daily basis.”

Banner
Related Posts

10 Things You Don’t Know About Me… Laura Mabry

February 27, 2019

February 27, 2019

Each week we ask an area resident to tell us 10 things about themselves. This week we asked Laura Mabry...

Senior spotlight: Kassie Kelso

May 16, 2019

May 16, 2019

Leading up to graduation, we asked five seniors five questions. Here are Kassie Kelso’s answers. What will you be doing...

10 things you don’t know about me…the SJO girls basketball team

February 22, 2019

February 22, 2019

After this weekend, Maclayne Taylor will have 12 state medals and has been apart of five team state trophies.  ...

‘No one believed in our kids and our teams more than he did’

April 24, 2024

April 24, 2024

Dan Wright loved life.  He loved his family. He loved his community.  Wright passed away on March 19 in Florida. ...

Kids Say

August 1, 2019

August 1, 2019

Students from PVO South tell us if they would like to be a farmer. This post is sponsored by Longview...

Daily Exercise Recommendations

April 16, 2021

April 16, 2021

By: Christie Clinic Department of Family Medicine We all know physical activity is good for our overall health, but many...

Senior spotlight with Kolton Batty

October 31, 2019

October 31, 2019

Every week we ask a St. Joseph-Ogden senior five questions. This week we talked to Kolton Batty. What do you...

Booker to be honored tonight at fire station

October 12, 2023

October 12, 2023

When Ross Booker was 10 years old he went with his mother, Marita, to volunteer with their church group at...

‘I’m so excited for this journey’ Schlueter to open restaurant in former Scratch location

October 10, 2022

October 10, 2022

40 Eighty-Eight is coming to St. Joseph. Owner Christian Schlueter said he chose the name for his new restaurant because...

Doctor’s love of medicine started at early age

February 18, 2019

February 18, 2019

St. Joseph resident Dr. Jeanelle Murphy fell in love with medicine in the oncology wing at the Children’s Hospital of...

Van Buskirk reflects on successful expo

May 1, 2019

May 1, 2019

Dawn Van Buskirk loves the Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon. Van Buskirk has been involved with the marathon since it started...

Deadline approaching for Pageant

May 27, 2019

May 27, 2019

The deadline to compete in the Champaign County Fair Queen and Little Miss Pageant is this week. The Champaign County...

Parkland announces 2019 Spring graduates

July 16, 2019

July 16, 2019

Parkland College announces its spring 2019 graduates. Included are those who have earned an associate’s degree or a certificate. Graduates...

Giving back: Short wins St. Joseph Chamber Citizen of the Year

April 16, 2019

April 16, 2019

Tim Short loves St. Joseph. He and his wife, Amy, moved to St. Joseph in 1992 and never thought of...

Comments
Leave a Reply