All together now…..
Here come Santa Clause
Here come Santa Clause
Coming down Santa Clause lane
Santa arrives on Dec 3 at the library.
A big thank you to Tami, Jenny, Dianna and all the others who are working to get the jolly fat man to town.
The Nativity opens 26.
Tonight we met in the Action Forum. The nine presentations ranged from Public Education, resource guide, a food pantry, mentoring programs and city wide make over (providing assistance for those in need of home maintenance)
We were also introduced to those who attended Leadership Aplenty, Leah Baldwin, Wayne “Doc” Melby and Jenny Seuntjens. Train leaders and they come back and train leaders. A force multiplier, what a concept! They will soon begin training future leaders. Isn’t that exciting?
Sunday November 16 is our Action Forum. Each Study Circle will present three ideas for poverty reduction. The nine varied concepts will then be voted upon by those in attendance. Isn’t that exciting?
Two years ago I was in Washington DC. While walking down the street I saw a man, wearing an Iowa cap, getting off a tour bus. I said something like
“A fellow Iowan I see”. He asked where I live
“Dunlap” I said. And his replay “Come here Boy I want to talk to you” We set on a bench near the White House and talked for about half an hour until his bus was ready to leave.
Jake Behredt lives only one block due west of me, only a couple of hundred feet or so. Even in small towns neighbors sometimes don’t know each other.
One of the great things about a project like this is it brings people together. Dunlap has a population of 1139 yet because of our study circle I have met and talked with people I never knew. Some “townies” and some from the country all are great people and isn’t that what really defines a community, her people?
Last night was the last night for the Study circle I was in.
I will miss it. It started slowly with awkward periods of silence as if the members of the circle were reluctant to speak (Dale Carnegie did say that peoples #1 fear was public speaking) and it ended with a flourish of Ideas and suggestions.
During the process we learned things we are doing well and not so well (Communication is a very big area we need to work on perhaps a public calendar). We discussed improving what already existed and discussed new ideas.
We selected 3 projects and will present them to the public at the Parish Center on Nov. 16 2 to 4 PM along with the two other circles. Then all who are attending will chose three out of the nine projects. Everyone is invited
Adrianna Margaret Kaye Loger Born Oct 11 3:30 AM
Great Grand Child #3 what kind of world will we leave her?
Iowans are proud people. In the collective memory of the people lies’ the pioneer spirit, independence and self sufficiency. Out of this process we have heard stories of that independence. Families in need but reluctant to ask for help
We here in small town Iowa are somewhat sheltered, not having the “Big City problems” such as those of Omaha or Council Bluffs. Or so we would like to think.
Not long ago a young lady was found homeless and abandoned in the park.
The Horizons process give us the forum to reexamination ourselves and our ideas and to share what we find. Is there a need for a long and short term shelter? How do we reach out to those in need? How are we to overcome out prejudices? How do we get out youth involved and train leaders to confront future problems.
On July 24 I joined a small group of Dunlap citizens to hear a presentation given by Ruth Freeman and Mary Kaufman of the Iowa State University Extension Office. What I immediately saw was a rather large group of people coming together in a structured environment to address a common problem within a specified time frame.
There is a long list of issues facing small Cities, empty stores, ageing infrastructure, declining population, vacant houses, rising cost, decreasing revenue, and poverty, to only mention just a few. All separate but related, and perhaps the worst of all……. apathy.
Horizons provide the structure for us to develop leaders and come together and define the issues, develop and propose options, prioritize and take action. And this is the true value of Horizons.