A Place To Live

This month has been an extremely hard month for a single mom who has always been able to provide for herself and her two children. 

 

She has worked at her employment for many years and has worked up on the pay scale.

 

The mom came to our office very emotional and feeling embarrassed at the same time having to ask for help. She stated that she has been so depressed because of having to move out of her rental due to it being sold, vehicle repairs, medical issues and missing work because of sickness and not knowing where they were going to live. 

 

We visited about the cost of high deposits on other rentals and utilities. I was able to make contact with a landlord for her in low-income housing, and there happened to be a family unit open where she will be able to move in next week. The landlord is willing to work with her on the deposit. The mom is so excited and thankful knowing she will be saving money, and her new place has just been remodeled. 

 

Today I saw a new person when she came in to the office thanking Community Action for helping her find housing and believing in her.

 ~~~by Jana Chase ~ Community Services Coordinator
Superior/Nuckolls, Webster, and Clay, Counties

Assistance For Jim

Over the last couple of months Hastings and Minden have seen an influx of seniors coming in to sign up for the Commodity Supplemental Food program and for weatherization. The economy has hit the older generation; at times it seems they are the ones suffering the most.

“Jim” came into the Minden office seeking deposit assistance. He is living on a fixed social security income and was needing $460 deposit and a prorated 1st month’s rent of $175 that would have taken most of his social security. Community Action was able to assist with the deposit, provide a food pantry, voucher for The Closet to help set up his new apartment, and signed him up for CSFP. Jim was thankful for all of the assistance that Community Action was able to provide.

 - Katie Shaw
Community Services Coordinator
Hastings/Adams, Minden/Kearney Counties

Breast Cancer survivors gather in Kearney

by General Reporter - KHAS Channel 5

A small group of Breast Cancer survivors gathered in Kearney Sunday to celebrate life and continue to raise awareness.

Either being a breast cancer survivor or a supporter of a survivor, the group of about twenty gathered at the Kearney Holiday Inn.

While honoring the attendees for the common bond they shared, organizers wanted to get the word out about the 2nd Annual Race for the Cure to be held in two months.

The central Nebraska group started holding its own race because traveling to Denver caused a strain for some.

"We started this race last year," said Julie Weir, a member of the Co-chair Central Nebraska Race for the Cure. "We had a core committee of about twelve people. We each had a different function within that committee and we put on this race and we were very pleased and surprised to have so many come."

The 2nd Annual Central Nebraska Race for the Cure will be held on September 29th at UNK. 

In This Month's Spotlight

In the SPOTLIGHT this month at Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska

C.A.R.E Program

Over the years, the Child Abuse Resource and Education program has offered many different programs.  Currently, C.A.R.E. offers four programs – Happy Bear, Bullying Prevention, Love and Logic, and Safe with You. 

            The Happy Bear presentations are provided to day-cares and schools in the Kearney and Hastings areas.  Generally, presentations are for kids from preschool through 2^nd grade.  During the presentations, issues like appropriate touch, boundaries and comfort zones are discussed.  We also talk about how to react to someone who makes us feel uncomfortable, including talking to a trusted adult.  Happy Bear does a great job of making this difficult subject easier for the kids to talk about.  Since I have been facilitating the Happy Bear program (just over one year), three children have disclosed inappropriate situations that have led to action being taken by school counselors.  In the past year, over 1,000 children have experienced a Happy Bear presentation. 

            Bullying prevention is available to schools as well.  Most of the requests come from elementary schools, but I have worked with the middle schools, too.  Bullying presentations vary depending on the ages of the kids, but we generally cover what a bully is/what they look like, why they bully, who they target and why they target them, how to react to a bully, and how to help someone who is being bullied.  In the past year, over 500 kids have attended this presentation. 

            Love and Logic parenting classes are offered approximately 3 times a year at Mid and per request from other organizations.  I attended the Love and Logic Train the Trainers in May and learned quite a bit from the founders of the program.  Generally, the Love and Logic classes occur once a week and last 4-6 weeks.  Topics discussed during the class include healthy relationships, sharing control, ending whining and arguing, potty training, morning and bedtime routines, modeling positive behaviors, and enforceable statements.  A fee of $25 per person or $35 per couple is charged for the class.  Class sizes have ranged from one-on-one to over 50 people.  Over the last year, over 100 people have taken a Love and Logic class through Mid, and we have had wonderful responses to the program!

            I recently became certified to teach the Safe with You program.  Safe with You is a three-part training that includes information on child abuse/neglect, shaken baby syndrome and safe sleep for infants.  This program is specifically geared towards child care facilities and anyone working with young children.  Although day-cares are not yet required by the state to take this training, many day-cares are already expecting their staff to attend because of the vital information it provides.

            School will be starting soon, and I look forward to another year working with the kiddos and helping them better their lives.  I will be having another Love and Logic class starting this fall – be on the lookout for info soon!

 – JESSICA DIETLOFF

You and Your Farmer's Market

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT - -
Sell Your Home Grown Products Locally

Farmer’s Markets are great places to sell produce from your larger than family size garden, farm garden plot or from your kitchen. Following are some “pros” “cons” and “suggestions” for successful selling at local farmer’s markets.

Pros: You’ll get the best prices for your produce. You are ‘face to face’ with your buyers and see their satisfaction. Customers get to know your quality and will be repeat buyers. Minor imperfections do not normally affect sales. Large zucchini will sell here, nowhere else. Decorative items like fall gourds, pumpkins, colored corn, broom corn, etc. will sell very well. Home baked bread, dinner and breakfast rolls are in high demand. Urban markets allow you to charge more, but rural markets have cheaper vendor fees.

Cons: You must be there every week selling something in order to build a customer base. Pick, clean, package and take time to arrange your presentation. Sometimes you sell out and sometimes you take produce home and have to decide what to do with it. Have your vehicle clean and ready to pack weekly. You will need: tables, produce display containers, cash box, change, calculator, signage and canopy. These markets require planning, time management and a strict schedule, no exceptions.

Suggestions: Have a clean, well-organized stand and a clean vehicle if visible to the public. Adopt an outgoing personality and be able to “sell” your product over and over repeatedly throughout the market while you build a customer base. Present yourself in a neat, well groomed manner with clothing or apron that states your name so that your customer associates you with the produce.

Growing produce and homemade products can be an excellent source of additional family income. You will get best results by following good preparation and sales practices.

For more suggestions on sales at Farmer’s Markets, 

contact Bob Hobbs, mncaloans@mnca.net, 308-865-5675.

YRTC-K Youth Head to Head Start Program for Important Community Service Project

The young men of the Youth Rehabilitation & Treatment Center in Kearney's Washington Group 2 along with members of Washington Group 3 completed a community service project at the Head Start program in Kearney on May 18.

There were some low-lying areas on the Head Start playground that needed improving. The Head Start children were having trouble getting on the swing sets. So, the YRTC-K boys moved 5 cubic yards (one dump truck load) of black dirt to build up the low-lying areas of the playground. The boys also moved 30 cubic yards (6 dump truck loads) of cedar chips to replenish the playground's surface. The boys worked extremely hard. 

The little children from the Head Start program watched from their windows as the YRTC-K youth rebuilt their playground. This was a feel-good moment for the boys as they could see they were making a difference for children there at the center. For lunch the boys enjoyed a picnic prepared by the YRTC-K Dining Room Staff. Then it was back to work.

They finished in short order but were unable to present the fruits of their labor to the children as it was nap time at the Head Start center. All in all the boys worked four hours and were invited back to help with another project this summer.

By Mark Darby
YRTC-K Youth Counselor

Helping The Pajama Project

We always have a good time helping other agencies accomplishing their missions while assisting our clients in the process.
One such program is the Pajama Project in New York. A few months ago, the Franklin office was contacted to join the Pajama project in their quest to give away 500,000 pairs of pajamas in 2012. They sent new pajamas along with books to distribute to our youth.
It is so much fun when you see the kids pick out their own pj’s and books. You can just picture the kids cuddling up and reading their new books prior to going to bed each night.
Then this past month this program again contacted us to see if we could give away books. So, right now we are giving away about 150 books to the kids, which came at a great time since school just let out.
There are titles ranging from ‘The Bridge to Teribitha’ to ‘Spiderwick’.
Children, mothers and grandmothers get involved in this program, and it is fun to see the excitement on the children’s faces, especially knowing that they will enjoy reading the books as much as we enjoy giving the books.
      Bev McNiff
           Community Services Coordinator
           Franklin/Harlan and Phelps Counties