Olin, IA

Owners of an Olin Daycare wanted to give to community members affected by the recent flooding.  They researched the Red Cross website for a listing of contents that should be included in a clean up kit.  The search was then on to find the items for the kits.  They went to multiple stores, many who were already sold out of supplies.  But they were determined and gathered supplies wherever they could be found.  Each kit is worth about $60 and the daycare purchased 30 complete kits as well as $200 in additional items.  The owner said, “You can never have too much bleach in a situation like this.  We were not affected but we know a lot of people who were and a few of the kids who come to my daycare were affected.  We just want to help them get their houses back to as much as normal as we can.”  Source: Elsa Hirl

In our quest through the Horizons Project to make a difference in our community, we have found one of our needs to be an awareness of issues that can affect the safety of children from all income levels. Recently, three Horizons members attended the Iowa Preventing Abuse Conference which explored issues on helping protect women and children from sexual exploitation and child abduction. A small community in Iowa located only 60 miles from Olin, became the home of a human trafficking and prostitution ring. At the conference several speakers spoke of Iowa being a corridor where predators could abduct a victim and travel any direction fairly quickly. At the conference one of the speakers said, “Sometimes we see things, but we don’t want to look.” Linda Daniels from the U.S. Defense Dept. said that a big part of solving the problem is an awareness of the problem. Suggested solutions for parents are being shared in our community to increase knowledge and create awareness as key elements in preventing sexual exploitation and child abductions in our community. Additional actions to increase safety in the community, such as the “Bee Safe” locations and fencing at the school, are being implemented.

Olin Schools participated in Earth Day activities on Monday, April 21, 2008. Elementary students picked up garbage around the school; middle school students raked leaves and picked up sticks at the park; and high school students cleaned up around town, picked up trash along the highway, recycled newspapers, and cleaned up several yards in Olin. The activities lasted approximately two hours.

The students gained appreciation for their school, community, and environment by participating in the Earth Day activities. Many students commented on the value of recycling and throwing away garbage in the proper receptacles. Student Council president, Kalli Hansen, stated, “I didn’t realize how much trash gets thrown away in this town.” Other students simply enjoyed the opportunity to work outdoors and have a two-hour break from school. Sophomore Chelsae Wagner said, “I liked being outside picking up trash instead of sitting in English class.”

Earth Day activities were made possible by the Olin Student Council, Emmy Carlson, Butch Graf, Chet Lief, Jones County DOT, and Jamie Fuhrmeister. These people scouted out areas in need of cleaning, helped pick up garbage, and donated time and supplies for the event. Earth Day would not have occurred without their help.

Two of the Leadership Plenty® members have joined forces to get volunteers for a neighborhood watch. Three meetings have been held with several people in attendance. Our strongest points tend to be on bullying and safety of our kids. It was brought up that poverty is somewhat an abuse to our children. Children have been left alone so the parents can go to work. Or there is no money in the household to feed or warm them. People don’t realize or they are afraid to ask for help. Our last meeting we had a guest speaker from CPPC (Community Partnerships for Protecting Children). She explained that if we get word out that there is help it would hopefully bring down poverty. Another project that is getting started is the safety bee. Bullying is greater every day. We are asking familiar neighbors if they will have a safety Bee in the windows for kids that need a safe house to go to if in trouble. Another way is to ask people to just sit on their porch at night and watch the surroundings. I think this will be a positive outcome to help people in need and the safety of our kids.

A memorial unity park is being developed to promote communication among community members. The lead citizen has been a participant of Study Circles and active in the LeadershipPlenty training. Several families donated $2,500 to start the creation of the park in an empty lot along Olin’s main thoroughfare. Another major source of funding for the park is through sales of memory bricks. Any memory can be inscribed. It is hoped that community members will spend time together reading and discussing the various memories. The park will have sidewalk lighting, electrical outlets, picnic tables, and benches. The park will be used for a farmer’s market, dances, picnics, and other group gatherings. They hope to have an information center providing contacts for jobs, items for sale, assistance programs, etc. The park is being built by community volunteers who are providing physical labor, equipment, monetary donations, materials, etc. A fund raiser was held in July to raise funds for the sod. Another fundraiser will be held on Memorial Day to honor veterans. The memorial bricks for veterans will be placed along the edge of the sidewalks and the flags will be raised for the first time in the park.

Olin community members were brought together by the Horizons program to discuss what we can do to help our community be at its best and to bring new people to Olin to live. One of the changes has been accomplished. Our main goal was communication. One of the ways to improve communication would be to have an Olin newspaper. With the help of 2 Leadership Plenty® members, 1 Leadership Plenty® certified facilitator and a Study Circle facilitator, we now have a monthly newsletter.

The O-Town Times has information on all the upcoming events on a calendar, announcements, a fun activity for the family, and business ads. To keep operating costs low, the paper and printing of the O-Town Times is donated by one of the local businesses. The newspaper is sustained by the opportunity for low cost advertisements and sponsorships of local businesses and residents. The cost is low to deliver to 650 homes by having it inserted in the local county-wide paper. This county-wide paper is delivered to each Olin mailbox at no cost.

This has been a tremendous achievement. One resident has claimed that the newsletter lets her know which she can pick up items from the food pantry, now that pick up is only a once a month. She also said it is very important to let grandparents, other relatives or neighbors know about school events. Not everyone has access to the information on the internet.

Written by Karen Townsend

A new partnership has been created in Olin. Funding is tight for all cities. In order to improve the offerings of the Olin Heritage Center, Olin’s museum, the Historical Commission holds an annual Holiday Fest fundraiser for the Olin Heritage Center. This is a low cost event for families to enjoy some Christmas fun including having a photo with Santa Claus, goodies bags, free raffle drawings for the children, activities and treats for all ages.

This year a new group of folks from the Horizons Action Team assisted with a very inexpensive activity that provided many folks young and old with lots of entertainment and some prizes. The O-Town Community Action team created “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” for the event. The members of the team gathered some donated prizes and created the game similar to a “cake walk”. Over 200 folks joined in the fun. Lots of laughs were heard and fun was had by all who participated and watched. Plus, some additional money was raised to help the Olin Heritage Center.