Alta, IA

Thirty-two Alta residents, including seven or eight who had not yet been involved in Horizons efforts, participated in a forum on Sunday evening, June 22, at the Alta Community Center.

Following a light supper, participants heard updates from each of the Horizons work groups and had opportunities to ask questions and offer suggestions. Some work groups also gained new volunteers before the evening was done! Highlights included an update on plans to open the Community Resource Center at 212 ½ Main Street in Alta before the end of the summer. (see below for donations needed!)

We were urged to be sure to refer new Alta residents to the ABC group (Alta Builds Connections) so they can receive a welcome visit. Special efforts are needed to reach out to new residents who may be low-income or isolated in any way. It was noted that there are several housing starts in the community, and entrepreneurial business recognition and encouragement was presented.

Because this was the final event during the official two-year Horizons effort, a certificate of appreciation was presented to each member of the hard-working steering committee. As the formal Horizons project ends, ISU Extension’s Community Coach (Barb Wollan) also ends her formal involvement with the project and the community. Barb assured the group, however, that she is still available for consultation and will look forward to hearing about the work ahead. She left the group with a challenge to continue the good work that has begun, to directly assist low-income residents, to keep in mind the impact on low-income families whenever policy decisions are made, and to continue working to build involvement of all segments of the community, especially low-income residents.

The Community Resource Center seeks donations of the following items. Contact Bonnie Hach to donate: pencils & pens, pencil sharpener, paper clips & clasps, 20# copy paper, manila folders, hanging file folders, stapler & staples, typewriter, a computer & programs, an answering phone, phone cards, storage shelves, a folding 4’ conference table, literature racks.

Two community members, Kris Shannon and Terry Pollard, have been selected to represent Alta Horizons progress and be presenters for a workshop at the 2008 Midstates Community and Economic Development Conference to be held on Wednesday, March 19, at the Marina Inn in South Sioux City, Nebraska.

Alta was selected as one of about 15 communities from Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota.

This conference is designed to bring together community and business leaders, and elected officials from the three-state area to share their experiences and learn new ideas for community and rural economic development.

Kris and Terry, members of the Alta Horizons Steering Committee, will lead a breakout session at 12:30p on Leadership, which will discuss community capacity building through leadership development with the Horizon Program in Alta. The other community featured during the breakout session will be Tyndall, S.D.

Several other Alta community members will be attending the conference as well.

Everyone from rural communities is invited and welcome to attend.

Cassie Bishop, a member of the Alta Horizons steering committee, recently met with the director of the United Community Health Center in Storm Lake, to discuss more accessibility options to the clinic for the Alta community. UCHC will be unable to provide an on-site clinic in Alta, but they are in the process of preparing to build a new UCHC west of Storm Lake on Highway 7 towards Alta. There will be continued dialog with UCHC to provide good accessibility to those who need it from the Alta community. Cassie has arranged for a spokesperson for the health center to speak to the Alta Horizons committee at their next monthly meeting to clarify questions raised about who can use the clinic, the process of obtaining access to clinic services, and also to discuss with the committee the transportation accessibility and availability issues that have been raised within the Alta community. UCHC information brochures are going to be placed in ABC (Alta Building Connections) welcome packets being provided by Alta Horizons to new residents within the community.

One of the issues that was regularly discussed in the Horizons program as it developed in Alta was the need to support and promote the local food pantry called The Lord’s Cupboard (an affiliate of the Iowa Food Network) - as a way to continue helping those who need food.

The City of Alta and Alta Municipal Utilities are presently sponsoring a food drive to serve the people in the community who need food assistance. A goal has been set to collect 2,000 pounds of food with the donations to go to the local food pantry, The Lord’s Cupboard.

It’s good to see business people within the community actively involved in promoting this food drive called, “No Hungry Neighbors.” Al and Angie Wadsley of Gull Wing Industries (a local Alta business) presented a check for $200 for the food drive.  On a side note, the Horizons funds designated  for Alta are unavailable to be used to buy food for the pantry, but in a show of community support and “leading the way,” the members of the Horizons Steering Committee, in their December meeting, pooled personal contributions in the amount of $100 towards this community project! Others continue to support this drive. Donations, as of this writing, currently total 2,590 pounds - already well past the set goal!

Each donation, whatever size it is, will play a part in helping Alta’s needy neighbors. It’s another sign that Alta is working together to respond to and reduce the needs of its neighbors!