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The mission statement for the Villisca's New Horizons (VNH) organization reads: "The organization is dedicated to creating, establishing and sustaining programs, projects and resources which directly impact the community. We strive to reduce poverty by building assests, cultivating leadership and fostering respect. The organization will work to achieve sustainable prosperity for all." At the completion of Phase 3, Villisca will receive approximately $8,500 as seed money to help move the chosen project(s) from Phase 3 ahead. The total amount coming to Villisca was $10,000. Approximately $1,500 has been used to establish the Villisca's New Horizon's (VNH) program. The VNH board will be responsible for that money and other monies raised through private donations and grants. It is a non-governmental group that will work on an ongoing basis to impact Villisca with short term and long term goals. At the organizational meeting officers were elected, By-Laws and the mission statement were written. The members of the board are President, Pat Means; Vice President, Kari Bloom; Secretary, Julie Sussman, Treasurer, Rachel Lowry; at large members, Richard Mullen, Pat Shipley and Georgetta Simpson. Kevin Skipworth was one of the board members. He has since moved from Villisca so that position must be filled. One other board member is still to be appointed. The board is seeking a member from the business community to fill that position. Julie Sussman agreed to do the paperwork for the legal formation of the organization and filing for a 501©3 under the guidance of Brian S. Mensen of Billings & Mensen, who has agreed to be the attorney of record. The organization is incorporated as a Limited Liability Company. In the long term, VNH is expected to serve as a community 501©3 with the board being the center of activities where Villiscans will join together to impact their community in positive ways. The mission statement does not limit the activities to a narrow area of interest. The board will evaluate proposals and listen to those with projects they would like to implement. The organization can only succeed as the community embraces the underlying principles of the Horizons program and acknowledges that "everyone is needed and everyone has something to contribute. For communities to thrive, everyone must thrive." From Joyce Lash, Villisca's Horizon's Coach ~~ The Horizons program is about the changes a community can make to move from waiting to leading, from talking to action, from control by a few to the participation of many, and from indifference to pride. Ultimately it is about moving a community in a positive direction. Villisca joined a group of 100+ communities across eight states in 2008 who agreed to participate in an 18 month program to address the topic of poverty. Locally-delivered training and discussions resulted in a plan of action to take practical steps for change. The Northwest Area Foundation established the program requirements and invests nearly $100,000 per Horizons community. The Northwest Area Foundation’s mission is to help reduce poverty across its eight state region: Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon. The states were once served by the Great Northern Railway, founded by James J. Hill, whose son Louis W. Hill established the Foundation in 1934. Partners for guidance and delivery during the program were Bill Drey, Montgomery County Extension and Joyce Lash, Iowa State University Extension. ISU Extension is committed to improving the lives of Iowa’s citizens. Horizon’s reflects both the NWAF and ISU Extensions ongoing commitment to build capacity in rural communities. The first stage of Horizons, Study Circles, was completed by 32 individuals lead by Tom Shipley, Lee Haidsiak, Patsy Gibler, Lori Waddell, Roxanna Sieber, and Teresa Nook. Study Circles is a problem solving process developed by Everyday Democracy. Villisca residents focused their discussions on the impact of poverty and suggested action steps for community growth. In the second stage a group of 25 community members completed 9 weeks of leadership training led by Roxanna Sieber, Kerin Wright, and Bonnie Berggren. LeadershipPlenty® is a curriculum developed by the Pew Partnership for Civic Change. The focus of this group was to empower residents with skills to implement the action steps and carry the momentum of Horizons forward. The facilitators for this program are local residents who can provide training for the community when future needs arise. The final stage is the implementation of community projects and a foundation is built to support future strategies. Villisca has built its own plan of action. This publication contains a summary of the work that has been accomplished. The next steps taken by the community will be lead by community volunteers who believe that they can make a positive change that will ensure Villisca is a thriving community. Community members who wish to join the effort are encouraged to contact Villisca’s New Horizons board. The success of Villisca is shared with other Horizon’s communities at the www.communityblogs.us site. |
What does that mean? It means that Villisca is a part of a program that helps motivate and train community members to look at their community with a new perspective, to develop new leadership, to identify ways to help Villisca thrive, to reduce poverty in Villisca.. "
Horizons explores perceptions about and sources of poverty; it isn't
always just about lack of money.
In the End - It is just the Beginning In a sense, there is a sigh of relief in seeing the 18 months come to an end. Throughout this process, there were benchmarks that had to be met to move forward to the next phase. It was not always easy getting the time commitments from people whose schedules were already so burdened. And yet we met the benchmarks. Throughout the process, one thing was obvious - there are voices that need to be heard and there are a cross-section of Villiscans who value life here and can be moved to action when they see it making a difference. Rural
communities often have sense of resignation about their futures. They
see declining populations, an aging population, a decrease in school
enrollments and lack of open doors for economic stability within families.
Through the conversations that have taken place in the last 18 months,
some of the causes for that resignation have been dispelled. There
is a timeliness for Villisca's participation in the Horizons program.
It has been a motivator to visualize what could be the future of Villisca.
The continual advancement of technology that opens doors to people
successfully working and living in rural areas is evident. The drive
in Iowa and beyond to embrace entrepreneurs means people are not so
reliant on jobs in metro areas for business success. The local foods
movement will continue to energize agricultural communities and bring
opportunities for new businesses and jobs. At the Expanding Horizons Workshop in Ames in the fall, there were statistics and studies presented about entrepreneurship by the young in rural Iowa which prompted a vision to bring together those young business people who are already here for conversations about what Villisca needs to do to enhance their opportunities. Funding has been secured for a dinner where that conversation will begin. Going in search of help to bring about policy changes so our non-profits could continue to fundraise as they have in the past has given vision to possible new businesses which will mean jobs - not the low-wage kind - for Villiscans so they can move out of the poverty income levels. Again, the timing is just right for moving forward. This new program that is débuting on TV about the food we eat will be an eye-opener for people and certainly Villisca is positioned well to take advantage of this new awareness and the local foods movement. As you have read about each of the Action Groups, it may seem that they stand alone. Further analysis shows that their actions will spill over to the other groups. The Armory Group as they search for options for self-sustainability can work with those who are painting murals for the Pay-It-Forward group and help those artists develop business opportunities beyond their volunteerism. The potential of a shared-use kitchen can generate new businesses that could utilize a business hub that could be located in the renovated Armory. From information gathered at the Expanding Horizons Workshop in Ames, a decision has been made to move forward with entrepreneurial training for our teens and hopefully the opening of an Entrepreneurial Center in the downtown with some grant funding. The doors are open wide for prosperity in Villisca - for reducing the poverty rate. Now is the time to walk through those doors. We alone will shape our destiny - it is ours. With our vision, our optimism, and our belief in the future of Villisca, not only will Villisca survive, we will thrive.
VILLISCA'S NEW HORIZONS Online Store Visit our new Online Store which features Villisca themed items and items created by Villiscans and people with a Villisca connection. You will find jewelry, clothing, scrapbooking supplies, reading materials and DVDs. The first reason to purchase from the store is that you have a chance to buy quality items, some one of a kind, some with a Villisca theme or created by Villiscans and people with a Villisca connection. By shopping at the store you have a chance to support Villisca non-profit organizations and Villisca entrepreneurs.
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VILLISCA'S NEW HORIZONS ORGANIZATION As the Horizons program moves forward and takes hold in our community, a new organization will take responsibility for handling financial resources and for overseeing the programs. The organizational meeting for the new organization was held June 10, 2009. A review of that meeting follows. In October a meeting was called to order by e-mail to vote on establishing an online store. The motion was made, seconded and passed with a majority vote. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Villisca's New Horizon board met for its organizational meeting on June 10th. The Villisca's New Horizon is an organization that has grown out of the first two phases of the Horizons Program which Villisca has been a part of since the fall of 2008. Horizons is funded by the Northwest Area Foundation and is facilitated by ISU Extension. In Phase I, three Study Groups made up of a diversity of the Villisca community met to discuss the impact of poverty on Villisca and ways to reduce the level of poverty. In Phase II, a group of 20 plus citizens met for LeadershipPlenty training, a 9-week program to develop leadership skills. Phase III is what is called a Visioning process where through several mediums, residents will respond to suggestions developed in the first two phases and score them on the most important to alleviating poverty in Villisca. The first of two community meetings was held Sunday afternoon, June 14. In the near future, Villiscans will be able to complete a survey either online or with a paper survey to express some of the projects they would be most interested to see Villisca move forward on. The second community meeting will be held August 2 - so mark your calendars. At the completion of Phase 4, Villisca will receive $10,000 as seed money to help move the chosen project(s) ahead. The Villisca's New Horizon organization will be responsible for that money and other monies raised through private donations and grants. It will be a non-governmental group that will work on an ongoing basis to impact Villisca with short term and long term goals. The members of the board are President, Pat Means; Vice President, Kari Bloom; Secretary, Julie Sussman, Treasurer, Rachel Lowry; at large members, Richard Mullen, Pat Shipley, Georgetta Simpson, Kevin Skipworth. One board member is still to be appointed. Meeting with the board were Joyce Lash, ISU Extension, Horizons Coach; Kerin Wright, Steering Committee Chairman, Roxanna Sieber, Resource Person. At the organizational meeting Officers were elected, By-Laws and the mission statement was written. Julie Sussman has agreed to do the paperwork for the legal formation of the organization and filing for a 501©3 under the guidance of Brian S. Mensen of Billings & Mensen, who has agreed to be the attorney of record. |
| HORIZONS - October 2009 - There is a lot going on in Villisca as a result of the Action Groups. Here are some updates. There just is not room to put all the information. Watch the Villisca Review and the villisca.com web site for ongoing updates. | |
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Pay It Forward - This group is quite active. They are working with the Art Class at the school to get some empty store windows downtown either painted on directly or have displays in the windows to dress up the downtown. It took an additional turn in that some Villisca residents and out of town alumni may be considering using a window to display some of their work which will be for sale. That would be a material way of raising the economy in Villisca. These are still ideas in the development stage but certainly are things they are trying to move forward on. Regarding the Pay It Forward concept, I think the committee sees itself more of a clearing house, connecting people with needs with people with talents rather than doing an actual tracking of outcomes. This too is in the very early development stages so it is uncertain how it will all shake out. The good news is that they are active and making plans. Suggestions on how to engage some Villiscans: those who receive food, etc from the Food Pantry or Crisis Fund be encouraged to pay it forward by doing something for someone or for some group they would not ordinarily have shared with and then asking them to pay it forward as well. Some suggestions on how they could pay it forward without it costing money were: it might be raking leaves for someone who are not able to do it for themselves, it might be digging the weeds out of the public sidewalks, reading to sick children, volunteering to read letters or books at Good Sam, and on and on and on. The Armory: I have had conversations with Mark Nevenhoven from Invisions and he and his team are planning to be in Villisca in the near future to meet with the building committee. A reminder of what that committee is for - it will be made up of some of the stakeholders who will help Invisions sort though the ways the Armory might be used and how they envision it working so that as the people from Invisions work through their process, they will not be going at it blindly. The people that signed up to be on the Armory Action Committee at the August 31 meeting will be a part of the building committee. They are also working to expand their committee and hope to create interest in the community during the time the study is being done so that the community is more prepared to go the next step(s) once the study is completed. They may also be doing some trial balloons of some of what could end up as some of the uses of the building so that if we, the school and the community, move forward with restoring the Armory, there will be some proof that it can be sustaining or some of the ideas can be abandoned because they are not workable. For instance, they could start bringing some activities for young adults to Villisca to begin building Villisca as a place for good entertainment for that age group. They might work with the artists named above in creating the need for a business hub. They might work with the Food Safety Action Group in the establishment of a community/shared use kitchen - another reason for a business hub and for using a kitchen in the Armory as a shared use kitchen. |
Food
Safety Action Group: This group will be working on several things
simultaneously. One will be working with key people in Iowa to make some
of the regulations regarding food safety more palatable to groups like
those we have here who use food functions to do non-profit fundraising.
Another will be working to lobby the City Council to allow the alterations
to the community bldg. kitchen so it can be certified and then finding
the money to accomplish that. Finally, one suggestion by one of the Iowa
people I have talked to was to establish a communityshared use kitchen
so that food could be legally prepared for use at community dinners, at
summer food stands. This would also be a place where farmers and residents
could bring garden produce to be legally chopped, pureed, made into soup
or stew or whatever and stored for use for these various food functions.
If packed there, the food could also be rightfully distributed to people
asking for help from the food pantry. And finally, the food processed
there would be legal to sell so locals (maybe ones beyond Villisca) could
prepare and package food which they then could market. Using it this way
and having them pay for the time, would help make the kitchen sustainable
in itself. Another use to make it sustainable would be to make it available
at a price to community college or high school classes studying the culinary
arts.
Teen Support - This group is looking at the possibility of providing face-to-face tutoring and providing online tutoring as well as help in securing sports equipment for those who would like to participate in sports where their families may not be able to buy the equipment to play. Online Store: After a couple false starts, I think we are about ready to put up the Online Store under the Villisca's New Horizons Organization. Initially, sales from it will go to pay off the rest of the expenses of RAGBRAI. Then, the profit from it will go to provide seed money for the Villisca's New Horizons organization which has come out of the Horizons Program and possibly, if the New Horizons board votes to, help toward the expenses of the economic development initiative. We already have 10 items to sell on the site and a potential of 20 other ones. Some of the artists who are considering putting things in windows downtown may choose to put some things on this site as well. It all seems to becoming interconnected, as it should. An abbreviated business plan has been written outlining the operations, the product mix, the target market, promotion, pricing, and distribution methods. |
