Oxford Junction, IA

MATCHING FUNDS

flory — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 20:11:21 +0000

Junction for Opportunities was the sponsoring agency for a matching fund grant of $500.00 from Modern Woodman, out of Rock Island, Ill. Donations from individuals and organizations made up the $500. needed to match the grant funds. Through applications, funds will be distributed to help local residents replace money that was needed for fuel to power pumps to keep water from basements, refill cupboards and freezers and resurface gravel driveways. Many of these families have school age children,and it was difficult for them to provide school supplies and Christmas funds will be short.

WARM CLOTHES for COLD TEMPS

flory — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 20:07:47 +0000

Junction for Opportunities sponsored a winter clothes give away on Oct. 25, 2008. Thanks to the committee of Ken and Carol Brinkman, Mark and Doris Denniston and Mark and Nettie Tracy, who put in hours of collecting, sorting and displaying.

Dozens of families picked up warm coats, boots, sweaters, sweatshirts and other clothing that will keep away winter winds and snow. Children’s clothes were especially needed. Local families were represented and others came from surrounding communities.

Sharon Miller, active in Junction for Opportunities and a paraeducator at the Midland Elementary School in Oxford Junction gathered coats in sizes 5 to 8 for students who attend the school from seven communities.

Men’s clothes that remained were taken to Mission of Hope, a half way house for men who have been released from jail or prison. Other clothes were taken to a church in North Liberty that has a continual clothes bank.

This was the second clothes give away headed by this committee. The other was held last spring. Thanks to the committee and to all who contributed clothes for this project. Many families were helped.

WE DID IT!!!!! $8500!!!!!

flory — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 20:00:10 +0000

After months and months of setting and meeting goals, Junction for Opportunities received $8500 in November. The grop had earlier received $1500. Everyone who facilitated group meetings, served on committees, attended meetings and worked in any way to make Junction for Opportunities a thriving group - CONGRATULATIONS!

Now comes the HARD work - using this money in the most appropriate way to raise the low income level of Oxford Junction residents. You will be kept updated.

REACHING OUT

flory — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:29:23 +0000

Horizons has reached out to other communities. The decision was made early to not sponsor a Food Bank, as the communities of Lost Nation and Wyoming both have one that services local residents. But, because some people from Oxford Junction use the Food Bank at Lost Nation, the decision was made to help them. Members of Horizons will pick up food at designated locations and bring it back to Lost Nation. This service is greatly appreciated.

Horizons is looking into a Neighborhood Watch program, and will benefit from the work that Olin has already done in this area. A representative from the Olin program will meet with the Oxford Junction group in July.

OXFORD JUNCTION CLEAN UP

flory — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:28:37 +0000

The annual City Wide Clean Up Days was held in May. Home owners could get rid of old appliances, furniture and accumulations from yards and front porches. In past years, these home owners paid the city for each appliance that was picked up. This year, Horizons gave them a financial break. These fees and other costs incurred by the City of Oxford Junction during this annual cleanup, have been paid by Horizons. Residents of all income levels benefited from this The city benefited because there was less paper work for the City Clerk and fewer complications for the City Maintenance Department.

YOUTH HELP NON-YOUTH

flory — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:26:43 +0000

Earlier this year a group of young Cub Scouts and their leaders raked the winter debris off of several lawns. They carried away the mess left from winter storms and left an elderly home owner with a nice clean yard to welcome the newness of Spring.

RECREATION ACTIVITIES NEEDED

flory — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:21:19 +0000

Small town life is great but it presents a dilemma if there aren’t enough things for children and teenagers to do. Parents have to drive anywhere from 10 to 50 miles to provide recreational activities for their children and gas budgets don’t usually stretch that far. Junctions For Opportunities would like to provide weekly activities for children during the summer and have outdoor sporting equipment like Frisbee golf available for older youth at our community park. To fund these projects JFO members wrote 2 Hamburger Helper grants. Although our projects were not accepted to be funded this time around, we will keep trying for a Hamburger Helper grant as well as any other opportunity. We have also discussed local fund raisers as well as finding local craftsmen to make the goal posts needed for Frisbee golf.

DAY CAMP IN OXFORD JUNCTION

flory — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:14:06 +0000

While school was still in session, a registration form for a Day Camp opportunity in Oxford Jct. was sent home through the school to children in grades Kindergarten through 5^th with a $10.00 registration fee required. The registration fee would prove a hardship for some families so a Junction For Opportunities (JFO) scholarship application went home with students along with the camp registration form. If parents wished to apply for a scholarship they had to fill out the registration and scholarship forms and send them to the school secretary who is a JFO member. We are proud to announce that we were able to send 6 children to day camp who would not otherwise have had the funds to attend. We are grateful to have the Midland School District as a partner with JFO in coordinating this scholarship opportunity.

GRAND MARSHALS – GRAND FACILITATORS

flory — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:10:27 +0000

Mark and Doris Denniston have been selected as the Grand Marshals of the 2008 July 4^th Parade. Sometimes the selection of the Grand Marshals is a long, drawn out process. This year it was an instant selection, partly because of their work with Horizons. The following was written by Mark and Doris.

We have been involved with the Horizons project since the LeadershipPlenty^®stage. We both attended the Facilitator Training that was held in Des Moines. This training was very beneficial to us both and has come in handy with our group meetings and my personal business dealings at the Sheriff’s Office. Although we started with a very large number of attendees for our classes, the numbers have decreased somewhat. However, the group that is still active are very sincere and fired up to keep this program going for the extended future. We also have a great list of interested people that we feel could be contacted with specific projects.

One of the greatest benefits of our community being involved in this project is that it has brought a number of other groups in the community together. All for the betterment of our town and citizens.

We are big fans of this program and would encourage any other community that is considering jumping on board to just do it. Even if things don’t work out like are planned, it is a great opportunity to get to know your neighbors and fellow community members.

TAX EXEMPT STATUS

flory — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 21:31:58 +0000

Oxford Junction Improvement, Inc. is now busy working on IRS Form 1023 to acquire 501c3 tax exempt status. The board has had frequent e-mail communication with an attorney in a nearby town, who is helping the board pro-bono. They are about to send the application to Richard Koontz of the Larned Waterman Iowa Non-Profit Resource Center at the University of Iowa for his review and consultation. After the board makes the changes he suggests, they will meet with their attorney for a final review of the application. The application will then be submitted to the IRS.

Acquiring a tax exempt status has been a long and involved process and only a dedicated group of community-minded people would have followed through.