| The WSOS Press - December 2002 / January 2003 |
Tornado disaster brought out the best in WSOS staff
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WSOS employees recently had an opportunity to do better what they do best - help people help themselves. Working in collaboration with the disaster agencies in each county, WSOS reached out to help those affected by the crisis.
In November, tornadoes touched down in two of the counties that WSOS serves, leaving many homeless, injured, and others with damaged homes. Fostoria, Tiffin, and Republic in Seneca County and Port Clinton in Ottawa County were hardest hit by the disaster.
WSOS was hired to conduct case management in Ottawa and Seneca counties. Family Advocates are conducting needs assessments among those affected by the tornado, then refering them to area agencies where they could receive help.
WSOS is part of a collaborative effort of area organizations formed to find ways to help displaced residents without duplicating services.
Two days after the tornado, Senior Programs Food Service delivered hot lunches to senior citizens who were unable to attend lunch at the Port Clinton Senior Center.
But the response to the crisis did not end there. The Parent Advisory Committee at the Fostoria center donated $100 to the disaster fund for the victims.
Staff from the Fostoria center provided referrals and help to families seeking help after the tornado there. Fostoria was without drinking water and electricity for a period of time after the disaster hit the city.
In Ottawa County, Ameri- Corps volunteer Robin Cover organized her volunteer group to help the Salvation Army. Also, Family Advocate Alicia Stefano volunteered daily during the immediate crisis to help those displaced by the disaster.
WSOS staff continues to participate in the efforts in both counties to serve all those affected by the disaster. |
Board member profile
Richey seeks to keep community informed about programs at WSOS
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| REV. DENNIS RICHEY SR. |
Name: Rev. Dennis James Richey Sr.
Address: Fremont.
Family: Wife Geraldine; daughter LaShana, a Political Science/Pre-law junior at the University of Toledo; son Dennis Jr., a first year Business student also at the University of Toledo.
Employment: Administrative Assistant at Greater St. James Church of God in Christ, Fremont. Dennis is also involved at various levels of the church district, serving as the Jurisdiction Adjutant to the state Prelate of the NW Regional District. Also, he is owner/operator of Richey Financial Services where he provides tax services. He attended Ashland University where he majored in Business.
Goal as a board member: Dennis said he hopes to relay information about various WSOS programs to those members of the community "who can benefit best from them."
Board Status: Joined the board in January for the first year of a two-year term ending in December 2004.
Hobbies/Interests: Dennis said he really enjoys a good crossword puzzle, but finds that surfing the Internet for community development grants is just as much fun.
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USDA, Rural Development, grants $700,000 to Community Development
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Randy Hunt, second left, holds up a display of the check his office gave to Deb Martin, second right, director of WSOS Community Development. Hunt is the director of USDA's Rural Development office in Ohio. Others in the photo include Ben Kenny, left, and Chris Strumski , right, who represented Congressman Paul Gillmor at the presentation ceremony held recently at the Rural Development office in Findlay.
Kenny is the community development coordinator at WSOS. The grant, which is for 18 months, will allow WSOS to implement the Good START economic development model in rural communities of Indiana,
Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, which are six of the seven states in the Great Lakes Rural Community Assistance Program (GLRCAP) network.
"WSOS (staff) has demonstrated it has the capacity to do what they say they will do," said Rural Development's Dave Douglas, refering to the award, which was one of 41 awarded nationally and one of the eight largest awards.
The Good START model allows a community to plan for economic development without the expense of hiring an economic development director. Kenny has implemented this model in more than 47 communities around Ohio since its establishment in 1995. In 2001, six communities participated in the process.
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Director's corner
Newly merged depts. ready for comprehensive community development
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| DEB MARTIN, director |
Our department has seen many exciting changes in recent months. We've completed a re-organization that merges Rural Community Assistance Program (RCAP), Community & Economic Development, and Housing Development departments. We are now known as the Community Development Department.
This change will help us to be more efficient, and most importantly, will be beneficial to the communities we serve. Our long-term strategic goal of providing a holistic approach to community development is one step closer to reality. We are ready now for the challenge of implementing this comprehensive community development approach. Toward that end, we received a $700,000 Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) grant, which allows us to help small communities with visioning and strategic planning using the Good START model developed and used successfully by Ben Kenny. The entire community participates in this process. Our plan is to export this model to five other states that are part of our RCAP network by providing training and technical assistance to them.
Also recently, a grant from US EPA will allow us to implement the plan we developed to protect drinking water sources in Seneca, Sandusky, Erie, and Huron counties. These systems are in an area of karst terrain that makes them vulnerable to contamination and requires a regional approach to protection. With our leadership in managing the Sandusky River Watershed Coalition, we will integrate these two groups so that all of the water resources (both surface water and ground water) in the area are better managed. Ohio EPA called this a "ground-breaking" project for Ohio.
In housing development, our Limited Liabilities Corp. for Leewood Place (40 single-family homes, Fremont) and Laurelhurst (44 units of senior housing, Clyde) is established and construction is expected to begin within the month. Two more partnerships for 40 housing units each in Clyde and Tiffin are in the formative stages.
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Reading Buddies formed between preschoolers and middle schoolers
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| Preschooler Kyler Foster, front, gets help from Latisha McKinney, a 7th-grader and a Reading Buddy. |
The farmer took the pig and put it on the wagon," Kyler Foster of the Fremont Family Development Center told Latisha McKinney, a student in the New Directions After School Program at the Fremont Middle School. This discussion was part of the Reading Buddies program recently established to promote positive youth development by having older youths participate in literacy activities with children in local Head Start programs. It aims at providing older youths with opportunities to invest in their communities while it benefits Head Start students and their families by emphasizing family literacy. The grant was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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WIA students help Kathy Oliver, assistant director of the Sandusky County Department of Job and Family Services, wrap Christmas lights around a tree in front of the Eliza Ramsey Home on Main Street, Clyde where hospice is housed. Participants from the WIA youth program, After School program and Clyde High School volunteered their time to string about 3,000 lights in front of the home. The participants helped with the lights as part of their community service project.
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A familiar face
Johnston simply wants to help, encourage families at the Jordan center
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Full name: Janet Ann Johnston
Address: Bowling Green
Family: Two sons, Raymond and Roger; two daughters, Alice and Amy; two granddaughters Catherine, 6, and Sarah, 5; and two grandsons Aaron, 3, and Hunter, 1.
Occupation: Janet is the secretary/receptionist at the Jordan Family Development Center, a position she has held since she joined WSOS in 1997.
Favorite part of the job: She said she really enjoys working with the parents of the children at the center. She also appreciates the diversity of duties she is assigned to as part of her job.
Goal: Janet wants to continue to assist and encourage the parents and staff who come to the Jordan center.
Hobbies & Interests: Janet likes to garden, read, and sew, and loves living in the country. However, when she is not busy with her hobbies, she enjoys spending lots of time with her grandchildren. Last year, she even took a trip to Alaska to visit her newest grandson Hunter. Also, Janet loves her work at church. There, she serves on the mission board and is the national committee member for the Congregational Christian Church in Christian education. |
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