Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Inc.

2013

AUGUST NEWSLETTER

“People Helping People”www.tvoc.org

From My View:

In This Issue:* From My View- Report from CEO Dennis P. DeMers* Danube Seussical Festival* Elysian Financial Literacy Training* Clearwater County Fair (Bagley, MN)* Elysian Rodeo

In This Issue:* East Grand Forks Family Service Center Informational Table* Head Start Grants* Tri-Valley Internal Review* Upcoming Events in September

We are getting a little rain but much more is needed. The Minnesota State Fair could use a bit of a break in the weather also since attendance is down due to the hot weather. And, schools start in full next week and cooler temperature could make for a much better learning environment. So much for the weather report.

With Labor Day around the corner we prepare for another school year. Our kids are, for the most part, anxious to get back to school, visit their friends, and embark upon learning and engaging in their community. When I was a teacher I first thought my job was to impart information and knowl-

edge to my six classes of students. It didn’t take me long to learn that what I thought and what the students wanted were two different things and as individualized as each unique student. Today, I empathize with students, parents, teachers and administrators who embark upon this school year with a series of expectations and tools of accountability that were devel-oped at some higher level and do not meet the motivation of most of those involved at the local level. There is little I can do to change the culture of testing and “Teaching to the Test,” that has evolved from the No Child Left Behind. Be it with my children or my grandchildren, I remind them that their natural curiosity must be stimulated but never fulfilled.. It is their individual responsibility to keep seeking information, knowledge, and wonder. If they do that, they will find their own success and their own validation in life. I watched, over the past two weeks, the grain harvest come and go. The size of combines and other farm equipment seems to get bigger and bigger. What used to take a month or so to harvest now gets accomplished in days and weeks. I continue to pray for good weather and a safe harvest with bounty and good prices. We remain an agricultural economy out here in northwestern Minnesota and we continue to be good stewards of our land and our labors.

World events seem to take the headlines over this past month. Syria and Egypt fill the front pages of our newspapers with chaos and saber rattling being the news’s red meat. This goes on while our policy makers in Washington, DC move ever closer to another debt ceiling crisis, continued sequestration, and an economy that sputters along at a positive but snail’s pace. I can’t for the life of me see how the United States can continue to be expected to be the “World’s Policeman,” while exporting our culture of democracy to places in the world which do not share our cultural, religious, language, economic and historical perspective. I don’t consider myself an isolationist when it comes to world affairs but I see so much infra-structure needing investments in our nation and it won’t happen if our resources are spent policing the problem around the globe. (Continued on next page)

The West Central Family Service Center in Danube, MN held a Seussical Festival on July 10 with Dr. Seuss as the theme. The center had games, singing and danc-ing, and a visit from the Cat in the Hat. The Cat in the Hat read to the children and gave them each a book to keep.

(From My View continued)- Minnesota has started the process of advertising the MNSURE Health Exchange. It appears that Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox have been the first casualties of this multimillion dollar ad campaign. Still marketing is an essential part of the process of getting more Minnesotans hooked-up and connected to health insurance this coming year. I hope that all Minnesotans will, over the next couple of years, get coverage under one of the insurance options avail-able to them. I firmly believe in prevention over reme-diation and the health insurance exchange in Minneso-ta is one vehicle for addressing preventative health. I expect that Tri-Valley will be informing and referring many of our clients to the Minnesota Health Insurance Exchange going forward. We can be expected to ask our clients if they have health insurance and help them navigate and access health insurance for themselves and their families. This is all new to many people and the “proof of the pudding,” in the short run will be more people covered by insurance and the long term benefit will be less spending on inefficient health care services and, most importantly, healthier and happier Minneso-tans.

This past month we had two resignations on our Board of Directors. These changes were caused by a relocation of one member and another caused by the increasing workload of another member. We are advertising and recruiting for both Norman and Marshall County. We have a couple of good leads but will be looking for more. Thus, if anyone has the name of someone who might be interested in serving on the Board of Directors from these areas please contact me directly. We have a community representative slot open from Norman County and a low- income slot available from Marshall County. If I get a referral I am usually able to follow-up within a week after garnering a name, telephone number and/or ad-dress.

I hope that everyone has a great Labor Day weekend. I will be celebrating the 70th Wedding Anniversary of my in-laws this weekend. Thus, I expect to have lots of family around over the weekend. As always there will be too much food and too much family drama. Still, it will be worth it and Grandma and Grandpa Stocker deserve to have their children, spouses and over 135 generational progeny around to say, “Congratulations and We Love You.”

The Elysian Area Learning Center hosted a six hour Finan-cial Literacy Training event on July 23.

Tri-Valley took part in the Clearwater County Fair in Bagley, MN and Ox Cart Days in Crookston during the month of August (Picture from Clearwater County Fair).

The Elysian Area Learning Center (EALC) had two Recruiter & Family Advocates (RFA's) at the Faribault Rodeo. The RFA's spoke with families and handed out information about the EALC.

This information is available in alternative formats to individuals with disabilities. Contact us at 1-800-584-7020 or by calling the Telecommunication Relay Service at 711 or 1-800-627-3529. Tri-Valley Oppor-tunity Council, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer/provider. EOE/M/F/D/V

Did You Know?...* You can receive more information on Tri-Valley’s programs and services by calling 218-281-5832 or 800-584-7020.

* You can keep up with Tri-Valley news on the TVOC website at www.tvoc.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TVOCInc and on Twitter at @Tri-Valley_TVOC.

* Everyone can receive the Tri-Valley Newsletter. If you know of anyone who would like a copy please have them contact Mitch Bakken at 218-281-5832 or mitch.bakken@tvoc.org.

Nancy Ramon, Recruiter and Family Advocate at the East Grand Forks Family Service Center had an infor-mational table set up at the River Cinema 15 in East Grand Forks. She was able to talk with families about Head Start and Early Head Start and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start and get them helpful information on each program and answer any questions they had.

Tri-Valley Head Start Program Conducts Internal Reviews

The Head Start Program recently conducted an internal review at four centers (Brooten, Monticello, Grafton and East Grand Forks). The team used a modified version of the Self-Assess-ment CATscan (Comprehensive Approach & Tool), developed by the Training & Technical Assistance Services at Western Kentucky University. Team members included Nicolee Mens-ing, Mitch Bakken, Jessica Flores, Isabel Mendoza, Robyn Klemm, Leonela Trigueros, Dee Dee Vos, Claudia Sanchez, Kristal Abrahamson, Stacy Rienhart, and Tracey Sundeen. There were a few minor areas identified that need improve-ment, but overall the team identified several strengths. To name a few:* The staff and facilities are inviting to children and families;* The staff and facilities are rich with diversity;* Staff are on target with their knowledge of school readiness goals;* Family goal-setting is evident; and, * Numerous collaborative relationships are in place;

The system for conducting Internal Reviews is designed to ensure that each center is formally monitored by peers every three years. Parents are actively recruited to participate in the process.

Tri-Valley Opportunity Council Receives Five Year Head Start Grants

Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Inc. is pleased to announce that it has received two federal grant awards for Head Start and Early Head Start in Northwestern Minnesota and for the states of Minnesota and North Dakota for Migrant and Seasonal Head Start and Ear-ly Head Start. The annual awards will serve over 1,000 children and their families for the next five years. “The Notices of Award were received in early July of 2013. This has been a long time in coming,” notes Dennis P. DeMers, CEO of Tri-Valley.

“With these five year grant notifications our Head Start and Early Head Start programs can be forward focused,” shares DeMers. “Our clients and our communities deserve nothing less than to be looking to the future, and this award allows for that,” he adds.

Tri-Valley provides local Head Start and Early Head Start services in West Polk, West Marshall, and Norman counties in northwestern Minnesota and in multiple sites throughout Minnesota and North Dakota for mi-grant and seasonal farmworkers and their families.

Upcoming September Calendar Items:* Sept. 10- Tri-Valley Board of Directors Meeting* Sept. 13- Foster Grandparent & Senior Companion In-Service.* Sept. 27 & 30- Fall Leaf Tour to Park Rapids, MN

For more information on these events visit www.tvoc.org/calendar/

Tri-Valley Opportunity Council, Inc. (TVOC) is a community action agency headquartered in Crookston, MN. It is our Mission to provide opportu-nities to individuals and communities in order to improve the quality of our lives. In existence since 1965, TVOC provides services in 84 counties in Minnesota and Northeast North Dakota. For more information on services offered by TVOC please call 218-281-5832 or 800-584-7020.