Woodbine, IA

Woodbine has opened up its application time for its annual Paint-a-thon that will happen in August.  New this year was a grant application written and received for $1400 from the Network Neighborhood Grants Program administered by the local Human Service Decat Board. Woodbine High School student council will be reviewing the applications and picking several houses to paint. Eligible entries include those who are in financial need and are not as able to afford paint/supplies to paint their houses, and eligible applicants include those who are physically unable to paint their own houses. Paint-a-thon addresses financial and emotional poverty, but it also incorporates a huge social element within it which helps eliminate the social poverty we face in our towns. This event is totally student driven. The leadership skill set and leadership opportunities for our high school youth are incredible. Students also solicit the help of the community and rely on a huge volunteer base to complete their painting tasks on the actual painting date.

The “Marketing Woodbine” committee formed from the Horizons discussion submitted a grant proposal to Iowa Living Roadways Community Visioning and was selected for the program.  We are now starting an eight month process with a Trees Forever facilitator. The facilitator will guide us (the steering committee) and the community at large as the project collects informational data concerning improving the appearance/architectural landscape/transportation routes of our town. The first meeting was well attended and there was much discussion and brainstorming about the above. At the end of the session, the group voted on their top three ideas to concentrate on…this method worked well in helping the steering committee to distill all the input and come to a consensus upon which ideas, in general, to concentrate. Due to the notice of our meeting in the local paper inviting any interested community member, there were several people in attendance new to the process with some different ideas and input . That was an extra positive…hopefully, these different people will spread the word concerning the intent of the Visioning project so the Woodbine community members will actively participate in contributing their ideas and reflections.

One of our Horizons Work Groups was on Quality Jobs–having current and future employers provide quality good paying jobs in Woodbine to boost the local economy. This work group had heard about the Main Street Iowa program and thought it might be a good program for Woodbine. A group of men and women used their leadership abilities and talents and applied to have Woodbine be a Main Street Iowa Community. They were awarded this distinction on March 4 in Des Moines, Iowa. Already on March 19 the Main Street officials visited Woodbine. They met with the Woodbine Main Street Board and about 100 community members. They presented and discussed the Four Point Design of the program. 1. Organization (political), 2. Business Improvement (economic), 3. Design (physical), and 4. Promotion (social). Woodbine Main Street Board has work ahead but are excited about finding ways to better the Woodbine Community in hopes of providing a place where quality jobs can be found, as well as a beautiful place to live.

One of the more concrete steps being taken by Woodbine community members to reduce poverty is looking for ways to attract businesses to Woodbine to provide quality jobs. A town with an attractive appearance as well as having capabilities to draw in new businesses such as up to date technology, utilities, transportation, and communications is vital for a growing community. The committee working on Quality Jobs for Woodbine decided it might be beneficial if an outside source could give the community an assessment of their strengths and weaknesses. Three interested citizens attended an Iowa Main Street session in Greenfield, Iowa, in December to obtain more information. Following this meeting the newly elected Chamber coordinator, City Administrator and long time community leader spent several mornings working on an Iowa Main Street application. It was submitted by January 4, 2008. The mission of the Iowa Main Street is to improve the social and economic well being of Iowa’s communities by assisting selected communities to capitalize on the unique identity, assets and character of their downtown area. With our fingers crossed,we are waiting to hear if we will be nominated as a participant in Iowa Main Street.

The action plan for the Caring, Sharing and Learning Center is slow evolving. The committee working on this action plan has a goal that includes a building center as well as a paid staff member. Some of the members want action now, especially one the early Horizon action group members. She is a dedicated leader! That is good! There are things that can be done while the main goal is being worked on. If it comes to no building and/or no one staff person, maybe that will be good too. Time will tell. In the meantime several people from the various churches in Woodbine have come together to form a group who will visit the shut-ins, the sick, the residents of home-care and nursing homes, etc. A list of community members who may benefit from visitors has been compiled and shared with the members of the churches. Anyone from any church can choose a name from the list regardless of his/her faith affiliation. There are no restrictions for who, when or where visitations will take place. Two volunteers within the community offered to crochet dish cloths that will be used as a small gift to give to those visited. Means are being taken to observe for any member of the community who has no church affiliation who may want to be visited. The committee members will monitor the list to be sure everyone is visited. Our numbers are small but sending people off two by two to visit our neighbors who are ill,alone and in need will catch on , and the number of our poor will be less.

Who would have thought that we would find poverty in our small town of Woodbine, population 1500 plus. Back in the beginning days of the Horizon Program (almost a year now) people began sharing with each other the broader meaning of poverty for many who live in our town. Every community exist with people from a variety of economic means. However, after a few meetings with the participants of the action groups it was brought to my attention that poverty wasn’t just a lack of economic means. The meaning of poverty went much deeper into the hearts and minds of people. I heard participants share stories of people they knew who experienced loneliness, low self esteem, lack of relationships and hopelessness.

Following these sharing activities, the action groups realized that these were areas each of us could begin doing something about. The leaders of the Horizon Program Committees met with Kiwanis, Golden Age Center, Woodbine School Board and Staff, and other organizations to explain the purpose of the Horizon program. One of the Horizons Action Teams sent out a survey to every resident in the Woodbine School and what they would like to see done through the Horizon Program. I felt at that time there was a surge of excitement and energy in my community which wasn’t there before. People began to dream and talk about what Woodbine could become if we all worked together.

A Welcoming Committee has been formed as a result of the Horizon program. These people have put together a book describing Woodbine and the resources available, Churches, businesses, activities, etc., to be handed out to all newcomers. Newcomers are met by two or three members of the Welcoming Committee who share with them a basket of donated products from businesses in town and a basket of fruit or a plate of homemade cookies.

The youth are important to our community. A great mentoring program was initiated as a result of Horizons and was well underway before the last big meeting of Horizons. It is up and running in partnership with the Woodbine School. The goal was to have 6 mentors with 6 students this first year. It already has 11 mentors and students meeting weekly during school hours, with 5 more mentors ready to begin. Both the adults and children are excited.

Partnerships have formed without even working at it. The City of Woodbine, the Woodbine School District, the churches, businesses on main street, local organizations are all being involved in someway or other in working on the 5 action areas agreed upon at the last Horizon gathering. Many community members are partnering with each other. Talents and gifts are plentiful!

In closing I would like to share with you the 5 action areas the new leaders in Woodbine are working toward. More will be forth coming as each progresses toward its goal.
1. Caring, Sharing Learning Center–matching individual and family needs with local resources and assets. Things are happening without a building/coordinator.
2. Recreational activities for all ages-year round walking, bike trail, fitness center and 5th quarter!
3. Marketing Woodbine–advertising what Woodbine offers using an old grain elevator.
4. Landing quality jobs in Woodbine–working with Main Street Iowa (good things are happening!!)
5. Youth mentoring Program–well underway and working

Q:How has your community leadership expanded?

A: Woodbine’s community leadership has seen a drastic expansion since the onset of the Horizon’s program. Not only are there now more leaders, but there are more structures and forums in place now that will help to continue to increase the leaders within our community. For example, within our overall framework of the Horizons program, as we have developed it, we currently have sub groups working on specific action ideas. Each of these groups is lead by an individual or individuals who are not part of the traditional leadership of the city. These “lay leaders” so to speak are stepping into roles that they may have served in some capacity in the past and are now utilizing their skills again OR by folks who have not yet been a “leader” for Woodbine in the past. Further, within each of those groups we have included individuals who have not recently (or perhaps ever) been involved in general committee work. These individuals discovered a “niche” opportunity to work within a very specific area on a topic that is near and dear to their heart. With this ability to work on a “passion” area without needing to go to meetings that may not be of interest to them, they are now seeing their time being used more importantly than it may have in their other committee experiences. This gives some of those members a real energy about them that helps them to step up and really participate when before, they may have sat back in the wings and did more listening. These leaders within these work groups are a mix of new leaders in the community and of stronger/more well utilized leaders who now serve in a more specific and active role.

Q. what changes have been made in who is now involved in leadership positions?

A: Much of what is written above also addresses this question. BUT we also have noticed an increased leadership ability within our local high school students who are currently serving in leadership roles. Leadership Plenty was offered to our community through the Horizon’s process and we had around 9-10 local youth participate in that program. Those students came away with a great deal of confidence after that summer session and most of them ended up becoming the elected leaders within the school this last fall. Those students are utilizing and networking more readily with the other adult members of those Leadership Plenty classes that they met through the program. So, in short, we have more youth leadership because of the process. Another change that has been made in who is in leadership comes in a more direct example. One of our very active members of the Horizons groups, at all levels of the program, recently became a nominee for city council and was elected to that post. His experiences with working with the members of the “nontraditional” leaders of the community will no doubt help him as he enters the realm of the “traditional leadership” of Woodbine.

Q: What changes have been made in the way Woodbine recruits and trains new leaders? Sustains existing leaders?

A: I believe we now have a procedure/structure in place that allows our community to “speak the same language” when it comes to leadership development and when it comes to working toward taking action within the community. Horizons has given us a template to follow that helps us to begin with purposeful conversations within a safe and monitored environment. The meetings of diverse types of people lead to brainstorms of what NEEDS to be accomplished, what assets are already in place, how this will affect others and what sorts of action ideas will get to our required needs. This includes helping to put the people in leadership for THAT TASK who have the skills, passions, and connections needed to see the project through. So we now know that we do not need to rely on the people who “always” lead, but rather we NEED to look deeper within the community to find those who have the specific skills needed to do the task. This also retains the current leaders because it helps us to not ask them to do things that will tax their already limited time and might lead to burn out within these talented leaders.

In closing: I’m really pleased to report that our community is really moving forward with some amazing action ideas that most certainly would not have happened so smoothly or so quickly had we had to rely on the few leaders that seemed to shoulder a lot of the load within the community. We have educated and given the confidence to people who are now helping us to do far more than we could have without them. We, as a small town, can only do as much as we have the leaders needed to lead those things, and NOW, through the Horizons process, we have discovered more leaders within Woodbine and can hence do far more for the good of our great community.

Through the Horizon’s Visioning Process the Woodbine community is addressing 5 major issues/topics.  They include: A Caring, Sharing, Learning Center; Recreation Activities for All; Marketing Woodbine; Quality Jobs; and Youth Mentoring Program.