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Frosty
Troy general session speaker at OKACAA Annual Conference
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Upcoming
meetings
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OKACAA
conference agenda
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Deep
Fork's new offices
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Head
Start medical, dental,
screenings
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Jackie
Davis earns CDA
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Early
Childhood Task Force
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Group
Workcamp in Vinita
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Utility
News Briefs
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Natural
gas hike expected
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How
to reach OKACAA staff
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Deep
Fork's Senior Nutrition Program
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Tulsa
IDA program
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Muskogee
supports free clinic
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Forrest
J. “Frosty” Troy, editor of the award-winning Oklahoma
Observer, will share his
pointed views on politics, government and social issues during the
opening general session address at OKACAA’s Annual Conference.
Troy
is scheduled to provide a legislative update and outlook at 1:30 p.m. on
Sept. 27. The annual conference will be held at the Biltmore Hotel, I-40
& Meridian, Oklahoma City, on Sept. 27-29. Registration material was
mailed to Community Action Agencies in July.
The
Observer’s motto is: To Comfort the Afflicted and Afflict the
Comfortable.
Troy
is a commentator for National Public Radio and was a nominee for a
Pulitzer Prize.
Four
tracks of training are scheduled during the conference. Tracks are
planned for managers and supervisors, Head Start program staff, board members and new staff, and planners and grant writers.
During
the awards banquet on Sept. 28, service awards will be presented along
with the Guy Davis Leadership Award, Fred Tucker Service Award, Ted
Allen Award, and Head Start Awards.
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Upcoming
meetings
Aug.
7-10 - HUD Best Practices Symposium 2000 in Washington, DC.
Contact: 1-800-224—6761 or register online at: www.hudbestpractices.com
Aug.
9-11 - Oklahoma Mental Health Consumer Council Conference in
Oklahoma City: Contact: 405-840-0607.
Aug.
14 - OKACAA Board of
Directors meeting at the Biltmore Hotel in Oklahoma City.
Contact: 405-524-4124.
Aug.
14 –
Oklahoma Weatherization
and Housing Advisory Council meeting at the Biltmore Hotel in
Oklahoma City. Contact: 405-524-4124.
Aug.
14 - 17 - OWHAC Housing & Energy Conference at the Biltmore
Hotel in Oklahoma City. Contact: 405-524-4124.
Aug.
15-16 - ACF Child Care Bureau Annual State Administrators’
Meeting in Washington, DC. Contact: 202-639-4465.
Aug.
16 – Oklahoma
Head Start Association Directors meeting at the Biltmore Hotel
in Oklahoma City. Contact: 405-524-4124.
Aug.
23-25 - National Rural Development Partnership in Sheridan,
Wyoming. Contact: 301-652-1900.
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Back to Archives
Muskogee Community Action providing
school supplies to children of low-income families
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Grechen LaCour and David Eakle put together packets of school supplies to be distributed to children of low-income families by Muskogee County Community Action |
About 500 children from low-income families
will start the school year with a bag of needed supplies courtesy of
Muskogee County Community Action Foundation and a pair of local media
partners.
Using
Community Services Block Grant funds along with money raised locally, the
Community Action Foundation is providing basic schools supplies to
children in six communities. A typical packet for a 4th
grade student contains paper, pencils, a ruler, crayons, colored pencils,
glue, scissors, and a pencil box and costs $7-$8, said David Archibald,
executive director.
“When
you’re dirt poor, these are expensive,” said Archibald explaining why
the foundation offers the program.
KTFX,
a local radio station, is supporting the program with a two-prong effort.
The station placed drop boxes around the community where families can
donate extra schools supplies they purchase. The station has also agreed
to give companies that advertise on the station $100 in advertising for
each $100 the companies donate to the campaign, Archibald explained. The Muskogee
Phoenix has agreed to offer a similar incentive to advertisers
supporting the program, Archibald added.
The
program is now in its third year. During its first year the foundation put
together about 100 packets. That grew to around 250 last year and that
number is expected to double this year. Muskogee County CAF staffers
Grechen LaCour and David Eakle have been putting the packages together
from lists of required supplies provided by the school systems.
The
project almost became unmanageable last year as families seeking the
supplies filled up the office and a line of parents and children snaked
down the street, Archibald said.
This
year, schools are providing a list of families eligible for the program
and the prepackaged bags are being taken to the schools for distribution,
Archibald explained. In addition, VISTA program volunteers are working
with the housing authority to identify eligible families.
Packages
of school supplies are going to schools in Webber Falls, Warner, Braggs,
Haskell, Boynton as well as Muskogee. Archibald said he hopes to recruit
more partners next year to expand the program to more communities.
OKACAA Annual Conference Agenda
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Wednesday, 9/27 |
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8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
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Registration |
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9 a.m. - noon |
OKACAA Board of Directors |
OWHAC Meeting |
OHSA Meeting and
affiliate meetings |
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noon |
Lunch |
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1:30 p.m. |
General Session:
Guest Speaker: Frosty Troy |
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4 - 4:45 p.m. |
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OHSA Executive
Committee Meeting |
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5:00 p.m. |
Cookout |
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Thursday, 9/28 |
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7:30 a.m. |
Breakfast |
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8 a.m. - 4 p.m. |
Registration, View Vendors |
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Track 1 |
Track 2 |
Track 3 |
Track 4 |
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Managers/Supervisors |
Head Start |
Board/New Staff/
Head Start Parents |
Planners/Grant Writers |
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9
- 10:15 a.m.
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Building No-limit
Employees
Through Delegation
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FOCUS
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CAA Vision/Values
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Integrating
Community
20/20 Software for
Community Planning
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10:30 - 11:45
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Get Problem Employees on Board
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FOCUS continued
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Head Start Vision/Values
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Dialogue on Poverty
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11:45 - 1:30
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Lunch
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Lunch
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Lunch
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Lunch
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1:30 - 2:45 pm
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Making the Transformation from
Manager to Leader
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Outcomes
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ABCs of Community Action
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Analyzing & Utilizing Data
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3 - 4:14 pm
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Out of the Box Thinking
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Outcomes - continued
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Managing Your Most Valuable
Commodity - Time
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Preparing a Community Assessment
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6 pm
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Awards Banquet
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Friday, 9/29
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Closing Breakfast
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Back to Archives
Deep Fork moves into new offices in
Okmulgee
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The three-story building in downtown Okmulgee that is the new home for Deep Fork Community Action Foundation was formerly the first Otasco state in Oklahoma. Deep Fork currently has offices on the first and second
floor. |
Deep
Fork Community Action Foundation has moved its offices into a 16,000
square foot building indowntown Okmulgee that was once the first
Otasco store in Oklahoma. The agency houses 17 staff members on the
first two floors with the third floor available for expansion.
The
building was acquired earlier this year after the agency was forced to
abandon the old building where it was leasing space to make way for a
new jail.
The
first floor is laid out to provide easy access for clients to the
program staff members. “Everything is right there in front,” said
Jeff Schuman, executive director. Just inside the front door is the
social services office and food pantry. Down an open walkway are
offices for the housing and nutrition programs. The hallway is lined
with framed front pages of the Okmulgee
Daily Times that contain articles about Community Action programs.
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Deep Fork executive director Jeff Schuman oversees operations of the agency from his office on the second floor of the new
building.
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Schuman’s
spacious office is located on the second floor with windows that
overlook the street and the first floor of the building.
The
building renovations included building some walls to create offices and moving the telephone system over from
the previous office building. The outside still needs painting.
The
third floor is vacant, but Schuman’s dream is to put in a
work-training program. Such a program could provide opportunities for
clients housed in a nearby homeless shelter, battered women’s
shelter, and home for developmentally disabled adults.
The
building was purchased for $100,000, Schuman said. Another $20,000 was
spent on renovations.
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Medical, dental screenings spot treatment
needs
About
22 percent of Oklahoma Head Start children who received a
medical screening and about 30 percent who received a dental
examination in 1999 needed treatment, according to U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services regional office data
on 25 agencies. The data was collected for the Governor’s
Task Force on Early Childhood Education.
The
report showed 11,983 children completed the medical screening
in 1999 with 2,638 diagnosed as needing treatment. In
addition, 11, 993 children completed a professional dental
examination with 3,631 needing treatment.
The report indicates 691 children received treatment
for hearing difficulties, 532 for vision problems, 449 for
asthma, 361 for anemia, 285 for being overweight, and 220 for
low birth weight, and 151 for child abuse or neglect.
Jackie
Davis receives CDA credential
Jackie
Davis of Altus Wilson Head Start has been awarded a Child
Development Associate (CDA) credential by the Council for
Professional Recognition in Washington, D.C.
The
CDA recognizes outstanding work with young children.
Candidates for CDA credential are observed working with young
children by an early childhood professional. In addition, the
candidate must demonstrate the ability to work with families
to develop children’s physical and intellectual capabilities
in a safe and healthy learning environment.
Funding
can be used in
homeless shelters for kids
Funding
from the Child and Adult Care Food Program can now be used by
homeless and domestic violence shelters to feed homeless
children age 12 and under.
For
information, contact Food Resource and Action Center at
202-986-2200, or check their web site at: www.frac.org
Microenterprise
web site
The
Microenterprise Fund for Innovation, Effectiveness, Learning
and Dissemination (FIELD) web site is located at www.fieldus.org.
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Issues
raised at
TANF
forum
A
Citizens League of Central Oklahoma forum on Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) brought observations from
a number of recipients, and those denied TANF assistance.
Issues raised:
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Low-paying
jobs are a problem for all in Oklahoma, on assistance or
not.
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Small
business employers have concerns about inability to
provide health care benefits. If TANF recipients take jobs
without health care, they lose the TANF health benefits
because they are employed.
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Free
medical and dental services are available, but people
needing them do not know where to find them.
Early
Childhood Task Force continues work
The
Governor’s Task Force on Early Childhood Education is
continuing its efforts to assess the needs for early childhood
education, the availability and quality of programs, and to
prepare proposals and implementations recommendations. The
task force is expected to complete a series of meetings in
mid-August.
Dr.
Paulette Schreck, early childhood development professor,
University of Central Oklahoma, provided an overview of age
appropriate programs for children under five at a June meeting
of the task force. Dr. Schreck discussed the benefits
identified in quality programs and emphasized the importance
of appropriate assessments.
Ernestine
Green-Turner, coordinator, A Better Chance Center, discussed
how the center provides assistance to parents and care givers
of children with developmental delays resulting from illegal
drug and alcohol abuse. She discussed the need to educate all
potentially pregnant women about the effects of drug and
alcohol use during pregnancy.
Phil
Dessauer, Community Services Council of Greater Tulsa, Task
Force facilitator Sandy Ingraham, and Bob Harbison discussed
funding for early childhood. Additional data is being sought
from the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.
Harbison
discussed First Start, Early Head Start, and a desire for
collaboration with schools to develop full day four-year-old
programs in one location.
Kay
C. Floyd, director, Oklahoma Head Start State Collaboration
Project, is attending Task Force meetings.
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Back to Archives
Teenagers
repair homes in Vinita at Group Workcamp
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Nearly
400 teenagers from 14 states converged on Vinita last month to
repair the homes of about 70 low-income and elderly residents of
the area. Northeast Oklahoma Community Action Foundation and the
Oklahoma Department of Human Services partnered on the Route 66
Group Workcamp -- the first to be held in Oklahoma.
This
workcamp is one of 36 being conducted across the nation this
summer. “It’s neat that we can help in a community,” said
Kris Folsom, director of the Colorado-based Group Workcamp.
“It’s special what happens to the kids. They learn what it
means to help other people.”
The
teenagers, who are members of church youth groups, are divided
into teams of six which includes an adult advisor.
The
youths repaired roofs, replaced siding, painted, built wheelchair
ramps and performed other general repairs. The teens paid $335
each to participate in the workcamp.
DHS
and Community Action raised $25,000 locally to help purchase
building supplies, and recruited volunteers to serve as
troubleshooters. Robert Meador, president, Oklahoma Weatherization
and Housing Advisory Council, and Michael Jones, OKACAA housing developer, were among the
volunteers who served as a troubleshooter to give advice to the
youth, when needed. |
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Jean Cooper, Northeast Oklahoma Community Action executive director, is briefed on plans for replacing side on this rural house by Maurice Dyer.
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Maurice
Dyer, from Indianola, Iowa, brought 37 teens from Trinity United
Presbyterian Church. “I like working with kids. It helps kids
learn what mission work is all about,” Dyer said. “When you
channel all that energy, it’s amazing what can be accomplished.”
This was Dyer’s eighth workcamp.
Jean
Cooper, executive director, Northeast Oklahoma Community Action,
said the group was very organized. Each team member had specific
responsibilities -- from bringing lunch to planning a daily
devotional to reporting on progress.
The
City of Vinita lent a hand by providing for extra trash pickups,
security, waiving fees, and sending out a fire truck to provide a
cooling spray for campers following a day of working in the
blistering sun.
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Emily, from Iowa, and Amy, from Texas, carefully cut some sheetrock that will be used to repair a falling ceiling. |
Teenagers from across the nation lent a hand to repair homes of elderly in Vinita. Standing on the ground are, from left, Sarabeth, from Alabama; Heidi, from Minnesota; and Taylor, from Georgia. On the ladder and roof are Anna, from Michigan; Forest, from Iowa; and their adult leader, Tim
Sutherland, from Nebraska.
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Back to Archives
Utility
News Briefs
The radical
shake-up of the $220 billion electricity industry promised by deregulation
has been “short-circuiting”, according to Time
magazine. Instead of lower prices and increased reliability, there are
unexpected brownouts and price hikes, claims the news magazine.
The Electric
Consumers’ Alliance reports in its July 17 issue of Monday
Briefings that Michael Shames, executive director of the San
Diego-based Utility Consumers’ Action Network is quoted as saying:
“The cookie jar is open. They’ve got it, we need it, and we’re going
to pay through the nose to get it.” In other deregulated parts of the
nation, price is not the problem but supply is.
________
Deregulation is
expected to usher in an era of far higher industry profits than companies
enjoyed under regulation, when the industry was scrutinized through a
public process overseen by the California Public Utilities Commission, an
article in the July 17 San Diego
Union-Tribune reports.
Under the
state’s electric deregulation plan, customers who are spread across San
Diego and southern Orange counties last summer became the first in the
nation to pay market prices for power. The fact went little noticed until
one of the power market’s periodic price spikes drove electric bills to
elevated levels. Typical
electric bills for homeowners have pushed past $100 monthly, compared with
half that sum this time last year, the newspaper reports.
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Significant
gas price hike expected this winter
Cold
temperatures may still be months away, but Oklahoma Natural Gas Company is
warning its customers that recent substantial increases in the price of
natural gas could mean significantly-higher bills next winter.
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HUD
offers discounts to non-profits on land
The
U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development offers
properties to non-profit organizations at discounts of 30% off the
listing price if the property is uninsurable and located in a
revitalization area.
Other
properties are offered to non-profits at 10% off the listing price
(or 15% if five or more properties are purchased and closed in a
single transaction). These discounts for non-profits apply while
the property is being offered through restricted listings, and
while the property is offered through a general listing.
Questions:
Call Wamda Sampedro of the Assets Management Division at (202)
708-1672.
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A combination of
increased demand for natural gas and lower volumes in storage has
contributed to the recent nationwide price surge. Oklahoma Natural Gas has secured adequate supplies through a
competitive bidding process to meet its customers’ needs, but the price
the company pays for the gas is tied to market conditions at the time of
delivery. The cost of the gas
is passed on to consumers with no markup or profit; ONG’s charges for
delivery and other services are reflected separately on customers’
bills. Those rates were
lowered last May by $20 million.
“It’s
impossible to know for sure what will happen this winter, but most
analysts are predicting that prices will continue to climb,” said Bill
Eliason, vice president for gas strategy.
“If these predictions hold true, a typical residential consumer
could see a winter bill that is 50 or even 60 percent higher.”
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How to Reach
OKACAA Staff |
Oklahoma Association of Community
Action Agencies
2915 Classen Blvd., Suite 215
Oklahoma City, OK 73106
Phone: 405-524-4124, Fax:
405-524-4923 |
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Deep
Fork Senior Nutrition Program grows in popularity
Deep
Fork Community Action Foundation provides over 400,000 meals each
year to senior citizens in a four-county area. Mary Pearson, a
26-year veteran of Community Action, heads up the project that
provided nutritious meals weekdays at 20 congregate sites. In
addition meals are provided to frail residents in their homes.
Deep
Fork Executive Director Jeff Schuman expects the Senior Nutrition
Program to feed meals to about 3,000 residents, 60-years or older,
during the year. Funding for the programs is provided under the
Older Americans Act.
About
700 of those seniors are expected to be provided transportation to
and from the meal sites over the year.
Schuman
estimates there are about 60 staff members for the program that
include cooks, janitors, drivers, outreach workers and central
office staff.
While
the free meal is the draw, another major benefit is the
opportunity for the seniors to socialize. Depending upon the site,
the centers are typically open from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The
congregate meals provide opportunity for health services such as
blood pressure checks and hearing screenings.
The
program has become so popular that residents must make
reservations a day in advance. But Schuman admits that he
doesn’t think they have ever turned anyone away. “We’ll find
them a meal,” he added.
Residents
60-years or older, or with a disability, are eligible to
participate.
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Muskogee
County CAF
supports free health clinic
Muskogee
County Community Action Foundation is supporting a free health
clinic that provides services to people without health insurance.
A
typical patient at the Good Shepherd Free Health Clinic is a
senior citizen who may not be eligible for Medicare or Medicaid,
explained David Archibald, executive director.
The
foundation donated $2,500 in Community Services Block Grant funds
to help purchase supplies for the clinic. This is a new program
for the foundation.
Tulsa
County Community Action to administer
state IDA program
Community
Action Project of Tulsa County (CAPTC) has been awarded a contract
to provide administration for the state’s Individual Development
Accounts program (IDA) for fiscal year 2001.
“This
program represents a new and revolutionary attempt at helping the
disadvantaged climb the economic ladder,” said Steven Dow,
executive director, CAPTC. “We are pleased to be partners with
DHS in empowering low-income families to provide for their
future.”
The
IDA program is a savings account for people who are currently or
have in the past participated in the Temporary Assistance for
Needy Families program that allows them to set aside money for the
future. Participants make deposits every month into an account
with CAPTC partner, Bank of Oklahoma. The Bank of Oklahoma will
serve as the repository institution for IDA funds.
The
Oklahoma Department of Human Services will match money clients put
into their account with a yearly limit of $500 per account and a
lifetime limit of $2,000 per account. The money clients put into
their accounts must come from income earned from working, not
public assistance.
Clients
can then use this money for a down payment on a home, personal or
children’s education, job training or to start a new business.
Those
participating in the program must also attend a money management
course within the first 90 days of having their account opened.
The Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service will
provide money management and asset specific training at locations
statewide.
This
is the first year DHS has offered this program to TANF
participants. CAPTC’s current IDA program is the largest of its
kind in the nation. For more information on the IDA program,
call your local DHS county office.
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This
was financed in part by funds from the State of Oklahoma as administered
by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and OKACAA.
For copies of articles in an alternate format, call 405-524-4124.
Back
to Archives
Copyright © 1997 OKACAA
All Rights Reserved
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