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OKACAA Annual Conference Sept. 26-28 in Oklahoma City

    OKACAA’s Annual Conference is scheduled for Sept. 26-28 at the Biltmore Hotel, I-40 & Meridian, in Oklahoma City.

    For information, call 405-524-4124.

    Over 200 Community Action staff members will be recognized for service ranging from 10 years to 35 years during the awards banquet scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 27.

    In addition, a number of special awards will be presented.

    These include the:

•   Fred Tucker Service Award

•   Guy Davis Leadership Award

•   Bellmon Scholarship

•   Certified Community Action Professional Scholarships

•   Certified Community Action Professional Awards

•   Ted Allen Memorial Award

•   Head Start Parent of the Year

•   Phyllis Jones Scholarship

•   Goodie Wickland Scholarship

•   Head Start Volunteer of the Year

•   Head Start Staff Education Scholarship

•   Friends of Community Action

•   State Official of the Year

•   Legislators of the Year

•   Congressional Leader of the Year

•   Mitch Sheffield Presidential Award

    The conference opens with a series of roundtable discussions on Wednesday, Sept. 26. Roundtable sessions are planned for housing staff, Head Start parents, staff working with ROMA, agencies considering having a Group Workcamp, and Head Start financial staffers.

    A series of concurrent program tracks are scheduled for Thursday.

    Mike Gettings, Oakridge National Laboratory, is scheduled to discuss the new “NEAt Audit” with housing staff.

    Planners can attend “Events Planning: How to Make that Event Special” presented by Scott Moller, SCM & Associates. Registration for this session is limited to two staff per agency and pre-registration is required.

    Linda Reasoner, BHM/HSQIC, will discuss “Child & Program Outcomes” with Head Start staff.

    An “Introduction to CAA Programs” for new board members and staff will be presented.

    “Publications: New Ideas for the Things You Print” will be discussed by Janelle Stafford, Executive Director, Central Oklahoma Community Action Agency, and Bob Brandenburg, Communications Director, OKACAA.

    There will be a session entitled “Health Initiatives” that will focus on how to start an agency clinic.

    Mynan Hutto, Delta Community Action, will present a program entitled “Packing for Success” for new board members and staff.

    Twila Gable, Community Action Agency of Oklahoma City and Oklahoma/Canadian Counties, will discuss the Individual Development Account program.

    Steve Pool, AFLAC, will discuss “Cafeteria Plans.”

    An optional event will be dinner in Bricktown at the Spaghetti Warehouse on Wednesday. Cost is $12.50 per person.

New Web Site

    Community Action Agency of Oklahoma City and Oklahoma/Canadian Counties has a new web site at: www.caaofokc.org.

Housing & Energy Conference

    “2001 - A Housing Odyssey” was the theme for the 9th annual Oklahoma Housing & Energy Conference held last month in Oklahoma City.

    Sponsored by the Oklahoma Weatherization & Housing Advisory Council, the conference featured sessions on topics including fair housing, insulation processes, lead-based paint, community lending, alternative energy sources and affordable housing resources.

    The Ted Allen/David Walker Scholarship was presented to Briana Watkins.

Northeast wants to ‘grow its own companies’ in business incubator

    Frustrated by the inability to attract new businesses to Jay because of infrastructure needs, Northeast Oklahoma Community Action wants the city to grow its own companies in a business incubator.

    Diana Behm has joined the staff as the Economic Development Director with creation of the business incubator as her top priority.

    The project is expected to take two to three years to complete. The Jay Industrial Trust Authority has donated land for the building.

    The business incubator will provide low rent space and some support services for small start-up companies. As the companies become more successful, their rent will increase and they will be ultimately expected to move out of the space.

    The long-term goal is to increase employment opportunities in the area.

    About 30 percent of the residents are employed outside of the area. Some drive to Arkansas and Missouri to work.

    Many of the jobs in the community are service related and seasonal. The Community Action Agency hopes to attract small manufacturing companies with the business incubator.

    In addition to providing spaces for small businesses, the facility is also expected to contain rooms that can be used by Northeast Technology Center to teach business-oriented classes. It will also provide some jobs for TANF clients to provide support services.

Delta opens new Head Start collaboration in Maysville

    Delta Community Action Head Start is collaborating with the Maysville Public School system to operate a full-day, year-round program that will mirror the four-year-old class in the local school.

    “Anything that happens at the school will happen here,” said Monica Belicek, Early Learning Center Director.

    Children will be on the same schedule. Group time will be the same. Art activities will be the same.

    “The goal,” she explained, “is to provide the same experience for all children by the time they enter kindergarten.”

    Maysville Public School Teacher Rana Gamble will teach the class of 17-20 children that are expected to enroll. In addition to providing the teacher, the public schools are also providing breakfast and lunch for the children.

    The Early Learning Center is located in a house that was a former day care center.

    “It’s a great program,” said Sandi Ring whose 3-year-old son, Devin, is attending the center.

    “We’re glad to be able to expand and enhance the services to children and families in this community,” said Sharon Horton, Delta Head Start Director.

Senior housing project under construction in Muskogee

    A three-story, 60 unit apartment complex will soon be opening for senior citizens in Muskogee with the Muskogee County Community Action Foundation playing a key role in its development.

    The agency is an equity partner in the $5.5 million project. It provided $440,000 in HOME funds to the developer. Revenue generated from its 2 percent interest in the complex will be used to provide social services for the elderly residents, explained David Archibald, Executive Director.

    The apartment complex has seven units set aside for low-income seniors and one unit will be provided free to a mentally challenged individual, Archibald said.

    Housing Director Bree Long has been overseeing the day-to-day work on the Summer Ridge Apartment complex.

    The agency teamed up with United Community Action Program. “We contracted with them to provide technical assistance,” Archibald said.

United helped with much of the paperwork and process issues.

    The city of Muskogee was also very supportive with assistance on utility considerations and inspection fees, Archibald added.

    The apartment complex’s common area contains a large meeting room, kitchen and laundry facilities. There will be a nature trail for walking and Muskogee County Transit will provide transportation services to the center.

    With the apartment complex nearing completion, ground was broken on a new project last month.

    Austin Heights will be $6.5 million, 72 unit project of general family residences. Twelve apartments have been set aside for low-income families.

    Muskogee County Community Action is kicking in $640,000 in HOME dollars and will own 6 percent of the project.

    The agency has been expanding its housing efforts. Before, the agency had focused primarily on homeowner rehab and weatherization. But in the past year and a half, 134 units have been added to the housing market, Archibald said.

    “We feel we are making a major contribution to the Muskogee housing supply,” Archibald said.

Toy lending library available to child care providers through CDSA program

    Child care providers from a 14-county area have access to 40-50 educational kits from the toy lending library housed in the Community Development Support Association (CDSA) offices in Enid.

    Child Care Finders, a resource and referral agency operated by CDSA under an agreement with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS), provides the educational and developmentally appropriate toys for children from birth to school age, explained Laurie Tabeb, Child Care & Outreach Specialist.

    Kits have been developed on topics ranging from farms to oceans. Each kit may contain books, puzzles, manipulative-type toys, games, puppets, a video and other items designed to help children learn about the topic.

    For child care providers that cannot easily come to the resource center in Enid, a mobile toy lending library called Cribs to Crayons will deliver the toys and educational equipment.

    The three member staff is constantly scouring educational toy catalogues to find appropriate material to create new kits.

    The resources are available to DHS licensed child care providers in the 14 county service area. Currently, there are 365 providers on the data base eligible to use the resource library.

    In addition to the library, Child Care Finders offers technical assistance, a newsletter, and educational workshops designed to help providers meet the DHS two-star training requirements.

    Child Care Finders is one of nine resource and referral centers in Oklahoma.

Muskogee County Community Action provides school supplies

    Over 250 children from low-income families in ten rural school districts will receive free school supplies from Muskogee County Community Action Foundation.

    Now in its 4th year, the program is funded by Community Services Block Grant funds and a $1,000 donation from Wal-Mart.

    Students receiving the supplies are selected by the school principal or counselor. The supplies are being delivered to the school for distribution. In previous years the supplies were distributed from the agency’s office, but the long lines of children and parents waiting prompted a change in the distribution procedure.

    A typical packet includes a spiral notebook, pencils, scissors, ruler, pen, crayons, colored pencils, eraser, glue and folders. The exact contents depend upon the grade level of the child. School supplies are provided to children in grades 1 through 5.

Northeast Community Action Agency seeks funding for housing for developmentally disabled clients

    Northeast Oklahoma Community Action is applying for a $120,000 grant to purchase and repair three homes which would then be sold to developmentally disabled persons, Jean Cooper, Executive Director, said.

    The “Home of Your Own Program” is designed to assist persons with disabilities achieve home ownership. The Donna Nigh Foundation has agreed to donate $2,000 for each house and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka will help with down payment assistance.

    Northeast ultimately hopes to create a design for a 1,000 square foot model home that will be fully accessible to elderly and disabled and affordable. If successful, the model could be adapted for other locations.