Communicator. Coming Soon... Eggs & Issues YEAR IOWA MAIN STREET COMMUNITY. Volume 42, Number 1 January United Way Continued on Page 2

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1 Communicator 30-YEAR IOWA MAIN STREET COMMUNITY Volume 42, Number 1 January 2017 Coming Soon... United Way of Mahaska County has a vision of our community as a place where every student enters school ready to learn and graduates prepared for a fulfilling career. Where every family is not just meeting its needs but thriving. Where every resident is leading an active, safe and healthy life. These are big goals, and like the fundraising thermometer reads on the main intersection in Oskaloosa: It takes ALL OF US working together to reach our goal. United is the only way we are able to move the needle on issues of poverty, education and health. Serving Mahaska County for more than 50 years, United Way supports local nonprofits that use the funding to do amazing work in our community. In 2016, a gift to United Way helped a single mom build a home with Habitat for Humanity, supported special needs adults with some fun activities at Imagine the Possibilities, and gave seniors a place for fellowship with Agency on Aging. Watch for a new Shop Small Save Big opportunity in Oskaloosa in the February Communicator! United Way Continued on Page 2 Eggs & Issues 2017 Oskaloosa Area Chamber & Development Group will again be sponsoring Eggs & Issues. The legislative forum gives area residents an opportunity to learn more about state, county, and local issues. The setting is informal and encourages those attending to personally meet and speak to their elected representatives. Oskaloosa Area Chamber & Development Group 222 1st Ave East, Oskaloosa, IA PH: Karen Hafner Main Street Director Deb Bruxvoort Financial Manager Deann De Groot Ag & Rural Dev. Director Tessa Veldhuizen Events Coordinator This year s dates are as follows: January 14 (City, County and School representative), January 28, February 11, February 25, March 11, March 25. The group will meet at Smokey Row on the square in downtown Oskaloosa from 8:30-9:30 AM. MidWestOne Bank will provide complimentary coffee. All of the sessions will be reported on through the Oskaloosa Herald, KBOE, Osky News, and CRI. We hope you will join us!

2 2 Communicator January 2017 United Way Continued from Page 1 It s my job to make sure people know all about the impact our partner agencies are having in Mahaska County, says Amy Meyer, UWMC executive director. Often when I tell people about our partner programs like financial classes at Love INC or MHP s Palliative Care program that helps people before they re ready for Hospice they re really impressed by all that s available in our community. 57% of every dollar goes directly to the nonprofits United Way supports. Another 20% supports United Way s own initiatives. Programs like Iowa Reading Corps, where two full-time tutors at Oskaloosa Elementary School work 1-on-1 with students who need a little help with reading. Or Take-Along Weekend Food, which sends food-insecure kids home with a bag of food on Fridays to make sure they come back ready to learn on Monday. United Way of Mahaska County also wants to make sure that everyone is engaged in their community through volunteering. You can log onto VolunteerMahaska.org to find a ton of volunteer opportunities and information about all the wonderful organizations that serve our community. So whether it s a warm coat for the winter, a free tax return in April or a backpack of supplies when it s time to go back to school, United Way of Mahaska County is right here, making sure everyone, young or old, has a helping hand when they need it. WELCOME! - NEW OACDG MEMBERS: Great Clips Local contact: Tina Long 209 Cornerstone Dr. Suite F Oskaloosa, IA Phone: Great Clips is a walk-in salon that only does haircuts and perms. They also have a wide range of hair care products. Crystal Heights Rehabilitation Center Local Contact: Tanya Davis 1514 High Ave West Oskaloosa, IA Phone: Crystal Heights Care Center is a well-established 78 bed nursing facility. Their new 14 bed rehabilitation center offers private suites with all the amenities of home to include in-house state of the art therapy gym.whether it is short-term rehabilitation to home or 24-hour long-term nursing care, the highly skilled nursing staff with successfully meet your needs. Crystal Heights Care Center is pleased to offer physicians at bedside, physical/occupational/speech therapy, podiatry, laboratory, portable x-ray, hospice, pharmacy and dental services. The Brickhouse Cafe Local contact: Kory Wright 212 1st Ave E Oskaloosa, IA Phone: Breakfast 6:30-10:30 am, Lunch 10:30-2:30 pm. Made to order and made fresh daily. Find them on Facebook to see the full menu - coffee, sandwiches, soups, wraps and more! CrossFit OFC Owners: Bobby & Lewis Opheim th Ave E Oskaloosa, IA Phone: CrossFit OFC is one of Oskaloosa s top gym facilities. They follow the CrossFit method and philosophy of providing constantly varied, functional, high intensity workouts. These workouts, combined with good nutrition, are the foundation for a healthy life.

3 January 2017 Communicator 3 Can you believe that it is the New Year already? You know what that means, everyone thinks - New Year, New You. How about sticking to the old you, but just making some healthy changes? One way to engage in making healthy changes is by participating in the 2017 Live Iowa Healthy Challenge. LHI has been around since Since its inception, there have been over 1 million pounds lost and participants have tracked over 10.4 million hours of physical activity. In 2016, Mahaska County was number 8 in participation across the state! Number 8! LHI is a simple and affordable challenge that provides Iowans an opportunity to improve their health while engaging in a fun, friendly competition. The Live Healthy Iowa 10-Week Wellness Challenge starts soon and it s very simple to join. Registration opens on Dec. 19 with the challenge going from Jan. 23 through Mar. 31. During this time you and your team of two -10 people, record how many minutes of activity or weight loss you accumulate. Make up a team of family members or co-workers and get registered, then get moving! The cost is $20 per member. Each person gets access to the LHI dashboard that will help him or her with their journey, along with a T-shirt, access card to local benefits, a magazine subscription and a chance to win amazing prizes! Plus it is fun to compete with each other! This is our chance to move Mahaska County to the top 5 in the state of Iowa! For more information, visit Ann Smith Community Wellness Coordinator Now Available - Blue Zones Community Book The comprehensive coffee-tablestyle book is available to share the community s greatest achievements and commitment to well-being both within the community and beyond. The book is avaiable as a hard copy or online at explore.bluezonesproject.com/ oskaloosa/ A fully interactive story display of the Blue Zones Community story is available at Explore.BlueZonesProject. com. Spread the word online and keep following the story; it s a living record of how our community is making healthy choices easy and standing out as an innovator in community well-being.

4 4 Communicator January 2017 Fruit of Light Wellness & Learning Center owners Ben & Heather Doak recently opened a store front for various businesses at rd Ave. East, Suite 2 in Heartland Mall. They offer various classes for health care offering a new avenue of choices. Products offered include Neal s Yard Remedies skin care, as well as Nature s Sunshine essential oils and the wellness program: IN.FORM. Tracy Mills of SAGE Therapeutic Massage can be found here. The space is also the hub for the BountifulBaskets.org Food Coop. Contact them at or fruit_of_light@icloud.com. Tenco, Inc. has opened a local office to better provide service in Oskaloosa and the surrounding area. Laurie Lenertz, local Program Coordinator cuts the ribbon along with Codie A. Amason, Director of Operations and Cheryl Plank, Executive Director - both are in Ottumwa office. The local office is at 117 N 1st St. Tenco offers services in 7 counties To provide opportunities for people with disabilities to develop and maintain independence in all areas of life. This non-profit was founded in 1965 and serves over 300 people with vocational centers, adult day habilitation, residential and supported employment. You will find tomatoes grown in their Ottumwa and Fairfield greenhouses at area stores, restaurants, and farmer s markets. Call The Racine Scouts have chosen to bring their winter camps and spring training to the former Vennard Campus in University Park. They are the oldest drum & bugle corps in America. They started in 1927 to keep boys out of trouble, traveling as ambassadors for Boy Scouts of America even performing for the President of the US. In 1969 the corps added females to the guard and in the mid 70s women joined the horns and drums as well. The corps looks to have 65 marching members meeting here one weekend per month Dec.-May and Spring Training in June. They then begin their six-week tour within Drum Corps International s Summer Music Games. Educators include L-R Denelle Acosta, Colorguard Coordinator; Bobby Bonslater, Corps Director; Terry DeJong, Assoc. Dir. (Director of Wm Penn Univ. Athletic Bands); Randy Chaffee, Exec. Director cutting the ribbon; Cody Tucker, Visual Coordinator; and Ben Weaver, Percussion. Visit

5 Stella s Salon owner Deb Linder cut the ribbon at 1211 A Ave. East, Oskaloosa. Deb has been a stylist for many years and now owns her own salon, named after her deceased mother. She and stylist Madi Denny are ready to take care of your hair styling wishes. Additionally they offer, sunless tan, massage therapy and acupuncture, with plans to add a boutique. What started as a dream, was cultivated and grown into reality with the help and encouragement of The Exchange (See page 7). Call or find Stella s Salon on Facebook. BUSINESS H URS Does your business want to host a Business After Hours in 2017? If so, contact the Chamber today at This is a great way to showcase what your business has to offer to the community! January 2017 Communicator 5 NEW YEAR CRAFT & BEER SAVE THE DATE When: Thursday, January 19 6:00 PM Where: The Brickhouse Cafe What: Enjoy a craft and a craft beer from NoCoast Beer Co. More details to come! Space will be limited so if you are interested please call to reserve your spot by January 13. Cost will be $5 for craft materials. In addition, please bring money to purchase supper from The Brickhouse Cafe.

6 6 Communicator January 2017 Partners for Change Food Bank of Southern Iowa United Way of Mahaska County supports 13 partner nonprofits in the community. Each month, we ll highlight one who is doing big things for Mahaska County! Some nonprofits are front and center the face of a cause. Others work more behind the scenes, ensuring other organizations have what they need to successfully serve their clients. Oskaloosa Area Chamber & Development Group wishes you a HAPPY NEW YEAR! Thank you to all the volunteers who helped with the Lighted Christmas Parade and 2016 events. Next year the Oskaloosa Main Street Lighted Christmas Parade will take place on November 30, The theme is 30 Years of Christmas Past. Watch for more details in the February Communicator. Food Bank of Southern Iowa does just that distributing food to 11 nonprofits in Mahaska County. And not a little bit of food. This year, the amount provided will total more than 40,000 pounds! All told, Food Bank of Southern Iowa helped more than 7,000 Mahaska County residents with food insecurity in And what a difference that makes. Let s hear from some people served by Food Bank of Southern Iowa: Without the Food Bank, our resources would not supply the entire month s meals. Our family eats a lot better and gets their bellies full. It s not like we had to say, Drink water then go to bed. Sometimes we get by with oatmeal and crackers. Tonight, we don t have to, thanks to you. These are just a few examples of how lives are changed by the Food Bank of Southern Iowa. To find out more, go to or call

7 The Exchange for Entrepreneurs: A New & Exciting Year For nearly two years, the Exchange for Entrepreneurs has been meeting, learning, discussing and addressing business issues and concerns for its members and attendees. What is the Exchange? According to two of the original members, Rob Taylor of Gleason & Taylor and Pam Blomgren of The Write Design, the Exchange is a group of like-minded area entrepreneurs who are currently self-employed or are taking steps to follow their business dreams down an entrepreneurial path; it is an educational, interactive resource for expanding knowledge and elevating ideas. Its success as an organization is due, in part, to the Iowa Building. While in the infant stages of establishing an identity as a group, the Exchange investigated the Iowa Building as a potential home. That investigation proved to be premature, but it did help secure a foundation for the group establishing what is now a successful co-working and business incubator. Regular Coffee & Conversations take place in Smokey Row on Friday mornings at 7:30 a.m. Special learning opportunities take place periodically thanks to experts from area businesses within the Mahaska Community. New in 2017 will be Entrepreneur Story-Telling. These evening events will be an opportunity to learn about Mahaska Community success stories by area entrepreneurs who have already walked down paths Exchange members may be considering. There is no formal membership application or dues structure for the Exchange. Anyone is invited to any of the programs or Friday morning conversations. More information is available online at www. TheExchangeOskaloosa.com or by calling Taylor ( ) or Blomgren ( ). January 2017 Communicator 7 The Exchange for Entrepreneurs 2017 Event Calendar The calendar is subject to change. The public is invited to any of The Exchange for Entrepreneurs noted events. FRIDAYS 7:30 Smokey Row Coffee & Conversation the EXCHANGE meets at Smokey Row Friday mornings beginning at 7:30 a.m. (unless otherwise noted). You re invited to swing by to work, give your thoughts about our direction, let us know your business or just enjoy coffee and conversation JANUARY 17: ENTREPRENEUR STORYTELLING 6 p.m. -- Learn from entrepreneurs who have traveled the journey! Jane Nicholson of Mahaska Drug and Nanette Cunningham of 804 Decor will share their stories and answer questions in a special Storytelling Event. The evening will begin with a social time from 6 to 6:30 p.m.; storytelling begins at 6:30. This event will be held at On The Green. MARCH 10: NUMBERS, NUMBERS, NUMBERS 7:30 a.m. -- Josh Buckingham will discuss accounting and bookkeeping for start-ups and options available. This program will be held at Smokey Row and will include time for Q&A. MAY 12: STEP BY STEP 7:30 a.m. -- Starting a Business, Step by Step, will be presented by SBA. It will be held in the Smokey Row Meeting room. JULY 14: YOU BOUGHT A BUILDING: NOW WHAT? 7:30 a.m. -- This presentation will be held in the Smokey Row meeting room. Your presenters will be Jason VanAusdall and Wyatt Russell. Learn about city codes and where to find answers to clear building hurdles. A potential Part 2 is also being discussed. SEPTEMBER 19: ENTREPRENEUR STORYTELLING To be announced NOVEMBER 10: FREE TOOLS & TIPS 7:30 a.m. -- Michael Wampler of Indian Hills Community College will be presenting Free Tools & Tips for Entrepreneurs. This program will be held in the meeting room of Smokey Row. NOVEMBER 30 In 2016, Gleason & Taylor along with The Write Design secured special Lighted Christmas Parade seating above the parade route to view in the comfort of the OACDG Conference Room. Attendees enjoyed a warm room with a view along with holiday snacks and favorite beverages. There is the possibility of enjoying this 2017 holiday event in the same manner.

8 World-Class Performances From the professional stage productions and youth theatre at George Daily Auditorium to the traveling rock groups and city band playing on our town square, you are sure to find an entertaining performance nearby.