Category: AmeriCorps VISTA

By: Dr. Jesse O. Bolinger

It is hard to believe that just one year ago I was entering my role with the Decatur County Development Corporation wondering how I would build relationships and complete only one project.  Today I am amazed at how I was able to achieve so many projects, make so many new connections and learn so much about Decatur County.

The past year has proven to be so much more than a year of service to my country and to my community.  It has proven to be a year of service to myself.  Knowing that I would have only one year of service, does not make writing this final column any easier. I have loved being of service to our communities.

Career education was the primary focus area of my service term.  My work initially centered around fourth through eighth-grade students and educating them about careers they may be interested in.  I found myself working instead with the Lamoni Exploration Academy students in Kindergarten through fifth grade and students at the Mormon Trail Middle and High School during their first ever career day.  These two experiences proved to be invaluable for the students and created life-long memories for me.

At the beginning of my year of service, I found myself completing a “gap analysis.”  I wanted to know what was missing in my VISTA Assignment Description.  What I saw, changed how I approached financial literacy.  It would also change how I conducted my own research and even thought about my own life and personal goals.  The projects I created related to financial literacy and will allow those struggling financially to learn and grow for generations to come.

The financial literacy project will also enable nonprofits throughout Decatur County to utilize a newly created online resource directory. The Directory supports the Financial and Resource Scarcity and You online course.  This online course will allow individuals to gain a deeper understanding of their personal financial and resource scarcity situation.  Beginning to understand these situations and think through the resources available in the county will aid in expanding resources on an ongoing basis.

Service as an AmeriCorps VISTA member in Iowa is made up of some elements other than the projects designated by the host agency.  These include a disability inclusion project, collaborative project, networking with a commissioner and a Martin Luther King Day of Service Project along with an AmeriCorps Week project.  For each of these, I was able to design projects that were not only reflective of my own personality, goals, and community but also reflective of the needs of my host agency and my own desire to give something back to others.

For more information on these projects, please visit the AmeriCorps VISTA page on the Decatur County Development Corporation website at https://www.dcdciowa.org.  My hope is that these projects are utilized long into the future.

It has been a real pleasure serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA member. I want to extend a thank you to Shannon Erb, Executive Director of the Decatur County Development Corporation (DCDC) as well as the DCDC Board of Directors for their vision of utilizing AmeriCorps VISTA to make Decatur the best place possible to live and work in. My hope is that DCDC continues to utilize AmeriCorps and that Decatur county will be meeting a new VISTA soon.

I encourage every American to help your country through National Service at some point in your life.  Giving at least one year will aid you in both personal and professional development. To learn more about National Service visit www.natioanlservice.gov.

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By: Dr. Jesse O. Bolinger

I grew up on a family farm five miles north of Creston and learned the value of hard work at an early age.  When I was fourteen, I went to work at the Green Valley Area Education Agency as Part of the JTPA (Job Training placement Act) program and have worked ever since.  Over the past several months, as I have worked to develop an internship program for high school students, I have thought a lot about the value of working while in high school. A recent article in USA Today  made me wonder how our friends and neighbors here in Decatur County started their journey as young people.

I have been fortunate to get to know some wonderful individuals in Decatur County, so I asked a few of them how they got their start.

Strong Start

JoBeth Smith, Director of Human Resources at Decatur County Hospital, told me that “My first summer job was at the Dairy Queen.  Even though my parents had instilled a sense of responsibility and work ethic into me by providing me with chores and babysitting opportunities, this job taught me how to work with the public and the true meaning of customer service.  Work hours & job duties varied as well as types of employees, at the DQ.   All which taught me that flexibility, willingness to learn and acceptance of others made the work more fulfilling!  Plus you got to eat ice cream!”

When Freedom Racing Tool and Auto owner Tad Whittom was a teenager, he never would have imagined that he would run a successful business providing automotive specialty tools to consumers around the world.  When asked about working a summer job in his younger days Tad responded that “Bucking hay bales is no fun. It motivated me to work hard toward a career that didn’t involve bucking hay bales.”

Shirley Kessel, retired middleschool science teacher and former director of the Graceland University AmeriCorps Youth Launch program, says that growing up on a family farm not only taught her the value of hard work but also taught her the value of service to others. “Growing up on farms in southern Iowa taught both my husband and me the work ethic of rural America. We have passed this on to our children and watched it blossom into careers and volunteer service to our communities.”

Providing quality customer service is essential in any job; however, it can be difficult for young people to gain customer service experience, or to understand that they are acquiring these skills.  When I was a teenager, I was fortunate to meet Heidi Bell, before the opening of From the Ground, and when I moved to Decatur County in 2013 I ran into her again.  After countless trips to From the Ground, I noticed something about Heidi, not only was she running a business, she was teaching her employees life skills.

When I approached Heidi about this article, she told me that “I have had the opportunity to work for a variety of employers since I officially started working away from our family farm at the age of 14.  My first summer job experience was at a small local ice cream and food shop. My boss modeled hard work.  Everyone was expected to pull their fair share of the workload.  She cleaned the bathrooms, so it wasn’t beneath me to clean the bathrooms.  She was detailed in her food preparations so I should be detailed in the ice cream treats that I prepared.  She treated even the most difficult customers with respect, and she also wasn’t afraid to have fun with her customers.   This was back in the day when waitresses heavily relied on their tips because we were making way less than minimum wage.  What I took home for pay on most nights depended on how hard I worked and how that work was perceived by the public.  The skills I learned from that first employer have helped me to be the entrepreneur and employer that I am today.”

Making Connections

Talking with these three individuals has reinforced my past life experience and the ideas surrounding the high school internship program I have been working to create in Decatur County.  While some individuals may feel that summer employment opportunities for youth are limited in our county, I believe that opportunities exist for individuals that wish to seek them out.  As Tad and Heidi may share with those who ask, starting a business takes a lot of work; however, that hard work can begin with a simple idea.  For young people who want to work, having common sense, the desire and someone to mentor them can make a big difference.

Making connections between school and work can be difficult for students.  Central Decatur and Lamoni Schools Superintendent Chris Coffelt did not necessarily know that he was developing a passion for education when he taught swim lessons as a teenager in Leon.  Chris shared that “I just wanted to get a tan and a date.” He did not think about the impact he was having on the lives of the children he was teaching.  Today, after being a teacher, principal and now shared Superintendent, Chris realizes that his summer employment experience may be the root of his love for education.  Chris understands the importance of classroom-based learning but also knows that students can gain a lot by being in the community.  “Making connections between the classroom and the real world is important, students need to understand that what they are learning today will help them tomorrow.”

Networking is a skill that can be taught at an early age.  As work continues on the high school internship program, it has become clear to me that the value of this program will be the ability for students to gain basic skills such as customer service while building relationships and the start of a professional network.  As I reflect on my own experience, and that shared by those quoted in this article, I want to encourage all youth in Decatur County to think about their future and how their current summer job, or a summer job they may hold in the future, can impact their future career.

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By: Dr. Jesse O. Bolinger

In previous columns, I have shared about the new Decatur County Development Corporation website, resource directory, and online courses.  This week, I want to talk specifically about another feature of our new site, the function is not new, but it is much improved.

With the launch of the new website, the Decatur County Development Corporation is pleased to continue offering an online job board.  The job board is a resource for both job seekers and employers.  The new job board allows employers to post jobs and submit them for approval for inclusion on the site.  If you have not put our new site address in your browser or refreshed your browser. Here is the url: https://www.dcdciowa.org.

If you are an employer and have jobs to post, please add DCDC to your favorites and post your Decatur County jobs here. If you have questions, Shannon Erb, Executive Director is available to discuss use of the website with you. The site now allows employers to include a wide variety of information about a job including if it is full or part-time, location, job description and other information.  Accessing the job board submission tool is simple, visit www.dcdciowa.org and click on the For Businesses option at the top of the page, then click on “submit a job.”

Are you a job seeker or know someone who is? Users are now able to create a profile, allowing them to keep track of job listings and efficiently manage available positions.

Available jobs can be found under the For Residents tab.  The section of the site offers options for filtering employment and allows individuals to access information about open positions.  Once a job seeker finds a job of interest, they are able to print, e-mail or share the posting.  Job seekers who are interested in applying for an available position should follow the instructions given in the job posting.

For Decatur County residents 55 years of age or older, consider contacting the Iowa Department on Aging for contact information on the Senior Community Service Employment Program. For a variety of reasons, a growing number of older Iowans are choosing to join or stay in the workforce well past the traditional retirement age. But whether they are working by choice or out of economic necessity, many find the job market to be quite challenging. To help address this issue, the Department administers the Senior Employment Program to assist older Iowans gain and maintain employment and increase their self-sufficiency. Call 800-532-3213 for information on this program.

Do  you have a disability and  you feel that more training or education and some job coaching would help you get and stay in a job? Consider contacting Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation. IVR  can connect you to the Iowa Department for the Blind if that would be a resource you need .   Call (641) 782-8538 .

Iowa Works, (641)782-2119, offers a number of services including free classes and workshops, programs to help reenter the workforce and connection to other agencies and programs to assist with the job search and employment process.

Over the remainder of my term of service as a VISTA, I encourage anyone who has questions, comments or ideas about how to improve the quality of life in Decatur County to contact me.  I enjoy having conversations with individuals who wish to share their own personal experience and am always willing to visit with any individual or group. Please feel free to contact me by phone at (641)455-2896 or by e-mail at jbolinger@dcdciowa.org.

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Dr. Jesse Bolinger of Lamoni received a Governor’s Volunteer Service Award from Governor Kim Reynolds and Lt. Governor Adam Gregg during a special recognition ceremony held June 19th in Pleasant Hill.

Dr. Bolinger was selected for an individual award by Volunteer Iowa for dedicating a year to improve the lives of residents in Decatur County.

Coordinated by Volunteer Iowa, the Governor’s Volunteer Award program—now in its 35^th year— recognizes the dedicated people who volunteer their time and talent to help fulfill the missions of Iowa nonprofits, charitable organizations, and government entities.  The program provides an easy way for these organizations to honor their volunteers with a prestigious, state-level award.

“Jesse’s work has empowered many youth to look into careers that keep them in their hometowns where they can help combat poverty. He has also developed multiple programs and systems that connect youth with professional opportunities and internships in their communities.”

More than 500 awards are being presented this year during ceremonies held at several locations around the state.  It is estimated that more than 20,000 hours of service, with an economic impact of nearly $500,000, were served by this year’s honorees during the past twelve months.

More information is available at https://volunteeriowa.org/awards.

About Decatur County Development Corporation

The Decatur County Development Corporation (DCDC) is the economic development entity that serves Decatur County, Iowa. Our role is to inspire economic growth among the businesses and community members that thrive here. DCDC is committed to the generation of continuous growth, prosperity and the overall economic health of Decatur County. We aim to attract and retain business enterprises, cultivate entrepreneurship, support the development of a quality housing infrastructure, and promote tourism and recreation. To learn more about our organization, please visit www.dcdciowa.org, or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dcdciowa.

About Volunteer Iowa (Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service)

Volunteer Iowa and its partner agencies work with organizations and individuals on three main fronts.  The first is to help agencies develop quality programs that use service as a strategy to fulfill their missions and address Iowa’s greatest areas of need.  The second is to help engage Iowans in their communities by promoting service and expanding the volunteer base.  Finally, the third area of work is to connect individuals with appropriate service opportunities by building the volunteer infrastructure.  More information is available at volunteeriowa.org.

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By: Dr. Jesse O. Bolinger

AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) is one of many programs administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service.  Unlike other National Service programs, VISTA members are unique in that they only serve in communities with poverty issues and only engage in capacity building activities.  Capacity building activities are those that create programs and make positive changes within a community.

As I mentioned in a prior column, AmeriCorps VISTA members are specifically charged with building programs and putting systems in place to create change.  I am experiencing a great deal of success with this and am excited to continue to share information about these projects through this column.

One of the key elements to the success of the programs I am building will be volunteers who will assist in carrying out specific elements of each program and helping to continue designing things such as workshops and ensuring that recommended additions for the resource directory are accurate and entered into the directory properly.

I am a strong believer in the power of volunteers and understand that serving as a volunteer can have many positive effects on both the volunteer and the organization they serve.  Prior to reading this column, you may not have considered the Decatur County Development Corporation as a place to volunteer.  It is!  There are  several volunteer needs and we would like to tap into skills and ideas from varied educational and career backgrounds.  Equally important is that we are looking for volunteers who simply have a desire to do good in our community and who can bring creative ideas to the table.

At this point in time, we are looking for volunteers that would be interested in assisting with verification of updates and corrections for the resource directory, individuals interested in presenting information about careers to fourth through eighth grade students and volunteers interested in assisting with the development of a high school internship program.

If you are interested in learning more about current volunteer possibilities or are interested in seeing how your ideas may fit with our organization, please contact me so we can arrange a time to visit.

Over the remainder of my term of service as a VISTA, I encourage anyone who has questions, comments or ideas about how to improve the quality of life in Decatur County to contact me.  I enjoy having conversations with individual who wish to share their own personal experience and am always willing to visit with any individual or group. Please feel free to contact me by phone at (641)455-2896 or by e-mail at jbolinger@dcdciowa.org.

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By: Dr. Jesse O. Bolinger

Growing up in rural Iowa, I attended Orient-Macksburg for elementary and middle school and Creston High School, I had the advantage of watching technology evolve in more ways than one.  In a prior column I talked about my technology experience.  What I did not mention was my experience watching online learning evolve.  In elementary school, I remember someone saying that someday kids would be taught by robots at the front of the classroom and that kids would be able to learn from home.  All of this sounded crazy at the time, but they had the learning from home part right!

As I obtained my own education I became aware of the fact that online courses are not just for grade school and college students, anyone can learn online.  When I began my service I quickly realized that the ability to present online courses for Decatur County residence existed and was something that we should take full advantage of.  While it was challenging, I also took a personal challenge to develop my first online course!  I am pleased that we are now able to offer our first free online course “Financial and Resource Scarcity and You”.

The content of the course is designed to aid individuals who are experiencing a lack of either money or physical resources in learning strategies to get through the situation and aid in the situation not occurring again in the future.  The course contains a number of assignments that participants are encouraged to complete for their own reflection and to save to future reference.  In addition, the course provides discussion topics that participants can take part in.

The course is ongoing, there are not set start and end dates and users will have access to the course for as long as they wish.  To take advantage of this free resource please visit https://www.dcdciowa.org/learn.

Over the remainder of my term of service as a VISTA, I encourage anyone who has questions, comments or ideas about how to improve the quality of life in Decatur County to contact me.  I enjoy having conversations with individuals who wish to share their own personal experience and am always willing to visit with any individual or group. Please feel free to contact me by phone at (641)455-2896 or by e-mail at jbolinger@dcdciowa.org.

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By: Dr. Jesse O. Bolinger

AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) is one of many programs administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service.  Unlike other National Service programs, VISTA members are unique in that they only serve in communities with poverty issues and only engage in capacity building activities.  Capacity building activities are those that create programs and make positive changes within a community.

I am pretty confident that we all may be tired of hearing about “available resources” or “resources to help people.”  When I hear about new resources, the first thing I think is “well, I hope I remember the name of that.”  Several years ago, I came across a printed resource directory and I thought it was a great idea.  However, I had concerns regarding the printed directory because the minute something is printed it can become out of date.  I knew that there was a different solution.  I also understood that in order for a resource directory to be helpful and effective it needs to be put in the hands of the people who need it.

As a result of the years that have elapsed since I initially saw the directory, and through a great deal of personal and professional growth, I was finally able to come up with a solution to compliment the printed directory, and alleviate concerns I personally found with it.   Through my term as a VISTA I have been able to begin work on bringing amore accessible directory to agencies that serve residents of Decatur county, and do it in a way that allows for easy updates. But, more importantly, it will bring the directory to those that need it!

The online resource directory will include resources ranging from listings of agricultural agencies to healthcare, human services, national hotlines and everything In between.  One of the most important features of the directory will be the ability for those who believe they may have updated information to submit the information for verification and inclusion in the directory.

As our society becomes better connected through mobile technology the ability to access the directory through a mobile app is important.  As a result, I hope to develop a mobile app that will allow individuals to access the directory, submit updates as well as access other information.

This project is still in progress, the technical side of the database is progressing well and work on mobile app layouts are also in progress.  As the process moves forward, we will begin seeking assistance from a volunteer to aid in maintaining the database and verifying updates that are submitted via the available form.

Over the remainder of my term of service as a VISTA, I encourage anyone who has questions, comments or ideas about how to improve the quality of life in Decatur County to contact me.  I enjoy having conversations with individual who wish to share their own personal experience and am always willing to visit with any individual or group. Please feel free to contact me by phone at (641)455-2896 or by e-mail at jbolinger@dcdciowa.org.

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By: Dr. Jesse O. Bolinger

AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) is one of many programs administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service.  Unlike other National Service programs, VISTA members are unique in that they only serve in communities with poverty issues and only engage in capacity building activities.  Capacity building activities are those that create programs and make positive changes within a community.

There are several requirements set by the Iowa Commission on Volunteer service as well as my host agency, the Decatur County Development Corporation.  One of these requirements is a disability inclusion project that I have completed, in part, through the creation of a YouTube video regarding volunteerism and individuals with disabilities.  The YouTube video can be found here.

To aid in inclusion of people with disabilities I am working to redesign the Decatur County Development Corporation website. The new site will also allow for Decatur County Development Corporation staff to have more control and flexibility over future updates and content development.   Many of the projects I am engaged in have elements that have some sort of technological connection a website redesign reflects outcomes and addresses needs that were established from other projects that include the high school internship program and the identified need for an online resource directory in Decatur County.

As I work to develop the various elements of the new site, I have taken steps to ensure that individuals with various disabilities can access the site.  These elements include an accessible WordPress theme as well as a plugin that will allow a user to change elements such as font size, contrast and much more.  Before the site is released to the public it will be tested in various ways including a check to ensure that the site can be navigated with a screen reader and without the use of a mouse.  The new site will also include alternative text for all images and transcripts for all audio and video elements.  If you are interested in volunteering to assist with site testing, please contact me.

I am excited to report that the new site will allow for online courses.  The first planned course focuses on financial and resource scarcity.  This course is planned to take less than two hours to complete and will provide insights in understanding how to work through a situation of financial or resource scarcity.  The course includes several assignments that can be completed to better understand this issue, the impact to the individual, families and the community. The course will present possible solutions to address low income impacts in Decatur County.  It is my hope and a goal of the project that this course will increase conversation that will lead to the creation of new programs and services that produce change and opportunities for Decatur county residents who are at risk or currently live in at or below the federal poverty level.

Over the remainder of my term of service as a VISTA, I encourage anyone who has questions, comments or ideas about how to improve the quality of life in Decatur County to contact me.  I enjoy having conversations with individual who wish to share their own personal experience and am always willing to visit with any individual or group. Please feel free to contact me by phone at (641)455-2896 or by e-mail at jbolinger@dcdciowa.org.

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By: Dr. Jesse O. Bolinger

I did not know it at the time but when my parents brought home our first Apple Computer when I was three that it would turn out to be a real blessing for me.  At the time, I was unaware of the role technology would play in my life. Like most kids, I just liked getting to play games on the computer.   During High School, I served on the Iowa 4-H Youth Technology Team and was introduced to advanced programming and enjoyed the opportunity to talk with other young people who had the same interests I did. Problem solving and trouble shooting on computer and networking problems was probably my first real introduction into being of service to others.  I had a skill and they had a problem that needed to be solved. That is why VISTA makes so much sense to me.

AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers In Service to America) is one of many programs administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service.  Unlike other National Service programs, VISTA members are unique in that they only serve in communities with poverty issues and only engage in capacity building activities.  Capacity building activities are those that create programs and make positive changes within a community.

As a VISTA, I am required to complete whatever projects for my host agency, in my case this is the Decatur County Development Corporation. Additionally, I must meet guidelines set by The Corporation for National and Community Service which is the federal agency that has oversight of AmeriCorps VISTA, AmeriCorps, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) and other programs. I get to tap into my technology roots through three projects that will assist Decatur County Development in reaching people who live or are interested in Decatur County.

Talk about capacity building! I spent years helping my parents do farm and real estate programs and taught both how to navigate everything from the internet to email.

It feels good to tap into my technology skills again and I am looking forward to seeking ideas and sharing updates with readers. I want to update you on three projects VISTA is working on for our community.

The first project is working on a complete redesign of the Decatur County Development Corporation website.  This design should be completed early in 2018 and is anticipated to include many features that allow for easy, navigation by individuals with a variety of special needs.  The update will showcase Decatur County to businesses and individuals who want to know more about us, while making the website easier to navigate.

The second project that will be rolled out is an online directory of various resources available in or to Decatur County residence.  The resource directory will be available on the Decatur County Development Corporation website and as a mobile application.  If all goes as planned the app will be available for both iPhone and Android and should be available early in 2018!

The third project I want Decatur County residents to know about, is the development of an online course entitled Financial and Resource Scarcity and You. This will be available on the Decatur County Development Corporation website early in 2018.  The course deals directly with causes and solutions for financial and resource scarcity. I am looking forward to sharing details on the course. Watch for more details in this column.

Over the remainder of my term of service as a VISTA, I encourage anyone who has questions, comments or ideas about how to improve the quality of life in Decatur County to contact me.  I enjoy having conversations with individual who wish to share their own personal experience and am always willing to visit with any individual or group. Please feel free to contact me by phone at (641)455-2896 or by e-mail at jbolinger@dcdciowa.org.

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