Welcome We Help, inc. has developed policies that will guide them in providing financial support to community members. The policies have enabled them to make “mini” grants to individuals who have a history of giving back to their community. During the past year a community member received financial assistance for the purchase of new tires for a family vehicle.
Welcome We Help, inc. volunteers have answered the need for reliable transportation for community residents. Dee Jones coordinates the requests with a group of drivers who have traveled up to 80 miles distance for health care and other family needs.
Wayne County has an annual “Empty Stocking” project. Welcome We Help,inc. volunteers have helped with the project or been recipients of their Christmas Gifts. In December WWH provided a cash donation to the organization and offered volunteer assistance if it was needed when packages were being assembled and delivered.
During the Horizons Study Circles in early 2007 it became obvious that our community in Corydon had many assets that were underutilized for various reasons. A small group of us got together and decided to form a non-profit with the intention of being a place where information could be gathered in a central place and disseminated to anyone who placed a phone call.
We started meeting weekly and assignments were made. We needed a location to house our operation. Virginia Ireland and Belinda Willhite walked around the square in Corydon checking out vacant buildings and identified a few possibilities. The rest of the group looked at one potential site, a recently closed dry cleaners. Finally, we found a cottage just a block off of the square that was for sale. Roberta Chambers, our president and a lawyer, made contact with the real estate agent, John Rider, and made an offer. It was accepted and we were elated. We had a place to operate from.
Then came reality. We began the process of remodeling on a shoestring budget. Members asked where would we get the money? We were so hyped about working to end poverty that we thought everyone would be willing to help. Not so fast. It was summer by the time we had the keys to the building and in a rural community that is a very busy time. In spite of that, a few committed individuals removed old shingles from the building and caulked and painted the exterior. Connie Snook-West, who owns the hardware store in town, donated paint, caulk, brushes and electrical outlets to our cause. John Poston and Shaun Bradberry put insulation in the attic area. Sheet rock was mudded and texturized by another member, Chad Wilson. A new sewer line was dug and we were on our way to having a bathroom. Virginia Ireland donated $1,000 for new windows and Chad and his father-in-law installed them.
Then winter set in and it was too cold to do much so we went back to meeting at the Chambers and Relph Law firm. A rainy and late spring again has slowed us down but we now have flooring ordered and we are closer to moving in to our cottage.
We applied for and recieved two grants from the Wayne County Foundation in the amount of $11,250 for improvements to the building. This money will pay for the materials to build a handicap ramp and to make the bathroom handicap accessible. Volunteers will do the work.
We wanted to be able to move in sooner but, as with any good idea, it sometimes means we had to be realistic and alter our plans. We held fundraisers and slowly watched our bank account increase to allow us to buy the things we needed that weren’t donated. This is something that the community has helped with and during the process we have been given opportunities to increase awareness of poverty in our community. We are looking forward to moving in this year.
Welcome, We Help! inc’s VITA program was a huge success. We recieved funds from ISED that paid for a laptop, printer, a shredder, office supplies, education and advertising for the program. ISU Extension, under the guidance of Joyce Lash, did the preparation to bring the VITA program to Wayne County. Joyce had worked on this for a few years.
We advertised in the county papers and were pleasantly surprised at the participation. We needed 35 returns to break even. We far surpassed that number.
The final tally for the volunteer income tax program was 115 returns completed, 92 were filed electronically. The amount for the Earned Income Tax Refund was $49,723; the amount for Federal Refund was $83,725; the amount for the State Refund was $8,687. Greg Colegrove spent about 116 hours doing returns and Kylie spent about 108 hours. Economic Stimulus Payment returns completed and sent as paper returns totaled 44.
Next year we are hoping to add other Horizon sites throughout the county to increase involvement in the VITA program and further the cooperative effort to unite Wayne County in the effort to reduce poverty and its effect on our communities.
Wayne students had Wednesday the 23rd off from school because of a teacher in-service. It was the perfect day to go fishing, ride bikes, or enjoy a nice drive in the country. While teachers worked, so did students. Several of the young people gathered together to load up more brush around the city. This time there was no incentive involved as far as reimbursement for gas and or pizza for lunch. The obvious incentive for these worthy individuals was to do more for their town. They spent the entire day loading brush and hauling it to the city dump site. Altogether, they hauled sixteen loads. We are so proud of these young people for what they have managed to do.
The Snow Angels joined forces with Wayne’s FCCLA class, led by Dorene McCart, to clean up brush around the city of Corydon. The winter ice storms devastated many trees and created a mess for the community. The youth are an incredible source when it comes to volunteering in the community. They enjoy working together and like the opportunity to help others. Welcome, We Help inc. is getting young people involved in working to improve the quality of life in Corydon.
Local citizens joined to help the kids in the clean-up effort. Neely’s Manufacturing donated gas for the trucks that were used and thoughtful citizens purchased pizza for the group. It was a time of community spirit and a time to show the public that when people decide to come together to get things done, much can be accomplished in a short time.
When we were in the process of forming Welcome, We Help, we had many discussions about ways to get our message out to the community. It was decided to design a brochure that we could hand out with information about our purpose. Our first brochure was printed on our own copiers and was rather crude but it served its purpose.
Then we were told that we could use some of our Horizons funds for a “real” brochure.
So, JD Willhite got to work and with the groups input, we came up with the brochure we now use. We include these in our Welcome Baskets that are delivered to newcomers to our town. We also place them in some of the other communities in our county as well.
When folks ask,”What is Welcome, We Help?”, we hand them a brochure and that is a great conversation starter about poverty in our community.
Welcome We Help, Inc. in cooperation with Iowa State University Extension is supporting a VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program for Wayne County and the surrounding area. Greg Colegrove volunteered to provide this service following his participation in Study Circles. The site will operate from his church this year and will have a permanent home at the Welcome We Help, Inc. center when it is completed next year. VITA sites provide electronic filing of tax returns for individuals with incomes below $40,000 and focus on ensuring that individuals complete the required forms to receive their Earned Income Tax Credits. Greg will be working with Kylie Graham, a volunteer in the nearby community of Allerton.
During Leadership Plenty training in Corydon, one of the community needs discussed was the clothing room in the Legion Hall. Cheryl Mastin, SCICAP, expressed a need to have someone organize the clothing room. Enter Marguerite Fehselke. She has completely reorganized the clothing room and labeled racks and shelves making it easier to find items. Many people in the community probably are still unaware that the clothing is free. We have been spreading the word that it is a no hassle way to shop for clothing. Marguerite has taken on a leadership role in revamping the clothing area and continues to do so on a weekly basis. Thanks, Marguerite!!
Connie Argo had not been an officer of an organization for some years until after she participated in Leadership Plenty. She had been a member of the Quilt Guild in Corydon for a while and when election of new officers came up, she threw her name in the hat to be secretary and was elected to this position. She “blamed” it on the leadership training. Connie is also a founding member of Welcome, We Help! inc and is the person in charge of the Welcome Basket program that delivers a basket with coupons, brochures, business cards, a phone book, movie tickets and other items from the various businesses and organizations in Corydon to newcomers. Connie has done all of this while suffering some serious health challenges. She is an excellent example of someone just waiting to be asked to participate.
Thank you Connie for all you have done!
Melinda Martley agreed to do make-up sessions so that Corydon could meet the magic number of 25 participants for the Leadership Plenty sessions. I am glad she did so. She and her husband, Larry, were our first financial contributor to Welcome, We Help! inc. Melinda has become an active force against poverty in our community volunteering her time to help in any way needed. She has helped deliver Meals on Wheels, solicited a prize package for a Getaway Racing weekend in Newton, Ia as a prize for our annual 4th of July Dam Duck Race at the Corydon Reservoir and most recently helped to draft the policies and procedures for the volunteer program at WWH. A new leader is emerging! Thanks, Melinda!