July 2007 - Little Dixie Community Action Agency

LITTLE DIXIE COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY
July 2007
Vol. 2 Issue 5
Little Dixie Digest
Employee
of the
Month
John Morton, Program Assistant of the Passport to the
Future Mentoring Program,
was named Employee of the
Month for May 2007. Morton
is pictured with Little Dixie
Executive Director Randall
Erwin and Acting Board
Chairman Lewis Collins.
Inside this issue:
Project ROAR Literacy
Banquet held...
3
Head Start holds end-ofyear awards ceremony...
4
Own your home! Tell
someone about Self-Help...
5
Plenty of July birthdays
around Little Dixie...
6
Remembering Transit
Driver Frank Upton...
7
Message from our Executive Director, Randall Erwin
8
New photo gallery at
www.littledixie.org
Net
PSO makes generous donation
to Smart Start Oklahoma
Solomon visits Hugo to deliver first installment of $150,000
Public Service Company of Oklahoma
(PSO) has announced a three-year commitment of $180,000 to support Smart Start
Oklahoma and Smart Start Communities in
the expansion of two early literacy programs,
Raising A Reader and Read Now! The four
communities awarded for 2007 are Hugo/
Idabel, Tulsa, Bartlesville and Lawton.
The first installment of $15,000 was presented on May 23 at Little Dixie Community
Action Agency’s Early Head Start facility in
Hugo. The funds will go toward the purchase
of literacy kits in seven classrooms in
McCurtain County, bringing early literacy
materials to 165 more children.
Stuart Solomon, PSO President and Chief
Operating Officer, continually seeks new
ways to motivate other corporate leaders to
join in the effort to ensure that all Oklahoma
children enter school ready to succeed. The
company’s community involvement and
philanthropic efforts consistently support
programs and services for Oklahoma’s children and youth.
Public Service Company of Oklahoma presented
$15,000 to Smart Start Tri-County, a state initiative that
supports families and their young children that is contracted to Little Dixie. Pictured are (left to right) LDCAA
Executive Director Randall Erwin, Hugo PSO Representative Harolynn Wofford, Early Head Start Director Kelly
Thomas, Smart Start Tri-County Coordinator Dennis
Willeford, and PSO President and CEO Stuart Solomon.
* See more photos of Mr. Solomon’s visit on Page 2.
Volunteers gather in Finley for NeighborWorks Week
National NeighborWorks Week
was marked with some tender loving
care offered to the Finley Library
and Community Center. Volunteers
from the community and from Little
Dixie Community Action Agency
spent a day in Finley sprucing up the
community building.
Little Dixie is a charter member of
NeighborWorks America, a nationwide organization dedicated to
Please see FINLEY, Page 2
Ruby Gann, Lois Poe and
Wendi Sumner help out at the
Finley Community Center.
Frank Turnage, John Morton,
Deanne Taylor, Wendi Sumner
and Lois Poe spruced up
Finley Community Center.
Little Dixie Digest
Vol. 2 Issue 5
Page 2
Employee of the
Month Guidelines
The Employee of the Month
Committee has nomination forms
available in hopes of encouraging
more nominees for the monthly
award to outstanding Little Dixie
family members.
If you do not have forms in your
office, call Zach Maxwell or Pam
Covington at (580) 326-3351 and
they will fax one to you.
Employees of the Month receive a
T-shirt, gift certificate to local
restaurant and are honored at the
board meeting. They also will be
eligible for Employee of the Year.
Submit nominations by the 15th of
the month in order to be judged
du ri n g t h at mo n th . Su b mi t
nominations to Planning Director
Pam Covington by mail (209 N. 4th
St., Hugo, OK 74743),
email
(pcovington@littledixie.org) or fax
(580-326-2305). Nominations are
judged by the five-member
committee. If the person you
nominate is not selected, it is okay to
nominate that person again the
following month.
Finley residents, LDCAA staff team
up for NeighborWorks Week event
Continued from Page 1
providing homeownership opportunities and helping
communities improve their surroundings.
Volunteers from Little Dixie included Lois Poe,
John Morton, Deanne Taylor, Ruby Gann, Troy
Davis, Frank Turnage and Wendi Sumner. Volunteers from the Finley Community included Sterling
Tucker, Clark Tucker, Jarod Tabor, Leslie Tims,
Martha Tucker, Stella Baldridge and Linda Tims.
Tucker Lumber donated 10 gallons of paint and
Home Depot offered a $250 gift card for the project.
Pruett’s Food in Antlers donated beverages and
members of the Finley community were kind enough
to cook up lunch for the volunteers.
Roberts is honored by Little Dixie RSVP
Irene Roberts, founder of New Beginnings
of Southeast Oklahoma, Inc., has received
numerous awards recently for a quarter century of volunteer service in many different
arenas.
Chuck Darby, RSVP Advisory Council Chairman, and Barbara Moffitt (right), Little Dixie
RSVP Director, present an award of appreciation to Irene Roberts.
PSO’s Solomon visits Hugo EHS
PSO President and CEO Stuart Solomon
(right) presents a gift of children’s books to
Smart Start Tri-County, accepted by Coordinator Dennis Willeford.
Roberts received the Donna Nigh Award for
Public Service from the Oklahoma Department of Human Services in April. Little
Dixie’s Retired Senior Volunteer Program
gave her an award of appreciation at their
meeting, and a month later she was honored
with a special recognition at the Antlers celebration for National Community Action
Month.
Little Dixie has announced that Mrs. Roberts
will be their nominee for the Jayne Thomas
Grassroots Volunteer recognition Award, a
national honor given by the Community Action Partnership.
Mrs. Roberts is active in prison ministries
and in Antlers area schools, and has logged
hundreds of volunteer hours with Little Dixie
RSVP, CASA and mentoring programs.
PSO President and CEO Stuart Solomon reads to Early Head Start children in Hugo during a May visit.
Head Start Instructor Debra Beshirs
accepts a gift of children’s books
from PSO President and CEO Stuart
Solomon.
Little Dixie Digest
Vol. 2 Issue 5
Page 3
Project ROAR honors shining stars of literacy
Annual banquet and library ribbon cutting mark end of a busy year for Early Reading First
Project ROAR (Rural Oklahoma Advocates Reading), a literacy effort of Little
Dixie Community Action Agency, held
its annual Literacy Awards Banquet recently at Kiamichi Technology Center in
Hugo.
Numerous awards were presented to
teachers, parents, literacy advocates and
volunteers during the banquet. Special
awards were presented to local Early
Reading First Director Ruthie Tate, as
well as Little Dixie Executive Director
Randall Erwin and Associate Director Jay
Weatherford.
Early Reading First began literacy efforts in Choctaw, Pushmataha and
McCurtain counties in 2005. The local
program, Project ROAR (Rural Okla-
homa Advocates Reading), is currently in
place in Head Start centers and prekindergarten classrooms in Antlers, Boswell,
Hugo, Idabel and Oak Hill, with plans to
expand to other schools and classrooms
soon. Early Reading First is a full partner in
other Little Dixie early childhood programs,
including Raising A Reader and Smart Start
Tri-County.
In early spring, Early Reading First helped
Project ROAR open resource libraries in
Antlers, Idabel and Hugo.
Jay Weatherford was presented the
110% Award at the ERF banquet.
For more information about Early Reading
First, contact Ruthie Tate at (580) 326-9601.
To see all the pictures from the banquet and
other Little Dixie events, check the photo
galleries at www.littledixie.org.
Ruthie Tate welcomes Marc Jamin of
Paris, Texas, to the Horace Mann
Resource Library grand opening.
Ribbon cutting ceremony at the Early
Reading First Resource Library at
Horace Mann Head Start.
The Horace Mann Resource
Library, a project of Early
Reading First & Project ROAR.
Early Reading First literacy assistants were
honored at
the annual
banquet.
Award winners in
photos at right include
Toni Beasley (top),
and (left to right)
Richard Baggs, Alpha
Hill and Broken Bow
Elementary staff.
Connie Cody accepts a 110%
Award at the ERF Banquet.
Little Dixie Digest
Vol. 2 Issue 5
Page 4
Head Start wraps up school year with awards, parades
LDCAA Head Start and Early Head Start staff celebrated the conclusion of the 2006-07 school year with an awards assembly at
Kiamichi Technology Center. Awards were given to the teachers,
aides and cooks of the year, as well as categories including Best Support of Families, the Emerging Leadership Award, Most Improved
Center and many others.
Pre-School Teacher of the Year was Jennifer Arnold from Boswell
Head Start. Infant Toddler Teacher of the Year was Lila Voss of
Idabel Early Head Start. Aide of the Year honors went to Natalie
Pierce of Broken Bow III Head Start. There was a tie for Pre-School
Cook of the Year, with this honor shared by Susie Roberts (Rattan)
and Carolyn Holmes (Haworth). Infant Toddler Cook of the Year
was Brenda Everett of Antlers Early Head Start.
Other award winners included: Conchita McCarrell (Horizon
Award and Best Support of Literacy), Cassie Hill (Emerging Leadership), Haworth Head Start (Best Nutrition Management and Most
Improved Center), Aide of the Year (Natalie Pierce), Carolyn Hampton (Best Parent Involvement) and many others.
To see more photos from the Head Start awards ceremony, visit the
photo gallery at www.littledixie.org.
Kelly Thomas presents Lila Voss the
Infant/Toddler Teacher of the Year
Award.
Head Start/Early Head Start staff members with perfect attendance for 2006-07 are shown with Director Dawn McDaniel
(fourth from left). These include Tammy Fewell, Linda Bray,
Delfina Ensley, Carolyn Holmes, Natalie Pierce, Susie Roberts,
Redonda Moffitt and Jennifer Arnold.
Nancy Seebeck presents the Aide of the
Year Award to Natalie Pierce.
Marsha Zulkey presents the Best Health
Practices Award to the Antlers Early Head
Start staff.
Hugo I & II kids have a barrel of fun
Don Hill treated the students of Hugo I
& II Head Start to a barrel train ride on
the last day of school. Special thanks to
Kevin Cory for providing the train.
Head Start staff members, Early Reading First literacy advocates and Hugo
School employees combined their creativity to win homecoming parade
awards. Honors included first place for
Best Dressed Cowboy and Best Decorated Car, and third place among
Round-Up Clubs at the Hugo Homecoming Parade, and three first place
awards in Fort Towson’s parade.
Little Dixie Digest
Vol. 2 Issue 5
Page 5
Little Dixie CAA Self-Help Housing
COME BUILD WITH US
Self-Help Housing offers a unique opportunity for qualifying low and very low income families to fulfill their dreams of
homeownership.
As a renter, you’ve already experienced
the futility of paying a landlord each month
and having nothing to show for it. Financial
experts agree that buying a home is the single most important investment a family can
make. But how are you supposed to buy a
home when you have to qualify for a conventional mortgage? How many families
have several thousand dollars for a down
payment, and can afford house payments of
more than $500 a month?
In cooperation with USDA Rural Development, Little Dixie Community Action
Agency, Inc., offers families a chance to
buy a home they’ve always wanted. Our
standard homes have two, three or four bedrooms; one, one-and-a-half or two baths;
garage, central heat and air. Little Dixie
Mutual Self-Help Housing is available in
Atoka, Bryan, Choctaw, McCurtain and
Pushmataha counties.
You may qualify for a Self-Help Home if your income does not
exceed…
Q&A
FAMILY SIZE
LOW INCOME
VERY LOW INCOME
1 PERSON
$23,850
$14,900
2 PERSON
$27,300
$17,050
What can I expect?
3 PERSON
$30,700
$19,150
4 PERSON
$34,100
$21,300
Energy efficient construction.
5 PERSON
$36,850
$23,000
6 PERSON
$39,550
$24,700
7 PERSON
$42,300
$26,450
8 PERSON
$45,000
$28,100
The above chart does not provide the appropriate deduction that
you may be eligible to receive under the Self-Help Housing Program. Contact your local Self-Help Housing office for information.
Choice of 2, 3 & 4 bedroom floor plans.
Central Heat and Air
Brick Veneer
Composition Roof
Garage may be available on certain plans.
Decorating choices and
landscaping.
What kind of work
will I be doing?
Hammering, sawing,
painting, and so forth.
The construction supervisor will tell group
members what to build,
when to build, and how
to build.
Little Dixie CAA Self-Help Housing offices
ANTLERS (580) 298-5572 — 603 SW B St.
ATOKA (580) 364-0360 — 301 W. 10th St.
DURANT (580) 920-2479 — 400 W. Main
HUGO (580) 326-5201 — 502 E. Rosewood
What about a down
payment?
IDABEL (580) 286-6472 — 1250 Lynn Lane
For more information visit
www.littledixie.org
The above floor plan is just one example of housing
plans available through Little Dixie Mutual Self-Help
Housing.
There is NO down payment under this program.
Little Dixie Digest
Vol. 2 Issue 5
Page 6
Snapshots from Dixie Land
July Birthdays
1-Dawn McDaniel
2-Frances Lamey
3-Joseph Hart
6-Henry Duckett, Jr.
Brent Martin
8-Melinda Ammons
Margaret Moffitt
Head Start staff, students and supporters took to
the streets to join homecoming parades in several
Tri-County area towns. The Hugo parade is shown
above.
Cassie Hill
9-Johnna Yow
10-Ellen Pickings
Nancy Seebeck
14-Linda Bray
Shaquan King
15-Sherrie Page
17-Faye McLemore
Randy Pruitt killed this cottonmouth at
Hugo Lake last week, right outside of
one of the cabins. Pruitt took care of
the six-foot snake by way of a shovel.
18-Sue Gibson
Deena Smith
20-Betty Matlock
21-Billie McSwain
Opal Lane
Tiffany Wilson
22-Lorinda Vinyard
23-Leslie Noel
24-Donna Hudson
26-Butch Needham
Little Dixie welcomes Cindy Mills to
the accounting staff at Administrative Offices in Hugo.
Donny Armor
Jena Davenport
27-Nelda McKee
Cynthia Smith
28-Pamela Moyer
Lisa Hammons (left, SBA Microloan Program Manager,
and Tara Jackson (right), Business Information Center
Director, close a loan for Amanda Alford of Antlers.
Alford is the latest client of Little Dixie Community
Action Agency Financial Services, receiving the loan to
expand her existing print screen and T-shirt enterprise
into studio photography. The Antlers business will be
called A&R Graphics and Photography, and Alford can be
reached at (580) 209-2537. The Business Information
Center, located at 500 E. Rosewood in Hugo at the Little
Dixie HomeOwnership Center, assists small business
entrepreneurs with business plans, cards, flyers and
loan applications.
30-Cassie Grace
Going places? Tell us about it!
Little Dixie
welcomes the
following new
family members
hired since June 1…
Little Dixie family members can often be found working
for the cause far from southeast Oklahoma. If you or
your staff have recently attended a conference or event
related to LDCAA, let us know! Email us the employee
or group’s name, when and where they went, what conference was attended, and any information or continuing
education that was picked up along the way. Just send to
zmaxwell@littledixie.org.
Matthew Riddle
Cathy Zachry
Cathy Zachry is the new clerk at
Terry Hill Apartments in Hugo. She
comes to Little Dixie from the L&K
Pecan Store. Her husband is Mark
Zachry and they have two daughters.
Little Dixie Digest
Vol. 2 Issue 5
Page 7
LITTLE DIXIE COMMUNITY
ACTION AGENCY
Helping People. Changing Lives.
RANDALL ERWIN
Executive Director
LEWIS COLLINS
Acting Board Chairman
Board Members: Choctaw County
Leeoma Caldwell, Lewis Collins, Kevin
Cory, Tracy Gilbert, Jo Miller, Ray Noble,
Albert Routon, William Smith, Osker Ward.
Board Members: McCurtain County
Pat Baggs, Carolyn Baker, Kenneth
Hamilton, Betty Jacobs, Keith Lowe, Herb
Matlock, Jerry Shinn, Sherri Smith, Arthur
Stewart, Jane Wooten.
Board Members: Pushmataha County
Brent Franks, Bruce Hammons, Joe Hill,
Mark McIntosh, Bridget Paxton, Tony
Winters.
From the Desk of Randall Erwin…
The past few weeks have been a
busy and trying time for Little
Dixie Community Action Agency.
But the events of May and June
simply accentuate the value of
volunteerism and the positive role
community action plays in the social landscape.
May, of course, was National
Community Action Month, and
Little Dixie celebrated by holding
community celebrations in all three
counties of our service area. At these events, we
had a chance to brag on some wonderful volunteers who are associated with Little Dixie. People like Irene Roberts of Antlers, Juanita Pollard
of Idabel and Rhonda Rolf of Hugo are but a few
examples of people inspired to do their part with
help from our agency programs.
So much of what Little Dixie does is dependent
on volunteerism, such as the Court Appointed
Special Advocates and Passport to the Future
mentoring program. The Retired Senior Volunteer Program is managed by four Little Dixie
Little Dixie Digest (printed monthly)
209 N. 4th St.
Hugo, OK 74743
Contact: Zach Maxwell
Phone: 580-326-3351
Fax: 580-326-6655
E-mail: zmaxwell@littledixie.org
employees, but includes a small
army of hundreds of registered volunteers.
Some volunteers emerge as leaders, and we are always grateful for
these individuals. Charles Uhles
exemplified these traits, and we
were so saddened to hear of his
passing in early June. His tireless
efforts made him an easy selection
to chair Little Dixie’s board these
past few years.
Mr. Uhles passes the torch to another champion of community service in Lewis Collins. His
occupation, as sheriff of Choctaw County, is
already a public service, but Mr. Collins is going
beyond this call to serve as Acting Board Chairman among Little Dixie’s stewards.
We still have a little more than half of our
board members attending regular meetings, and
we encourage all board members to attend. Our
next meeting in August will be held at the Forest
Heritage Center in Beavers Bend Resort Park, so
we look forward to seeing you there!
No July board meeting
There will be no meeting of the
LDCAA Board of Directors in July. The
next scheduled meeting will be at 10:30
a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2007. This meeting will likely be held at the Forest Heritage Center at Beavers Bend Resort Park
north of Broken Bow.
DATEBOOK...
Upcoming holidays for Little
(Idabel).
Dixie employees:
July 17 — 2 p.m. — Choctaw County Coalition meeting — Kiamichi Technology Center
(Hugo).
Wednesday, July 4 — Independence Day.
July 28-31 — Babe Ruth Baseball Tournament — Hugo.
Calendar of Events
Submit calendar items to:
July 19 — 11:30 a.m. — RSVP Advisory
Board meeting — Feco’s Restaurant (Hugo). zmaxwell@littledixie.org
July 5 — 10 a.m. — Pushmataha County
Turning Point Coalition meeting — Antlers
First Christian Church.
July 20 — Noon — Boys & Girls Club of
Choctaw County board meeting — 208 E.
Jefferson St. (Hugo).
Deadline for submissions to
July 7 — Soper Homecoming.
July 24 — 10 a.m. — Money Smart reception — Belmont Place Apartments, 311 S.
14th St. (Hugo).
Friday, July 20
July 17 — 11 a.m. — McCurtain County
Coalition meeting — MCIC Building
August Little Dixie Digest: