Estelline, SD

Gardening and Selling Saturday March 22, 2008 1-3 p.m. at the Estelline Community Center, 219 Main Street
Rhoda Burrows ( you know her from Garden Line ) is coming to help us get ready for summer growing and markets.

Permaculture - an IntroductionSaturday March 29, 2008 1-3p.m. at the Estelline Community Center, 219 Main Street
Sharing from down-under, 4 locals recently returned from Australia offer good news on how each of us can do something about providing our food, shelter, energy, and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable way. Watch for more and longer sessions later this spring.

BLOG TRAINING Tuesday evening March 11, 2008 6:30-9 p.m. at the school ; bring laptops
Cheryl Jacobs, specialist educator in blogging whom you also know as our Horizons Community Coordinator, will help get writers, story-tellers, minutes-takers, as well as already tech savy individuals started on the Horizons blog. We are wanting some synergy here between folks of all ages.

Heads up!

Sanford Management proposes slashing clinic hours by 1/2 and comparable reduction in employee hours. Talk to Mike W if you are able to help; letters in support of the clinic need to be collected and used at a meeting Monday, January 14th.

Horizons survey supports more services; our letter follows …

11 January 2008
To: Stanford Clinic Management
From: Linda Svec, Community Member and Strategic Planning Committee of Northwest Area Foundation Estelline Horizons program

Regarding: Clinic hours proposed reduction

This community opposes cutting access to Estelline Clinic from 40 to 20 hours per week.

Availability of services is a critical feature in quality of life. In an effort to address issues of poverty (many of which are delineated by access as well as finances), our program surveyed more than 20% of the community. Compilation completed January 2008 indicated more services, not less, were desirable; several entries even requested 24 hour on call health service.

Before instituting the proposed reductions, we request thorough revaluation of the situation and assistance in making the current clinic improved and viable.

Green Development committee encourages your donation of metal, you involvement in keepings aluminum andother trash under control, and assistance in transporting the collection to Watertown Iron & Metal.  Watch for can sources in the community and stream them toward our trailer.  If your business has a supply consider sending them our direction; and if you see a good supply ask for the cans and collect them.  Turning trash to treasure is one direct path from poverty to prosperity.  Cans to cash funds are managed by the committee.

During the final phase of Leadership Plenty, the need to upgrade the Estelline Food Pantry wasw recognized.  A committee was formed to decide on their most pressing needs, which included finding a larger space in which to relocate and a freezer for storage of perishable donations.  It was discovered that space was available in the city-owned clinic building and the move was made in September.  An upright freezer was purchased with Horizons funds and delivered to the new location.  The food pantry is voluntarily overseen by local community leaders, including JoAnn Foster, Pastor Ann Webb and Marlyn Pomrenke.