This month was all about community involvement.  (We aren’t called “Community” Action for nothing!)  We are fortunate to have awesome communities to serve, filled with engaged and giving residents.  We hosted several fun events, forged a new partnership, and were awarded a new funding opportunity!  Here are some of the great successes we had during the month of September:

• The 17th Annual Hispanic Cultural Awareness Festival was held at the Broadway Fountain in Downtown Madison.  The event is hosted each fall by La Casa Amiga and is open to the entire community.  The festival featured delicious food, live music, and beautiful dancing.  We were lucky to have nice weather that led to an excellent turnout!
• OVO was invited to attend and present at the Women’s Giving Circle of Jefferson County Fall Luncheon.  OVO and La Casa Amiga were awarded a grant through this local philanthropic organization.  Jennifer Sandlin, Special Projects Coordinator, and Shirley Kloepfer, La Casa Amiga Program Director, presented on their grant projects.  We are so thankful for the Women’s Giving Circle and the philanthropy they are nurturing in our community.
• We are happy to announce that we will be starting an exciting and innovative new partnership.  We will be working with the Hanover College Business Scholars Program to conduct OVO’s 2017 Community Needs Assessment.  Students participating in the program will be completing this assessment as part of their senior project under the guidance of Diane Magary, Assistant Professor and Vice President for Career Development for the Business Scholars Program.
• The Winter Energy Assistance Program has started to ramp up!  The program will begin on November 1st.  However, elderly and disabled households are able to access and complete the application early.  We have already received 706 Energy Assistance applications for the 2017-18 Winter Program!
• Head Start received $2,700 from the Community Foundation of Madison and Jefferson County to purchase Conscious Discipline curriculum for our Jefferson County classrooms.  As part of this grant, we will be purchasing baby dolls for classrooms in our Jefferson County Centers that will help our preschool students develop important social-emotional skills like building healthy relationships and creating positive attachments.  We are so thankful for this grant award and for the great learning opportunities it will provide in our Head Start classrooms!
• We held our fourth and final event for “Memories with Mom”, a series of free family oriented events offered by OVO through support provided by the Women’s Giving Circle of Jefferson County and the Community Foundation of Madison and Jefferson County.  Mother/daughter and mother/son pairs enjoyed a 2-hour cake decorating class at The Sweeter Life in Downtown Madison.  Pictures from all of the Memories with Mom events are posted on our Facebook and on our Special Projects page on our website, so feel free to check them out!

Go OVO!