Spring has arrived!  And with those April Showers came tons of great news here at OVO!  From serving new territory to offering new and exciting programming to expanding opportunities for our clients to succeed, April was an amazing month here at OVO.  Here are some of the great successes we had during the month of April:

• We welcomed Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) staff to our office on April 12th!  Laura Betzinger and Veda Morris-May from the state agency visited our Energy Assistance Program to learn more about our processes and best practices.
• We scored a 20 out of 20 on our Section 8 monitoring, which is the highest score possible, and we have maxed out our score for the past 4 years!  Monitorings like this one reaffirm the great work our staff do here every day and let us know that we are providing excellence in program management and administration and giving our clients the highest level of service possible.
• We have been chosen as a designated agency for the United Way of Scott County!  We were awarded $2,000 for Project LIVE!  This funding will be used to assist individuals and families on our Section 8 Program in Scott County with lease deposits, which will help them utilize their voucher and access affordable housing.
• Our Weatherization Program has been temporarily awarded Bartholomew and Jackson Counties for the remainder of the 2017 program year!  We look forward to providing residents of these counties with much needed and quality weatherization services that will make their homes more comfortable, safer, and more energy efficient.
• Four of our Head Start staff attended the National Parent, Family, and Community Engagement Institute in Indianapolis!  Susan Cicenas (Family Services/Enrollment Coordinator), Joe Collins (Scott Family Support Specialist), Julie Hancock (Jennings Family Support Specialist), and Sharon McCoy (Madison Center Director) attended the institute, where they learned important skills for improving family outcomes through engagement, goal-setting, and building relationships and how to measure their success.
• We announced that the Section 8 Waiting List for Jefferson County would be opening May 15-19th!  We will be piloting a new process for this waiting list.  Individuals and families interested in applying for the Section 8 rental vouchers will first be invited to attend an orientation to learn more about the Housing Choice Voucher Program, eligibility requirements, and strategies to succeed on the program.  We are excited to be better educating our clients on this valuable program and increasing their odds of success with Section 8.
• Head Start celebrated Super Hero Staff Day!
• We announced our first event for the Women’s Giving Circle Grant, Vine and Canvas, for May 13th!  Mother/daughter and mother/son pairs were invited out for a free canvas painting class at Art on Vine at the Little Golden Fox in Downtown Madison.  The event is the first in a series of mother and family bonding activities to provide fun, affordable, recreational opportunities for Jefferson County residents.
• Three of our Head Start staff attended the 44th Annual National Head Start Association Conference and Expo in Chicago!  Misty Boggs (Teacher at our Hanover Center), Melanie Harrell ( Head Start Program Director), and Sharon McCoy (Madison Center Director) travelled to the training event to learn about the latest developments in early childhood education, to network with Head Start providers across the nation, and to hear about policy updates from the federal level.

With all this excitement going on here at OVO, it’s important to keep up to date!  Make sure to like and follow us on Facebook (just search Ohio Valley Opportunities) to get the latest information on upcoming events and program announcements, hear about valuable resources available to you and your family, and view cool pictures from OVO’s work throughout the community!  And make sure to keep checking back to hear about more successes we’ve got coming up!