With the holiday season, the month of December flew by here at OVO.  Winter temperatures kept our Energy Assistance Program busy with applicants, but mild weather this season allowed our Weatherization Program to keep up the pace in the field working on homes.  Section 8 worked hard on compiling the Jennings County Waiting List and catching up in the office from time spent in the counties.  Head Start finished out the first half of the school year and celebrated a well deserved Winter Break.  La Casa Amiga organized numerous community events to celebrate the holidays with friends and family.  Here are some of the great successes we had during the month of December:

• Our Weatherization Assistance Program was awarded an additional $50,000 to complete more homes!  Specifically, these funds will assist deferred homes access our program.  Deferred homes normally would not be able to be weatherized due to damage or health and safety concerns.  With these funds, we will be able to address some of these issues and help more people reap the benefits and energy savings of weatherization.
• Section 8 welcomed 3 new families this month to the program!
• Energy Assistance was able to restore utilities for Patrick and his family and made sure their Christmas was both warm and bright!
• Lindsey Simmons, a Teacher Assistant/Bus Driver at our Jennings County Head Start Center, earned her CDL license!
• La Casa Amiga helped 17 families have a wonderful Christmas by finding community members and churches to donate Christmas gifts and supplies to these families in need!
• One of our Section 8 families reached self-sufficiency and therefore no longer needed a rental voucher and was able to come off the program!

Thank you for another wonderful year here at OVO!  Looking back at our “Celebrating Success” posts from throughout the year, it amazing to see what we have been able to accomplish in 2016.  We can’t wait to see what 2017 holds in store for us and what we will be able to do for you in the year to come!