With the holiday season, the month of December flew by here at OVO.  The colder temperatures kept our Energy Assistance Program busy with applicants while Weatherization kept pace in the field working on homes.  Our Housing Choice Voucher Program has worked hard preparing for the opening of the waiting lists in Jefferson, Jennings, and Scott Counties.  Head Start completed the first half of the school year and celebrated a well-deserved Winter Break. Here are some of the great successes we’ve had during the month of December: 

• Here at OVO, we pride ourselves on teamwork.  Our staff never hesitate to go above and beyond to help a client.  Recently, Sarah, Housing Choice Voucher Program Inspector, assisted a Spanish-speaking client with his Energy Assistance Program application. 
• The Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) had a great turnout at their first ever Landlord Workshop Luncheon! Staff were able to meet with landlords in the community and highlight some of the benefits of working with our program!  We’re always excited about the opportunity to build relationships with landlords in our community. 
• Members of our Head Start staff were able to travel to Indianapolis and graciously accept the Covering Kids & Families of Indiana Leadership Award! Our Scottsburg Center was recognized for being an “exemplary partner who serves as a model for effective practices, leadership, dependability, innovativeness, teamwork, and commitment to improving health care access and outcomes.” We are incredibly grateful for our community partnerships, and for our staff who change lives every day!
• The thirty-six remaining names were pulled from our Section 8 waiting lists!  As always, we are excited at the opportunity to help individuals and families secure quality housing.  We were also thrilled to announce this month the opening of the waiting lists in Jefferson, Jennings, and Scott Counties January 14^th-18^th!
• We are very grateful to the Moose for providing great holiday lunches to our Head Start children and their families in all three of our counties!
• We recently received $2960.90 from Scott County We Care to help provide clothing for our Head Start children.  We are so thankful for the support of other charitable organizations in our community!
• An anonymous organization gave a charitable contribution of $2,000 to the agency!
• Our Head Start program hosted the Southern Indiana Cluster Meeting! Head Start staff from surrounding counties were able to join us for a special presentment by Amy Hoskins from Lifespring.

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 2018.  We can’t wait to see what 2019 holds in store for us and what we will be able to do for our community in the year to come! ��ggk