September was a time of preparation and achievement here at OVO.  We were pleased to participate in and excel during numerous intense monitorings this month.  Our hard work continues to pay off with additional funding opportunities being awarded to our agency and more community partners wanting to get involved with our mission and work.  Here are some of the great successes we had during the month of September:

• Our Weatherization Program received an additional $25,000 in order to purchase a new vehicle and to complete more homes!
• The Energy Assistance Program will be going into the upcoming Winter Program fully staffed and ready to serve our clients with superior customer service!
• Ashley Stoner, a Teacher at our Scott County Head Start Center, passed the CDL skills test and earned her CDL License!
• Head Start received a PERFECT Bus Inspection conducted by the Indiana State Police!
• Section 8 helped a new family find a home and pulled 21 new families from the waiting lists!
• The Weatherization Program had a PERFECT score on their monitoring in September!
• The Downtowner, a local restaurant in Madison, donated soup and chili for the Soup, Stew, Chili & Brew Festival in October!  This donation will help lower our overhead costs to participate and increase our fundraising potential at this festival.
• We had a superb Comprehensive Administrative Review for our Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Program, Energy Assistance Program, and Weatherization Assistance Program!  We are pleased to continue to be a leader in the state!
• Jennifer Sandlin, our Special Projects Coordinator, and Melanie Harrell, our Head Start Director, attended the Community Action Partnership Annual Convention in Austin, TX and had some excellent training on best practices and the future of Community Action!
• Samantha Phelps and Lindsey Simmons, both Teacher Assistants/Bus Drivers at our Jennings County Head Start Center, received their CDL Permits and are well on their way to becoming bus drivers!

We are so very pleased with the incredible work our agency has done and continues to do, and we can’t wait to keep these successes going!