Frederick, SD

Day of Champions is here again and we are able to have the help from NSU again this year. On April 26th, 2008 we will have 10 of Northern State University Athletes helping our community members with our yearly Helping Hands Clean Up Day. We will be working in the Park, Main Street and collecting old furniture, appliances, paint, etc.

We will start the day at 9:00 a.m. with Rolls, Coffee and Juice and then have a lunch with lots of good food at the Frederick Lounge for all the workers.

Speaking of workers, WE NEED THEM!!! young and old. We can find a job suited for everyone even if you can’t do heavy or strenuous work we can use your help to serve food or run errands.

Lets show our support and make our community shine

There has been a lot of interest in the plans for the Auditorium, from those who remember it as a gymnasium and dance hall, to strangers who have only heard about it recently.

Those following the Horizons group and Frederick Forward are familiar with the idea of using the space as a ’Secret Garden’.

Moving forward with that in mind, we are currently working on locating blueprints, discussing options for initial cleanout, and will hopefully be contacting those that have expressed interest in working on the project in the near future.  Anyone with resources that might be helpful in the cleanup effort may be first on the list, but as we move forward there will be a lot of work in planning, design, fund-raising and organizing that will require volunteers from the community.  A few reminders might be necessary, but if all goes well, look for updates here on a semi-regular basis.

For inquiries, or interest in volunteering any time or other resources,    please send an email to: frederick.secretgarden@gmail.com

We are looking for anyone interested in working with the inflatable movie theater.  When we rent out the system we need someone to deliver, set up/take down the system and supervise.  You must be a licensed driver, you will be unloading and loading equipment, and supervising the system while it is being used.  We will be having training sessions in the near future to ensure everyone is properly trained on the electronics and the setup of the screen.  You can contact Tonya Zinter @ 329-2631 or Donna Sumption @ 329-2462.  You will be paid for your time and expenses.  So if this is the job for you then call us.  This is a good opportunity for earning extra income and a great chance to  promote  our community and use your  leadership skills

It’s a joy to see how the projects we conceived and planned in both Study Circles and LeadershipPlenty are coming into being through the direct efforts of the Strategic Plan committees.  It’s also a blessing to see how the individuals who have been a part of the Horizons program are affecting a wider audience.  Every Sunday after worship at St. Paul’s Lutheran in Frederick, members of the congregation gather for coffee and bars.  The women gather at tables on one side of the basement and the men at tables on the other side in a tradition that I found quaint and sweet when I first moved here 5 years ago.  I now see it as a very effective way for us to share ideas and cook up projects that might not necessarily emerge in a mixed group.  One of the earliest of these was the Frederick Lounge cleanup project last December.  That started at coffee and took off like a rocket.  We’re still working with the Frederick Lounge board on the next step for regaining use of the building for a business and/or cafe. 

 Another project that started with the “church basement ladies” was having someone to be a greeter for our worship services on Sunday.  Not that it’s a new idea, but we put it in motion.  It’s a nice co-action with the Welcome Wagon activities of the Horizons strategic plan.

 Another sharing of the wealth has come from efforts by one of the LeadershipPlenty instructors to bring sound leadership and planning principles into a local organization they attend.  The beauty of this is, once you learn something and see how effective it can be, it’s a part of your skillset to be applied everywhere you show up.  This will be the legacy of Horizons long after the program ends in June.

Our much-anticipated Wireless Internet connection is available at the Emma Burnham Library.  This means that you can bring your own laptop to the Library — or even within 100 feet of the Library — and have a free connection to the Internet.  You do need a wireless card in your computer.  Of course, our three public use computers plus the Librarian’s are available for the public, but if you BYOC, you can work at the back table without time limits or interruptions.  There’s also room to spread out if you’re doing research, either online or from our resources.  Let us know how you’re enjoying it.  This is a Horizons sponsored project in our town, and we hope this special service will entice computer users into our town and. of course, into (or near) our great Library.

I was delighted to see the informative, helpful posts Cheryl Jacobs makes on the southdakota blogsite (see full URL above).  She not only posts the Blog of the Week, but also gives links to grant sources, articles on leadership development and economic resources.  All Frederick committee chairs  can benefit from checking this site regularly.  Cheryl also gives directions on how to link to Google Reader so that we can be alerted when there are new posts from any SD blogger, without checking each town.  BTW, Tyndall is a hot spot; don’t miss their posts!

I recently emailed a person who was previously active in the community Horizons program that I hadn’t seen in a while.  I told her we missed her and hoped all was well.   She indicated she had been quite ill and also busy. but the additional information she provided generated an “Ah-ha” moment that made the light bulb go off for me.  Her comment was about a recent meeting for the Community Store in Frederick and the only notification she had received was in her mailbox the day of the meeting.  She indicated that she is a planner and if someone wants her participation she needs more notification then a day or two.   It occurred to me that I didn’t know any of the needs of the volunteers I was working with nor did they know mine.  We took inventory of the talents and skills we have in our community, but we didn’t take inventory of their needs as a volunteer.  We didn’t ask if there are circumstances or conditions that they work best under.  These are extremely important bits of information to know and review every now and again.  While we may not be able to accommodate all of the needs of all of the volunteers, we can at least make more of an effort to be aware of those needs.

I know I’ve sent out email reminders to people about a meeting that was either the next day or maybe even that day.  For those that knew about the meeting previously, this is a good thing and probably helpful, but for those that didn’t know the date in the first place, they have little time to make arrangements to fit this into their schedule.   In the case of the Community Store meeting, shareholders were aware of the meeting because they were mailed a notice a week or two ago, but those that are not shareholders would have only known about the meeting via the www.fredericksd.com website or maybe a poster in the store.  I know I’ll try to be more aware of not just this volunteer’s needs, but others as well.

Stepping up to take responsibility for projects is a huge step. Kudos to all those who spoke up about the projects at the launch of our strategic plan. Thanks to all those who said ‘Yes” to chairing or co-chairing projects for our town. After all, this is “our” town. No one is going to come in and do these things for us — it takes the desire for people in the community to get things done and the sweat equity to make things happen. Just look at all of the things that have happened in this last year just because someone said, “What if….” and then followed through on that dream. We have been blessed by having the Horizons project providing us with training and with funds to help us get started. Cheryl Jacobs has turned over the bulk of the projects to us. We may feel uncertain about what we are doing, but haven’t we all felt that way at some time? Joining together, we can get a lot done!

Want to post on the Frederick Horizons blog? Here’s how: Choose a time that fits your schedule from this list and call or email Shirley Anderson to confirm a time: shirley@coachmiami.com or 329-2622

Mondays and Fridays between 6pm and closing at 7pm. Wednesdays at 2pm to 3:30 pm. It only takes a few minutes. Many thanks to the Board and Librarian of the Emma Burnham Public Library for giving us the space. We’ll have 2 to 3 computers available, so we can schedule individuals or a group. This is a chance to take part in the Community action and Leadership development efforts of the Horizons program. You can let us know how your participation is helping to change the present and future of Frederick.

Our monthly meeting was held on Sunday Feb 17th, I was so impressed that we had over 20 people there and even saw a few new faces. We talked about how to keep the momentum going on the projects that were laid out in our strategic plan. One of the things we have to do is keep the community informed on all the progress that has been done and what we are currently working on. The Project committee Chair/Co-Chairs presented a short list of things that will be worked on by the next meeting.
These are the Project Chairs/Co-Chairs
Business Develement - Marilyn Podoll, Janet Burkhart, Scott Campbell & Shirley Anderson
Secret Garden - Dale Groop, Dan Nickelson, Jim & Kay Durmire
Simmons Park Development - (still need someone)
Inflatable Theater Board - Tonya Zinter & Donna Sumption
Welcome Wagon - Connie Groop
Marketing Committee - Tracy Olson, Tamie Nickelson
Housing - Janet Burkhart
Finn Fest - Stacey Sumption, Stephanie Sumption, Kay Dumire
Helping Hands - Pat Mikkonen & Donna Sumption

If you are interested in being on any of these projects please let us know, We will be contacting those that signed up to help on projects during our study circles.
We will also be forming a Frederick Forward Board of Directors to oversee these committees.

So Please mark your calendars for the next Horizon meeting March 17th, 2008 Watch the Frederick web site fredericksd.com
for any change in the meeting date and time.