Frederick, SD

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

Today I had the pleasant honor to visit with several of our community Senior Citizens. My interest was to get an understanding of the Senior Meals that they were enjoying. Like any other group of people they all wanted to tell me about it (all at the same time) only because they really enjoy the good food and also the fellowship with each other. They average about 8-9 seniors that come to the Senior Center daily (Mon-Fri) and they deliver 3-4 meals daily to those who are unable to get out of their home. The community of Frederick currently doesn’t have a cafe for them to get the meals so they are now working with the Area IV Senior Nutrition out of Hecla, SD. Every weekday, either Edgar or Johnny drive to Hecla, they leave about 10:45 am to pick up the meals and bring them back to the Community Center for the Senior Citizens to enjoy. They eat at noon but stick around to visit till about 1:00 pm They sign-up ahead of time to ensure that they have enough food for everyone. There is no set charge for the meals however they are encouraged to donate what they can afford. The drivers do get reimbursed for their mileage to and from Hecla from the Area IV Senior Nutrition Program. Everyone agreed that the need for the meals is one thing but the fellowship and always knowing you will be checked up on if you fail to show up are added benefits. Edgar said ” some wouldn’t leave the house otherwise if it wasn’t for the meals & fellowship”. Some of the local Senior Citizens are members of the RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program) and are able to log in volunteer hours by helping with set up / clean up and delivering the meals. Contributions to the Senior Meals Program are tax deductible, If you want more info you can visit with Rick Pesek, Project Director at 605-229-4741 or 1-800-876-4741 or visit www.members.nvc.net/seniorareaiv

I am so impressed with our monthly meetings, we have had excellent turnouts for them and many new and exciting ideas are still popping up. Mainly we are focusing on our strategic plan and the committees are keeping everyone updated on their progress. Each committee is contacting the community members that signed up to help in our earlier meeting. It is nice to see that the “want to help” is still there. It sounds like the Secret Garden is moving right along, They are getting some media info together to get the word out about their expected costs and design plans. The Marketing committee is putting together a brochure to highlight the communities great features, such as hunting, fishing, historical driving tours, Inflatable Movie Theater and more. We are also going to invite a guest speaker to our next meeting to help with our Economic Development, We have not given up on the need to have a gas station in our town, so many people have had to drive 12-30 miles just to fill up and that is just taking income away from our community and putting a financial strain on us, especially with the price of gas these days, and if they go out of town for gas they will more than likely shop out of town also. St Paul’s Lutheran WELCA has established an account to help families in the community, they knew that it was a project that Horizons II group was working on and as soon as that is up and running they will transfer their funds over to the Frederick Forward. Thanks ST Paul’s Lutheran Women. The people in Frederick have helped so many families over the past years and not just financially, If someone needs there lawn mowed, driveways cleaned, rides to Drs. appt. field work or their car jumped, someone is always there to help. I know that having a committee to oversee these needs will make it so much easier for everyone. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

Tonight at 8:00 pm is the premier of Oprah’s Big Give and I must say I am pretty excited.  I don’t know how it will work exactly, but as I understand it, this “game” is all about giving, not receiving.  Giving is supposed to be all about the how much can be given to the people receiving, but I think many times, the giver receives as much if not more than the receiver.  I don’t know how many times I’ve watched Oprah and “My Favorite Things” or “Extreme Home Makeover” and thought how cool it would be to be able to have the capacity to give on the scale.   

I’ve also thought how awesome it would be to make millions (winning it would be cool too).  I’ve made the list of things I could do with the money.   Along with a great trip, maybe a new house and of course putting money aside for my kid’s education, there other things on that list.   One of the things I wanted to do was put a swimming pool in Frederick and also build an account that would help make it sustainable and provide for the staffing of the facility each summer.   I also would try to invest in the creation of some kind of business in town that would enable the community to have more jobs available and more people that could potentially buy their groceries in our store and other things would hopefully snowball from there.   

Another contribution I would make would be to a project in my hometown, Ellendale, ND, the old Opera House.   The project has been years in the making, but I think it is truly an awesome endeavor and will be quite spectacular and good tourist draw when it is completed.   

In a recent newsletter from Agurban, A Hometown E-zine, by Jack Schultz of Boomtown Institute he talked about generations of Norman Asbjornson’s family who made their home in Winifred, MT.  After graduation Mr Asbjornson couldn’t wait to leave his small town and move on to bigger and better things, eventually founding a very successful company that in 2007 made Forbes Magazine’s list of best small companies.  The company called AAON, grosses 150 million in annual sales.  

After looking back at his success, Mr Asbjornson had to give credit to his small town upbringing and wanted to give back to the community that gave him such great roots.   Because of his generosity the small community of Winifred, population 150 people, has a new city hall, library, community center and museum.   He also gave a million dollars to students enabling them to attend Montana State University.

Maybe Frederick and many of these other small towns involved in Horizons will find their Norman Asbjornson and their own version of Oprah’s Big Give!    Even if we don’t find a Norman Asbjornson, we certainly have enough people that have had average succuss and want to give back to their community.  Whether is takes one year or 20 years, with all the spirit and tenacity that has been generated, Frederick will certainly look different in another 5-10 years.

Trying to plan for a community dinner is difficult when you don’t know how many will be coming! We planned for 3 big roasters of soup and it was well received at the event on Sunday. We had about 85 attend but were also able to share some of the goodness with those who were not able to join us for the dinner. Donna took some to the elevator; we scooped up several containers to share with others in town. Extra pie was sent to the Community Store to go with the Monday morning coffee. Thanks to all who helped make it possible.

It’s always amazing to see how good planning makes an event like this happen. Food was very tasty; the Northern Lights building was gaily decorated and the local Horizons speakers stepped up to explain different parts of the our strategic plan. Being part of the group that explained what our plans are helped making everything concrete. I helped explain that in our community study of poverty, the definition looks at a lack of resources. We’re concerned that our senior citizens need help with some of their daily living tasks and want to do a survey to find out how the community can help. We also want to prepare welcome baskets to extend hospitality to people new to our area. This will help them understand what businesses and services are available. Anyone wanting to help with these areas is asked to contact me at 329-2176 or Krysti Mikkonen at 329-2027.

Days like these when it’s so cold out, it’s hard to get much done other than huddle inside. Here is a liink to photos that were taken on our “Day of Champions” when we worked to clean up Frederick’s park. Go to this address to see photos:

http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n21/mikmanage/Park%20Project/?action=view¤t=8bcc2f60.pbr

Though the actions of the community, we’re giving people an inexpensive place to go for entertainment and relaxation, right here in Frederick. With all of the people helping, we reminded people what a great park we have and the ways in which it can be used. So on these cold days, we need to think of ways that we can make use of our park next summer and ways to make things even better.
>

Food is always a great way to get people together. On Sunday, Jan. 27 at the Northern Lights Building on Main Street, we are inviting everyone in the community of Frederick for soup and pie. Starting at 11:30 a.m., people will have three choices: a gumbo-type soup, knoeffla soup and sensational chili along with Finn bread. A variety of pies will be available for dessert. At 1 p.m., the Frederick Horizons group will share the strategic plans that have been put together through community input.
Those attending will be able to try out the Wii games. Free babysitting will be provided. If you have any questions, call Connie at 329-2176 or Krysti at 329-2029.

Arrrggggg! Why does December get so hectic? I’d really planned to blog but life just got in the way.
We saw some awesome community activity with the local groups reaching out to those in need. The Angel Tree at the Community Store provided an opportunity to reach out to those who otherwise wouldn’t have much of a Christmas. The funds raised from the Cookie Walk helped those. Individuals and families who are struggling.
We’ve also had some real discussions about how we can help out those in need.
Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Westport put together 35 gift bags that were delivered to the elderly and needy in the community. Some of the recipients included people who had recently had surgery or were experiencing challenges in their lives. Some from the Horizons group helped provide names and suggestions of ways to reach out.

On Sunday Dec 9th, 2007 there was music in the air, Lots of HO HO HO’s and laughter to be heard at the Cookie Walk and Holiday Shop at the Frederick Lounge. We had a special visit from Santa himself, which put lots of smiles on faces young and old. We used our digital camera (thanks to Horizons) and took pictures of each of Santa’s visitors and emailed them to the parents. We had an excellent turnout and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. The proceeds were divided between the Horizons II, the Frederick Historical Society and the Frederick Lounge. The Horizons II in turn donated their proceeds to the Community Giving Tree. The Giving Tree makes the Christmas season a little brighter for many individuals and families in the area.