Community News

Despite financial set back, other positive attributes noted for month

by Brianne Eilers

The Boy Scout Troop 64 of Waukon will conduct it's annual city-wide Christmas tree pickup Saturday, January 9, 2016 as a service project.   Trees will be used to provide shelter for animal habitat in rural Waukon.
Residents are requested to place their 'live' trees curbside before 7 a.m. the day of the pickup.
Be sure to remove all ornaments and garland. Wreaths, artificial trees, and other decorations will not be accepted.
For more information, contact Maura Jones at (563) 568-1126.

Northgate Care Center in Waukon is proud to announce that it will host the Quilts of Valor Presentation January 7, 2016, at 2 p.m.

The Quilts of Valor program is a national foundation whose mission is to cover service members touched by war with healing Quilts of Valor.  The foundation is staffed entirely by volunteers who donate their time and talent to this very special program.  Each quilt is handmade especially for the veteran who is to receive the quilt.

Northgate Care Center’s Administrator, Lou Ann Wikan said, “We are excited to honor the veterans who have served our country”.  She went on to say, “It is especially important to have this program brought to our care center in order to recognize those men and women who reside here who have helped to keep America safe”.

The Northeast Iowa Regional Housing Trust Fund (NEIRHTF) is accepting applications for housing rehabilitation\improvement projects. Applicants can be low-moderate income homeowners, landlord/for-profit organizations or non-profit organizations to promote and create affordable housing activities.
Applicants must be in one of the four counties of Allamakee, Clayton, Howard and Winneshiek. Eligible projects include rehabilitation and repair of existing housing, including, but not limited to, roofs, windows, siding, plumbing electrical, energy efficiency, lead paint issues, and handicap accessibility.
For more information or to see if funding is still available, contact Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission at (563) 864-7551, ext. 111 for Mary Huinker. An application can also be obtained online at www.uerpc.org under Housing and Northeast Iowa Housing Trust Fund links.

by Jason Meyer

$2,000 gift from Joe and Mary Cunningham helped leverage a $2,500 challenge grant through Allamakee Community Foundation

Besides its collections of reading materials for all ages, Robey Memorial Library in Waukon will be offering some fun programs for students during the upcoming Winter Break from school. Students can stop in any time between 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. December 28 and 30 to make something fun to take home during the library's Make & Take sessions.
Saturday, January 2 at 1:30 p.m. the library will be showing the movie "Inside Out." In this Pixar adventure from director Pete Docter, motions run wild in the mind of a little girl who is uprooted from her peaceful life in the Midwest and forced to move to San Francisco, CA. As Joy (voice of Amy Poehler) attempts to keep Riley feeling happy and positive about the move, other emotions like Fear (voice of Bill Hader), Anger (voice of Lewis Black), Disgust (voice of Mindy Kaling) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith) make the transition a bit more complicated.

Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation (NEICAC) Family Service offices began taking applications for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) as of October 1. Households that applied for LIHEAP in the 2014-2015 LIHEAP program year can also file their applications online at http://www.neicac.org/energy.html.
The program will provide supplemental assistance based on several factors. Those factors include total household income, household size, dwelling type, and type of heating fuel, among others.
For more information contact the local NEICAC (Community Action) Family Service Office or call the NEICAC central office in Decorah at 563-382-9608. In Allamakee County, contact the NEICAC office located at 953 Third Avenue NW in Waukon at 563-568-4224 or the office located at 134 West Greene Street in Postville at 563-864-3363.
 

The Allamakee County Community Foundation (ACCF) is now accepting 2016 grant applications. The application is completely online and will be available at the Foundation’s website, www.allamakeefoundation.org. Applications are due January 31, 2016 by midnight.
Nonprofit organizations can apply for grants from the ACCF for projects or programs that address significant community issues and benefit a broad spectrum of the community. Projects must be in Allamakee County.
The ACCF awards grants in the areas of Health and Human Services; Education; Neighborhoods and Community Development; Environment; Children, Youth, and Families; and Arts and Culture, including historic preservation.
Preference is given to projects that:
• address significant community issues
• present innovative, creative, and practical proposals that build on community strengths

For nine years, the Northeast Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative has been helping local communities make healthy choices. Now community members have the opportunity to help sustain the program for many years to come.
With the help of a $2,500 Allamakee County Community Foundation Seeds for Success grant, the initiative has established a new endowed fund at the Foundation to provide a reliable and sustainable source of income.
The Seeds for Success program provides a $2,500 challenge grant to area nonprofits with the goal of them raising at least a $7,500 match for a total of $10,000 to establish a sustaining endowment. Once an endowment reaches the $10,000 milestone, the fund will payout five percent every year to help support the work of the nonprofit forever.