Welcome Committee enjoys meeting and greeting new residents of Postville

by Wanda Simmons

Once a month, a two-person Welcome Committee meets at the Postville Visitor Center to prepare welcome bags full of information for new residents of the city.

Having checked their listing of new names, this dashing duo then ventures out, warm weather or cold.

Armed with welcome bags and friendly smiles, Marilyn Leeman and Mary Beth Snitker are on a mission to welcome new residents to Postville and provide them with the information they need, not only to feel comfortable in their new surroundings, but also to answer their questions.

This is not an easy task in Postville, home to over 30 different nationalities, the majority of whom speak English, Spanish, Russian, and Yiddish. The ladies are in the process of learning to say welcome and a few conversational phrases in several languages.

In just the past year, Marilyn and Mary Beth have greeted or delivered welcome bags to almost 70 new residents. And they discovered a few surprises along the way. For once thing, according to Mary Beth, the city's population is still growing, despite a fire over a year ago which burned to the ground one of the town's major employers, Iowa Turkey Products, Inc. Some of those former employees left the area when the plant decided not to rebuild in Postville, but the majority stayed. They were families who liked the area and whose children were happy at Postville schools.

Thanks to local and area businesses, many of those parents were able to find employment and remain in Postville.

The two women discovered that Postville, known for its cultural diversity, actually has as many new English-speaking residents from other towns or states as they do foreigners. The diversity has, however, made the welcoming process quite interesting.

"We've met people who are not only bi-lingual, but multi-lingual," says Marilyn. "We've met people who speak or at least understand some English. But we've also met those who don't understand a word we're saying. They do understand our smiles and welcome gestures, though." The women wear specially made badges which identify them by name and as members of the Postville Welcome Committee.

Marilyn Leeman, a teacher in West Union for 34 years before recently retiring, says she used her organizational skills to prepare a listing of people who needed to be called upon or have already been called upon so they don't duplicate their efforts.

By consulting their list of names they are able to get a feel for the nationality of the family they will be visiting. Because of Postville's diversity,

Marilyn and Mary Beth prepare 4 sets of welcome bags.

They all include the same items, however, some materials have been translated into one of 4 different languages, including English, Yiddish, Spanish, and Russian

Since they meet only once a month, Marilyn and Mary Beth compile the bags in an assembly line fashion, and then try to make at least 4 visits, but have done as many as 8 in an afternoon.

A typical welcome bag includes a folder of information from the City of Postville including businesses, health services, school information, cultural and recreational facilities, relevant phone numbers, and city services and regulations. The City of Postville and the Chamber of Commerce share the cost of paper, folders, bags and copying of materials.

Other items of interest to those moving into the area include information on the surrounding counties, tourism brochures, menus, maps, coupons, and business cards. Some businesses have even donated small gift items to be included. The actual canvas bag containing all the information is itself is a gift from the City and Chamber.

"We've heard mostly very positive comments about Postville," says Mary Beth about her visits with new residents. "The main questions pertain to jobs, housing, the library, home help, and babysitters."

She says she has enjoyed being a part of the Welcome Committee because it has helped her become reacquainted with her hometown and has even triggered memories of places she knew as a youngster.

"We've had some very nice conversations with people," says Mary Beth. Invitations to sit on the deck or porch and chat are not uncommon.

As for Marilyn, she had been volunteering at the yearly Taste of Postville ethnic celebration and this seemed a natural extension of that experience. "I was happy to help out," she said when asked by Nina Taylor, who runs the Postville Visitor Center and organizes the Taste of Postville.

It was Nina's idea back in 1998 to offer the welcome bags and the original committee members who collected the information with Nina included City Clerk Melissa Hammersland, Lorraine Sebastian, a business owner, Sharon Drahn, editor of the newspaper, Julia Szabo, and Sima Bensasson.

Most recently, Rachel Anderson, a Postville high school student, worked at compiling the welcome bags and making visits before she left for college last year.

Anyone who is interested in helping or would like to donate appropriate items to be included in the welcome bags is asked to call the Chamber of Commerce office at 563-864-7247.

"We think it is important that people know that Postville is still a growing, changing community," says Marilyn.

There's no doubt that the best advertisement for a friendly community can be seen on the smiling faces of these two volunteers as they tote their welcome bags and greet newcomers to the city of Postville.