Intellicast WeatherAnother school year is rapidly coming to a close and we will be honoring our graduates and sending them off on the next phase of their lives. Our big challenge is to create opportunities for our young people so they can be encouraged to return home and live here to raise their families. A big challenge indeed, but vital to creating a vital and prosperous community.
The community has designated May for the Food Pantry. The Pantry is in need of non-perishable non-food items such as toothpaste, toilet paper, shampoo and other personal care items. We hope to get the whole community involved to restock the food pantry. Postal workers will be collecting items from the mail route also.
Pictures provided by Darlene Duffy. You can view the before pictures in a previous blog entry. Just scroll down the page to see what it looked like before 
This is one of the first steps by the Horizons group and the OAIC toward accomplishing our strategic goals. This is the first house to be demolished to make building lots available free to anyone who will build a house on the lots. Once the clean up is completed there will be 4 lots available with room for 2 houses. The OAIC is also looking into the governor’s housing program and some other possible funding sources to get a jump start on development of affordable housing options. Check back later for more updates and after pictures.
The Oldham Area Improvement Corporation can seek, receive, and monitor the resources, the committees can report to the OAIC.
Through the Horizon’s program the community has recognized the need to have an organization to seek resources for programs and projects identified through our Horizon’s strategic plan. We created the Oldham Area Improvement Organization and sought 501c3 tax exempt status. We received that in February. With that OAIC will be able to seek out and obtain resources to carryout the goals outlined in the strategic plan. Todate we have not obtained funding for any of the projects but are working on ways to obtain resources from several organizations.
I think people have become more aware of leadership in the community. People are taking more of an interest in the community. They recognize the need for changes to reverse the trends that have been going on for the past several decades. We had a very good turnout for our city elections. We have a new mayor and councilman that will be taking office in May. Both people have been active in the Horizon’s program.
Please choose one or two questions in EACH category to address on your blog:
8. Sustaining action and creating structural change around leadership
What is your community’s plan for maintaining a strong community leadership system?
How can your community sustain the changes it has already made in its leadership?
What structural changes have been made in how the community does its work/makes decisions?
What structural changes have been made so that your community leadership sustains partnerships with others?
12. Sustaining action and creating structural change around community
How will your community make decisions about seeking further resources to support its plans?
Is a system in place to seek, receive, monitor and report on new resources to support community work?
Is a system in place to maintain contact with, or to continue to work with other communities? With your Delivery Organization? In other partnerships?
What new resources have been secured to assist the work of the community?
There will be a combined meeting with all the Horizons Committees on May 14. Glenn and Darlene will give short reports on the Lincoln NE seminar they attended. There will be Subway sandwiches and drinks for everyone attending. Reports will be given to Martha on the progress of the committees and then they will break into their respective groups and continue working on the projects.
This article is submitted by Sandy Smith of Oldham:
The Oldham Gym was a very busy place to be on Tuesday April 8th….along with the “Military Display” voting for a new Mayor and a Ward 1 Council Member started the day off at 7:00 a.m. Blood Services truck then pulled into the parking lot about 1:00 to get ready for the 2nd Annual Auxiliary Blood Drive…then at 2:30 you could smell coffee being made in the kitchen as some ladies were setting up goodies for the “Community Gathering Cofffee Time” which they were hosting free that afternoon to give the community member a place to gather and visit with their neighbors and friends! Blood is life giving….and we had many community members who came to give their blood between the hours of 2:30-6:30. Blood Services personal were very please with the good turn out from the Oldham community and they told us how much they enjoyed all the goodies in the kitchen! 
By 7:30 the votes were counted, the gym cleaned up and Oldham had a new Mayor….Roger Eide…Congratulations! Congratulations also to John Pester who will be representing Ward 1.
The Oldham American Legion Auxiliary want to thank everyone who made our 2nd Annual Blood Drive a success….and thanks to the community members who came and enjoyed visiting over the goodies in the kitchen! Thank-you also to the community members who came out and voted…..THANK-YOU to all who have served “Our Country” in the past and present allowing us to live in a country that is FREE ….where we do have the freedom to vote!
This post has been submitted by Sandy Smith of Oldham for posting to the Community Blog: Please join us to RECOGNIZE, HONOR AND APPRECIATE those who serve our country.
Tuesday April 8th a Military Display was sat up in the lobby of the Oldham Gym…this display was to honor and recognize “Our Present Military with Oldham Ties”…There were pictures of each of the 21 presently serving our country along with their rank and address! We as a community know that “FREEDOM IS NOT FREE” and we as the Oldham American Legion Auxiliary thought this would be a way to honor them and to let them know how much we appreciate what they are doing for us by serving our country and to let them know how proud we are of each one of them!!!
We know we probably have missed some and we are sorry! If you have a family member who is serving in a branch of the military please contact Ann Lingbeck or Sandy Smith.
