Lakes & Prairies Head Start chosen to go to Harvard!

Going to Harvard!

Well, for a few days anyway.   Lakes and Prairies Head Start staff are excited to be part of a Professional Learning Community on Parent, Family and Community Engagement.  Pam Bernstein, Head Start Program Director, Kristin Phillips, Early Childhood and Special Services Manager, and Shanna Grefsrud, Transportation/Parent Involvement Manager, will travel to Boston, MA  in late March to work with other Head Start Staff at the  Harvard Family Research Center. 

Lakes & Prairies VITA Tax Site Receives Generous Support from Bank of the West

Bank of the West Branch Area Manager Scott Green (left) and
Moorhead Branch Manager Kari Saurdiff (2nd from right) present two
checks totalling $5,000 for our Volunteer Income Tax
Assistance Program.  Receiving the checks are Joe Pederson,
Lakes & Prairies Executive Director and Brenda Maaninga,
Tax Site Coordinator and Director of Finance.$

The Lakes & Prairies Free Tax Site is now in its 7th year.  During these years the tax site has grown from serving 84 to now more than 650 households annually.  Last year households received more than $1.65 million in refunds and saved an estimated $150,000 to $200,000 in tax preparation fees.  Eligible households also received information about federal benefits and other opportunities that could further leverage their income.  The growth of the tax site to what it is today could not have taken place without the financial support of individuals and businesses in our communities.  The gifts presented by Bank of the West (BOTW) will help cover costs related to tax site operations and outreach to help low and moderate income families in their efforts to achieve family economic stability and success.

Lakes & Prairies Receives Promising Practice Award

Brenda Maaninga, Lakes & Prairies Tax Site
Coordinator  accepts award on behalf of volunteers
and staff who worked together for the success
of this effort.

Staff, volunteers, board members and program participants
came forward to receive the award.

The  "Banking the Unbanked" through our VITA Tax Site project received a Promising Practice award at the Minnesota Community Action Partnership Best Practice ceremony held on February 15th in St. Paul.

The Practice:  Lakes & Prairies Community Action Partnership has incorporated pre-paid debit card services as a method to provide low cost banking services to the previously unbanked. 

Households utilizing VITA Tax Site services were offered the opportunity to sign up for a pre-paid debit card to deposit their refund.  The Impact: The pre-paid debit card provides the households the ability to build savings, avoid predatory lending practices and work toward financial security.The debit cards are FDIC insured, very low fees, and protect against the possibility of overdraft.

Lakes & Praires shares in Best Practice Award presented to West Central Initiative

Nancy Straw, President, West Central 
Initiative receives the Best Practice award
presented by Steve Nagle, Executive Director
of West Central MN Communities Action

Leadership Academy participants and Community Action
staff from  the 4 CAPs listen as award description
is presented by Catherine Solheim, Associate Professor
Family Social Science,
University of Minnesota College of Education & Human
Development

Lakes & Prairies Community Action Partnership shared in the "Leadership Academy -- Best Practice" award presented in St. Paul on February 15th.  Nancy Straw, President, West Central Initiative received the award for WCI's leadership in facilitating and providing support for the project.  Lakes and Prairies had 4 participants last year and will be sending 7 new Leadership Academy participants this spring.  Other CAP agencies sharing in the award were Mahube Community Council, Otter Tail-Wadena Community Action Council and West Central Minnesota Communities Action.

The Practice:  Too often, the full potential of leaders goes untapped.  The Leadership Academy helps previously undiscovered, low income leaders realize their power and take more active roles in building their communities' future.  The Academy provides a space and structure for people to acquire and practice competencies that result in becoming more effective leaders.  The Impact:  Preliminary results are pomising, indicating that participants have become more involved in their communities, are accepting formal or informal leadership positions and have become more effective community advocates.

Child Care Resource & Referral receives Star Award

Pictured at the award ceremony (from left to right) are:
Dr. Joel Haugen, Dakota Medical Foundation Board Chair,
Sonya Fisher - CCR&R Professional Development Manager,
Linda Lembke - CCR&R Director, and
Pat Traynor, CEO, Dakota Medical Foundation

Child Care Resource & Referral was awarded a Star Award from Dakota Medical Foundation to recognize leadership in promoting healthy eating and active living in regional child care programs.  GoFar was also featured in their annual report.

Congratulations, Sonya and Linda and the entire CCR&R team!

Dakota Medical Foundation - $5,000 Match Grant

Lakes & Prairies Community Action Partnership has received a match grant in the amount of $5,000 from Dakota Medical Foundation to support an initiative called "Putting Healthy Options Within Reach."
The match grant will work to:

PROVIDE HEALTH COVERAGE INFORMATION AND APPLICATION ASSISTANCE FOR LOW TO MODERATE INCOME FAMILIES AND SENIORS, INCLUDING MINNESOTA CARE, MEDICARE, AND MEDICARE PART D.

INCREASE AWARENESS OF ELIGIBILITY FOR HEALTH CARE AND FOOD-NUTRITION SUPPORT PROGRAMS AND SERVICES AMONG LOW-INCOME FAMILIES AND SENIORS THROUGH THE USE OF THE CHILDREN’S DEFENSE FUND BENEFITS CALCULATOR – "BRIDGE TO BENEFITS."

INCREASE THE NUMBER OF INCOME ELIGIBLE SENIORS PARTICIPATING IN THE NUTRITIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FOR SENIORS.

PROMOTE THE USE OF THE "FILE OF LIFE" INFORMATION SHEETS THAT PROVIDE EMERGENCY CONTACT, MEDICAL DATA, MEDICATION, MEDICAL CONDITION, ALLERGIES AND MEDICAL INSURANCE INFORMATION.

OFFER HEALTH AND SAFETY PRESENTATIONS FOR SENIORS.



Dakota Medical Foundation, Fargo, ND, focuses its efforts on improving health and access to medical and dental care in the region, with a special emphasis on children. Since 1996, the Foundation has invested over $42 million to 387 nonprofit organizations in the region. For more information, see www.dakmed.org. Lakes & Prairies Community Action Partnership is a nonprofit organization. Its programs include Family & Community Services, Clay County Seniors, Child Care Resource & Referral, Rainbow Bridge, Clay-Wilkin Head Start, and the Lakes & Prairies Volunteer Income Tax Assistance site.

Minnesota Voter I.D. - Makes you think....

As citizens across Minnesota consider a Voter I.D. Amendment, this League of Women Voters - MN YouTube video provides some important things to consider about who would be affected.  A Look At Voter I.D. Statistics.