Rockford, IA

With the successful application for an AmeriCorps worker grant for the 2008-2009 school year, and the Rudd Rockford Marble Rock Community School District agreeing to house the after school program, the Visions group is looking forward to working with school administration in the hiring and supervision of the AmeriCorps worker. We’re also anticipating some assistance in directing the AmeriCorps coordinator on the needs of the program. The elementary principal/curriculum coordinator has been involved in the Horizons program herself and has spent time working with the Visions group already. The school superintendent in on board with supporting the after-school program as well. The school also has a new secondary principal, who is anticipated to bring new ideas and a fresh, open-minded perspective.

First Security Bank’s Rockford office is where the funds for Rockford Visions group are kept. With support of the City of Rockford, these funds are filtered through a line item on the Rockford city budget. This enables us to avoid the expense and burden of a 501(c)(3) filing. This will mobilize the Visions group for the future - many groups form a 501(c)(3), lose interest or momentum, and then their funds are left unused.

The Rockford Visions group has streamlined its procedures by establishing a committee charged with fundraising and financial reporting. A representative of this group will communicate the overall Rockford Visions progress, making achievements more visible to the community. The treasurer of Rockford Visions will regularly report financial standings to all interested parties. We hope and expect this to result in more awareness and buy-in from the entire Rockford community.

Dear Readers,

In reviewing the parameters set forth by the Horizons program, I’m quite impressed by the group who has stepped forward to participate in the Rockford Visions program. The diversity of the group is staggering, ranging from the very young (teenagers) to those well into their retirement years, and from those with upper-middle incomes to those with lower incomes. Having a diverse group has forced those involved to really consider all opinions and ideas, and has made it absolutely necessary to be open-minded, which is a really great quality to build upon. A diverse leadership group also results in a diverse network of knowledge and supporters throughout the community.

Many ideas have been born out of this excellent representation of the community’s demographic profile, which I expect will sustain the excitement and energy of Rockford Visions for a very long time.

Sincerely,
A Rockford Visions Blogger

In a recent Rockford Visions committee heads meeting, more precise leadership and direction was established. A concise list of the people who will be involved in the financial interests of Rockford Visions, as well as the fundraising interests, was documented.

A visitor to this meeting, the 2007-2008 RRMR student body president, presented to the group the importance of connecting with the community youth and tapping them as an energetic resource to accomplish much of the volunteer work that will be needed in coming years. The young visitor, who is headed off to college this fall, plans to continue discussions and follow-up with the 2008-2009 student body president in order to establish a strong tradition of volunteerism in the RRMR community.

The credentials of this young person are very impressive, and include establishing the Corn Bowl Alliance, an agreement among the student councils of Corn Bowl Conference schools to establish a higher standard of community and world servitude, and a challenge to keep the torch burning so it can be passed to younger students as those in leadership positions graduate and move on.

The committee heads were quite impressed by this visitor, who is wise beyond his years, and who also strongly advised the group to establish set protocols for fundraising and finance reporting, as well as consistent reporting of progress as a visual to the community. Also suggested were ways to connect with youth to make it easier for them to step in and help.

July of 2008 is the scheduled release of a new brochure targeting first-time home buyers. The brochure, currently under construction, will contain step-by-step instructions for people looking to purchase a home for the first time.

A step-by-step guide will lead buyers through the process, beginning with pre-qualification for a loan by contacting a lender, followed by the home search and how it can be effectively accomplished. The brochure will discuss the benefits and protection of working with a Realtor® if a formal offer is written, inspections and closing procedures, etc.

The brochure will also contain a renting vs. purchase comparison, where the average $400/month rent X 5 years would result in $24,000 spent paying for someone else’s property and could be used to purchase one’s own property, thereby building their own equity. Purchasing vs. renting is an automatic savings plan.

Area lenders typically agree to help cover certain costs associated with this type of project, which is currently being researched with the assistance of local real estate professionals. Even with bad credit, lenders can be found to finance the purchase of a home.

The plan is to incorporate the brochure with the proposed housing assistance program being researched and planned for beginning in 2008. It will be updated as needed to follow the movements of the Rockford housing assistance program.

The Affordable Housing committee of the Rockford Visions group continues to work with the Charles City Area Development Corporation (CCADC) in order to find county funds that can be used for the proposed housing assistance program being explored for Rockford. Tim Fox, Executive Director of the CCADC, has expressed that the CCADC wishes to do a project in Rockford. This opportunity may prove very fruitful for future first-time homeowners in Rockford, as the housing assistance program is targeted to help those who have never owned a home before.

The committe heads of the Rockford Visions group have recognized a need for more effective methods of communication with the general public. Where we’ve been, what we’ve done, and where we’re going will be the goal in future communications. Our community needs to know more about each committee’s goals and tasks. Achievements must be visible to the community. Fundraising efforts shall be reported, in addition to achievements that are not as visible. The Visions group will be naming a public relations person charged with these tasks. This will occur in the summer of 2008. The group representative will work with local media to establish a consistent flow of information, hopefully creating an air of excitement and buy-in among the entire community. Once people see consistent progress, the expectation is for more community involvement.

A successful AmeriCorps application will allow Rockford to hire a part-time qualified individual to operate an after school program beginning with the 2008-2009 school year. The RRMR Community School District has agreed to house the program. The individual hired will gain teaching/mentoring experience, receive a stipend, childcare allowance as needed, insurance, and funds toward furthering their education. The program is renewable. All families in need of after school care will be served and students in need of homework assistance will be welcome.

The group of energized Rockford citizens that has stepped forward to work through the Horizons program calls itself Rockford Visions. Made up of several committees that target certain needs related to poverty eradication, they’ve decided there’s a need to form a new committee - one that solely raises funds. It will likely consist of a person or persons from each of the existing committees, and will decide how funds will be raised and how they’ll be spent. One citizen has agreed to bookkeep the funds and has created a voucher system for receipts and disbursements of funds raised and used for Horizons / Rockford Visions projects. The Rockford Visions funds will be filtered through the City of Rockford as a line item in their budget, enabling us to obtain 501(c)(3) status at no cost.