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Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Covering Dallas, Monmouth, Independence, Falls City and surrounding areas since 1868
January 15, 2013
Support a big key
for Adopt-a-Family
This was the third year the Polk County Resource Center has supported the Dallas Adopt-a-Family Holiday Project. We are extremely excited with this year's project and blessed to be working with a community who cares so much for its fellow neighbors.
All 222 families who applied this year were adopted, which is a record amount. That represents 1,002 people, including 558 children.
We had a great deal of support and guidance in making the 2012 Dallas Adopt-a-Family Project so successful, and owe a big thank you to many.
Thank you goes to the 50 outstanding volunteers who lent their time, talent and expertise. Volunteers assisted with application days, wrapping gifts, shopping, coat sorting, and unloading and loading gifts and food on distribution days.
Equally important were the 146 individuals, businesses, groups, schools and faith-based communities that adopted families and provided gifts and a holiday meal or donated toys/coats to help fill in the gap for families in need.
Special thanks to Christmas Cheer, which partnered and worked closely with us to insure all families who were in need of holiday assistance were served without duplicating services. Big thanks to Evangelical Bible Church, which graciously offered use of their church for the third year in a row during our distribution days, and Fowler Affiliates, which has donated printing and copying services for the last two years.
It was heartwarming to see the community as a whole -- from individuals, businesses, schools, churches and groups -- step up and work together to provide holiday assistance to families in need. It was awesome, humbling, and we are proud to have worked with you all.
Melissa Baurer
Polk County Resource Center
Dallas
Donations benefit
Dallas arboretum
The Friends of the Delbert Hunter Arboretum want to thank all of you for your donations to us. The family that wishes to remain anonymous has matched all the donations from Oct. 15 through Dec. 15, 2012. The total amount received from you and our anonymous benefactor was $10,950.
Thank you all very much, and a very special thank you to our anonymous benefactor for matching the donations. On behalf of the Delbert Hunter Arboretum volunteers, your generosity is appreciated more than we can express.
Sue Rohde
Dallas
There's solutions
for 'budget blues'
Let's call it "The Budget Woe Blues" since city and county governments are lamenting revenue levels having dropped off.
They claim that less money coming in automatically forces reduced public services, but that is probably oversimplified. Using Americorps can help stretch a budget.
I'd like to propose two ways to make for better end-results:
* Have a taxpayers' contest on how best to accrue savings without inflicting pain. Let the two most useful ideas be rewarded financially. Those who win would receive 10 percent of whatever these savings amount to, an ideal win-win situation.
* Require the top fiscal officer to post on the official website the monthly income/outgo summary. That keeps us voters informed on the actual flow of taxpayer funds. Why wait a year between budget hearings? We need this vital information upfront.
West Salem was partly crippled last year on both firehouse and library coverage. We need to be alert this time around so we don't get placed in double-jeopardy.
B. Lee Coyne
West Salem
Tourney director
appreciates help
Another Dallas Booster Club Wrestling Tournament is in the record books. If you weren't there on Saturday, you missed a very special event.
Wrestlers from 10 schools competed on five mats in two gyms. There were 378 matches with around 220 athletes competing in one of the oldest sports known to man. Each of these student-athletes demonstrated the commitment and dedication that it takes to be a wrestler and I congratulate each one of them.
This tournament continues to be a success due to the more than 60 volunteers who help to make it happen. Over the years I have appreciated each one of you for sharing your time and talents.
This was my 20th and final tournament as director. Next year there will be a new director with fresh ideas and I know that this will continue to be a first-class tournament that is a reflection of our wrestling program and our community.
I have enjoyed each and every tournament and have made lifelong friends through wrestling. Thank you all for your support and for sharing your love of wrestling with me.
Janet Brunner
Dallas
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