Tyndall, SD

We are almost there…..working with Noel Hamiel and Bob Sutton of the South Dakota Community Foundation, Tyndall is one more meeting away from turning in some funds to start our Community Foundation. This is a real big deal, although I don’t think most Tyndallites are aware that it is. We have some work to do! Currently we have seven Board of Directors and are considering adding a couple more to help with the initial three to five years. We want to post $100,000 in five years ( hopefully before that) so it will take all of us to work towards that goal. It is a big task. We would never have had the courage or the contacts to do this without the knowledge attained through Horizons. Thanks SDSU and Northwest Area Foundation!

A committee of mostly new volunteers, but spearheaded by Horizons leader and school teacher Chad Jodozi, is working on a new daycare facility for the town. We have had a couple of daycares discontinue, so this committee is making a gigantic effort to provide additional daycare to the already great daycare providers we have left. We all know that if we want our towns to stabilize and maybe grow, we have to have daycare for the families with both parents working full-time out of the home. This is essential. There are some worried individuals that think that this new facility will take business away from the other daycares but we have to provide adequate spaces. The city has been working with the group and is offering their full support. This facility will provide one more full-time job and some part-time jobs to the community.

TCF - the Tyndall Community Foundation!  This is actually becoming a reality with the interim board of directors working on bylaws and meeting weekly ….We have seven board members from the community, some who participated in Horizons.  We are working with the South Dakota Community Foundation with Noel Hamel serving as our contact.  This is exciting and nerve-wracking.  We have to raise 100,000 dollars in five years….let’s see, how many bake sales is that?   Ever forward….

The Tyndall Business & Service Directory is finally ready to go out to the public.  It is a 3-fold brochure prepared by volunteers and printed/copied  locally by donating businesses in small amounts to start off. This will allow for inevitable changes down the road.   The brochure was initially set up by a Chamber business several years ago and has been scooped up by Horizons and Chamber ( partnering), improved with additions of better listings of social services available, organizations, apartment contacts ( none are listed in the phone book except for Northpoint Apt. !), tourism information and shopping opportunities.

At this time, it is free to be listed in the brochure and it includes any business, service, or organization in Tyndall ( that we are aware of ). It is great to have by the phone and it will eventually be available for the public to pick up at participating businesses. It is already included in our “Welcome Basket” and will also be available at the city offices and at the Social  Services offices.  We have over  100  listings of  companies, businesses, services,  individuals, and  government  offices-not to mention  contact info for doing fun stuff in town!  If you didn’t see it in print, you would not believe it!    If other towns want to see it, call 605-589-4050.

Anyone interested in obtaining daycare for their children should attend a meeting Thursday night, May 1 at 7:00 PM at the Cavalier Corner. Chad Jodozi will be discussing the surveys which were sent out to all current day care providers, local businesses, and letters to the local people by the school banner. A needs assessment is being determined and your input would be appreciated. Everyone is invited to attend.

Work is being done at this time to set up a Community Foundation, much like many of the other Horizon communities have done and are doing.  This will ultimately be the “system” in which contact is kept with those partnering organizations and with the Delivery Organization. Right now, we know who to get in contact with. New information is regularly sent to the local paper and key people are notified of workshops that are scheduled in particular interest areas.   The community foundation will  work to procure new resources to assist in the work of the community. It will take time and diligence.

We have a pretty strong core of volunteers that stayed with Horizons the whole time through and if there are any future ideas or plans, they would be the people to contact and get the ball rolling-certainly to contact the right people to help with the idea. Our Tyndall Business & Service Directory produced through the Chamber and Horizons, will be a source of contact information.

In addressing several of the April blog questions, I would venture to say that the way Tyndall will maintain strong community leadership and create structural change is to continue what we have learned in the Horizons program….meet regularly, ASK people to help or volunteer, and to press on in the face of occasional adversity. It’s the pioneer’s way. That is how all these small towns were established-by persistance, patience, and looking forward to the possibilities. Horizons has inspired HOPE, while at the same time, some of us are trying to figure out how to help the less fortunate in even better ways. The economy is scaring the daylights out of business and families. Poverty, and its many faces, will probably always be there, but we can do some things to help.

What structural changes have we made in how decisions are made? Well, the Cavalier Corner is run by board decisions and the Bargain Shoppe has an officer board and both meet regularly to check in and make decisions about future activities. The web site committee meets regularly to also check in and discuss the website production. Mostly, articles about the activities appear either on the blog or in the local newspaper so that the public has the opportunity to learn about the projects. Articles about our monthly planning meetings have always been recorded in the blog and in the newspaper. Recently our public policy committee has partnered with SDSU to provide an informational public forum on low income issues.

How will our community leadership sustain partnerships? Out of necessity! When you live in a small place, you have got to help each other! The website currently is all volunteer and is being helped financially by the city and the Tyndall Development Corporation. The Cavalier Corner has created a great partnership with one of our local contractors, who has been a leader in the community in his own right,quietly volunteering where needed and always interested in the quality of life for our youth in the community. It is totally necessary to partner with other entities. The city has been supportive, and recently has been active in partnering with Horizons in setting another new goal of providing continued daycare for our new population explosion. More to come on that, as it is in the research stages!

If you have other observations, leave a comment here!

Committee members and 2 guests met at the Cavalier Corner, with Dave Olson present on April 8th. Shirley Mann, director at the Bon Homme Food Pantry, reported on her role and the purpose of the pantry, its supporters and its present needs.  It has been in existence for 17 years and she has worked with the program for 14 years!   Presently they serve 40 - 45 families in Bon Homme County, who have been recommended by Social Services, a minister, or a doctor as per the guidelines. She and her helper Pat and other volunteers prepare 50 commodity boxes once a month also. They get $1000 from the state once a year and the rest of the year are solely dependent on food and cash donations.  It gets pretty scarce from May to November……ideas anyone?

Day care has become a concern, or the impending lack of it actually….. A new goal in our strategic plan  has been identified, according to Chad Jodozi, and a committee is now working with the Governor’s office (Governor’s Day Care) on this issue.  They are required to do surveys of our present daycares (which parents are very grateful for!), along with a bunch of other hoops to jump through. Of course, funding is a key component.  More to come on this new goal.  Our young parents are the future of Tyndall-we owe them our support!

The Bargain Shoppe didn’t meet yet this month, but are planning to donate funds to a project in town, after expenses.  They did $100 business on the Open House day! How cool is that?  They have added a day to be open….now open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 - 5.  Now taking spring/summer items, and they have also been selling appliances, furniture and big things like that in addition to the regular items.

The website committee will meet next week on the 17th.  Things are going a little slow right now, but our volunteers have been busy with regular jobs.  Businesses and residents with events to share can have them posted on the website community calendar. Go to www.tyndallsd.com - click on community calendar. School events continue to be listed on their own website.

The public policy committee, Mark and Joe,  has set up a public forum for April 16th on tax issues, low income issues, etc….there will be free blood pressure screenings by the hospital ( glad to have them participate!!!) and a guest panel to answer questions.  Cathy Brechtelsbauer from Bread for the World will be the speaker.  For the free supper you need to call asap by the 12th to Mark 589-3097 for food count for you and guests. Open to all and important for all!

The Cavalier Corner is going along smoothly at this time. The board is looking into setting up a GED program.  There is a tutoring program is place, but up to now the students are not taking advantage of this.  More education on this is probably necessary, as many parents and students may not know about it. Dave offered the board the possibility of a meeting to help them plan a 5-year strategic plan.

The Community Foundation committee has taken a back seat this month to some other things that popped up over Easter vacation  ( like a light manufacturing plant looking at Tyndall and other communities!) so they will get a date set for a public meeting, etc. soon.

LeadershipPlenty training is hopefully going to be offered for credit in the fall.  Janet is still working with administration on that.  There are two certified trainers in our school system to do the course and it would be just for upper class students.

The committee for Community Economic Coordinator has not met.  Judy is hoping to seat a feasibility study committee to research this more.  The planning committee members urged the importance of this committee for the future of Tyndall. Persons interested in serving on this can contact her asap.
Marilyn reported briefly on the Marketing Workshop and how communities have begun to “brand ” themselves to claim a uniqueness about their  community that would attract business, shopping, and new residents.
Dave urged members to continue blogging and to recruit “commentors” and even more bloggers.  He had helpful suggestions throughout the meeting and has been a great help to our committees.

The next meeting will be May 13th - same time, same place!

The deadline to call for supper reservations ( we want to have enough food!!!) has been moved up to April 12, so call Mark at 589-3904 and tell him how many in your family are coming. You can reserve for your friends too.  Hope to see many of you…..if you can’t get there for supper, come to the meeting.  There will be good information for everyone.

The public policy committee has been working hard to get information out about tax breaks, programs already in place for low incomes and many of the social services contacts are listed in our Tyndall business and service directory, which is just about ready for distribution.