Tyndall, SD

Tyndall Horizons Planning Committee will meet with Dave Olson on April 8th, Tuesday. We will meet at the Cavalier Corner and will have a light lunch prior to the meeting at 7 pm. Two topics have been added to the agenda: we will have a report about the Food Pantry from its director. Also, there will be the topic of daycare discussed. Seems Tyndall is having a baby boom, and we have some of our daycare providers either retiring or choosing not to provide daycare anymore in the near future. There are some ideas and it looks like the city is just as concerned about this as the new parents are, so partnering will again be in the forefront and since we have the new non-profit status at the Cavalier Corner….well, just imagine!! Anybody up for running a daycare????

This Saturday, April 5 join us at the Open House at the Bargain Shoppe in Tyndall!  We will be open from 10-5 and serving up some great bargains. We are now taking spring and summer items-all must be clean and in working order.  Make an appointment to drop off or stop by when open.  589-3955.  Run by ALL VOLUNTEERS, the Bargain Shoppe is an example of people leading the way, sustained by interested shoppers and volunteers.  If anything, it will outgrow its current location, as it will only improve.  It has shown to be a needed shop in town. Also, all monies are donated back into the community after expenses.  Stop by!

After almost 7 months of waiting, Cavalier Corner has obtained its tax exempt status!  The formal letter from the IRS came on Thursday to inform the board that our application had been approved under section 501(c)(3).  A special thank you goes to Lisa Rothschadl for her hard work in getting all of the paper work filled out and filed.

The structural changes I have noticed in the last year in Tyndall is 5 new businesses on Main Street.  We have added a new cafe, 2 businesses which sell memorials, a resale shop and a youth center.  These new businesses deal with a wide scope of people from senior citizens to youth and allow for the people of the community to stay in town for their needs.

How has community leadership expanded since we began Horizons and are more people in the community involved in leadership positions? These are some questions we have been asked to address and we would like some comments from all out there!

Are we training new leaders ? There is a project being researched right now about teaching LeadershipPlenty to our juniors and seniors at Bon Homme High School. I can tell you that this would not be happening at all if we had not participated in the Horizons project. We have certified leadership trainers now in our community that are able to do this. Do you think this is a good idea? Post your comments and tell us what you think.

I recently attended the workshop in Tripp covering entrepreneurship and economic development, facilitated by Horizon’s Carla Trautman and Keri Freuchte. The speakers were from the SDSU economics department-Dr. Larry Swain ( entrepreneur) and Dr. Jerry Warmann ( Economics Department). Dr. Swain talked about co-ops, co-ordinating with other communities on an idea for enterprise, and combining businesses ( partnerships ! ) We have heard a lot about partnerships in our months of Horizons meetings. It is important! And we found out that we already partner alot already when we were not even aware of it! ( For example, some businesses partner on advertising ) Are we partnering with low incomes in mind? Yes-Tyndall is leading the way as our new youth center and the bargain shoppe are partners with success. What other ways can you think of that we are partnering with poverty issues in mind. Comment here at this posting!

Members of our planning team met with our coach Dave Olson on Jan. 8 and reported the progress of our seven goals we chose to work on for the improvement of Tyndall. He had lots of good ideas and new information on workshops coming up that will help us. Watch for them in the Tyndall Tribune.

Our seven goals are: To create a community foundation, to develop the Tyndall Bargain Shoppe, to influence public policy in SD to reduce poverty, to develop and maintain the Tyndall website- tyndallsd.com, to develop the Cavalier Corner Youth Center, to determine the feasiblility of hiring a community coordinator, to provide a LeadershipPlenty program for High School Students.

Lots to work on? You bet. The committees are working hard, even though all members have jobs and lots on their plates.

The Cavalier Corner is doing well and the students are enjoying the facilities. Ask about renting the space for a party. The board is working hard to secure more funding.

The Bargain Shoppe is doing well, also, with an all volunteer staff-that is incredible. The store is clean and well displayed, and donations continue to come in. They could use more infants and childrens clothing-clean and in good condition. Getting the word out is the key now. They can also use more volunteers to work on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

The public policy committee has been compiling information that will be of benefit to those needing food and housing assistance. Be looking for that.

The community foundation committee has presented a “round - up plan” to the city council and the city staff is checking into that-some software issues right now but it looks good. ( Watch for press releases on that too)

The community coordinator committee has some objectives to work on. They will be doing a feasibility study. This is not something you just jump into. It is working in some of our Horizons towns so it is possible.

The website committee is also working hard. Almost all of the pages have been designed and will soon be online.  You can check the progress now by going to www.tyndallsd.com.

We need and can use your comments on these goals. Is Tyndall on the right track? Just go to the bottom of this post and click on comments and sign in. It’s harmless!

Since Horizons began, it seems like more people in the community are aware of the need to help those who are disadvantaged, especially now during the holidays.There already is an existing culture here in Tyndall of helping those who need help, but sometimes there are a few who slip through the cracks and don’t know where to go for assistance.  The establishment of the Bargain Shoppe, for an example, is one big way to provide assistance for those who need to spend less, and also for those who just want a good bargain.  Right now, the Shoppe committee is working on getting the word out.  A flag has been placed by the door to alert people that they are open for business and also an ad and flyers have gone out to the communities surrounding. Now the goal is to get the word out farther.   I think this new endeavor is a huge commitment by the Horizons volunteers who started it and with the support of the Cavalier Corner and the City of Tyndall it will help reduce poverty in our area and show that we mean business. What do you think? Let us know.

If  you are reading the Tyndall blog site for the first time, welcome!!!   An article about the blog will appear in the Wednesday, Dec. 5 issue of the Tyndall Tribune & Register detailing the blog and how to use it.   I would encourage anyone who has not done so, to go to the Armour blog site and read what one person posted about leadership, Horizons,  and how customer service  is related to it.  During the holidays, our small communities need to practice great customer service, because the big box stores cannot brag about customer service!

One of our questions we are to address is ” in what ways has this community’s knowledge about leadership changed? How do you know?” Personally, I think those who participated in the Horizon process are recognizing leadership qualities about themselves and others when they might not have paid much attention to it before. It is recognizable in a heartbeat.  We can see it in the volunteers who have come forward and signed up to volunteer either at the Cavalier Corner or at the Bargain Shoppe so that it can get ” off the ground.” I am sure there are other areas in which volunteers have stepped forward quietly to lend a hand.   Do you have ideas on how to improve and how to involve the younger generation more?   If you have thoughts on this give us a comment back!

Parents and patrons of school districts  are urged to talk to your legislators to fight for your schools.  A time to visit with the Dist. 19 legislators will be at a regional meeting set for Tuesday, Nov. 13 at 7 P.M. in the Tripp school auditorium.  Everyone is encouraged to talk with Senator Frank Kloucek, Representative Gary Jerke and Representative Jim Putnam and voice your concerns on education funding and ask them to fight for your schools.