Presho, SD

Presho’s newly operational Senior Meals program, made possible through the Rural of Community Services, came about as a direct result of the work being done in the local Horizons project. At the Horizons meeting held at the Lyman school gym last fall everyone was given the opportunity to be on a committee to address various needs in our community. The need for this type of services in Presho and Kennebec was identified during the study group meetings, an earlier phase of Horizons. Betty Jean Mertens signed up to head the committee on a Senior Meals program and she was proactive in getting that committee together, seeking information from ROCS about how Senior Meals works, introducing the concept to the city councils of Kennebec and Presho, and ultimately, with the enthusiastic response from the communities, resulting in the currant success. We are now serving congregate meals at the two locations to 20 - 30 people weekdays as well as several home deliveries. Helping seniors in our communities stay in their own homes as long as possible by supportive services was the goal identified in our study circles and acted on. Other supportive Horizons projects currently being addressed include providing needed transportation for Dr. or Hospital visits or shopping in larger towns, and a thrift store.

The Presho Horizons Project will hold an alumni gathering Sunday, January 27 at 3:30 pm  at the Presho American Lutheran Church.  All attending will receive a coupon good for a free meal at the Presho United Methodist annual soup supper which starts serving at 5 pm courtesy of the Presho Horizons Project.

All Horizons alumni, those who participated in the study circles, LeadershipPlenty training, and visioning committee, along with anyone interested in learning more about the goals of the Presho Horizons Project are encouraged to attend this gathering.  

Several committee updates will be presented including the senior meals, thrift store, and the results of the ‘change’ Presho survey. 

In a recent survey Presho increased its knowledge of leadership in the community.  The survey shows that 57.1% of Presho’s LP participants felt they had increased their leadership skills and that 58.6% of this increase was due to participating in the LP study.

According to the survey 71.4% of Presho participants intend to use their leadership skills to work on poverty reduction.  The same percentage of respondents reported that they intended to involve more people in community decision-making.

The Horizons project has helped Presho to address or change poverty in their community as shown by 71.4% of respondents indicating that more people are aware of poverty in the community.  The survey shows that Presho participants showed an increase in leadership skills and abilities across all categories.

  Lyman County Herald September 12, 2007

By Lucy Halverson, Lyman County Herald  October 24, 2007

The Presho Horizons Project held a Visioning Kick Off event Monday, October 15 at the Presho United Methodist Church fellowship hall. Nearly 60 people of all ages enjoyed the free supper furnished by the Horizons Project and served by the Presho UMW. The people attending completed surveys regarding Presho and viewed a display of photos taken by area residents. The photos reflected the good and bad points of Presho according to the person taking the photos.

Dan Oedekoven of SDSU’s Cooperative Extension Service at Rapid City presented the demographics of Presho in regards to population and poverty.

Committee spokesmen reported on some of the issues and ideas that came from the study circles last spring. A city clean up was held, movies in the park were shown, and most currently a survey is being taken to see how many people in Presho and area towns would be interested in receiving meals for seniors and rural transportation.
LeadershipPlenty certificates of completion were presented to those who graduated from the Presho program.

Based on completed surveys, both the written and the camera survey, and comments received at the Visioning Kick Off. The following items were deemed important to how people would like to see Presho in the future; paved streets, housing, sidewalks, population increase, thriving business district, junk cleaned up, old buildings demolished, meals and transportation for elderly.

A Strategic Planning committee was formed of 10 to 12 volunteers who will meet over the next several weeks to write a plan for implementing these objectives into an action plan. Committee members include; Nicole Husman, Dawn Keyes, Brooke Smith, Michelle Lintvedt, Deb Smith, Teresa Shook, Owen Garnos, Angela Ehlers, Mandy Cole and Mike Sprenger. The plan will be presented to the community when completed. Watch for the date and time of the next community supper.

By Lucy Halverson, Lyman County Herald  October 10, 2007

The Presho Horizon project is conducting a survey to gain input regarding issues of importance to community members. The goal is to receive information from at least 15% of the city’s population.

The results of the completed surveys will be presented at a Community Visioning Kick Off event Monday, Oct. 15 at the Presho Methodist Church Hall. A free meal will be held at 6 pm followed by the presentation.

Drawings will be held for $25, $50 and $100 in chamber bucks. Must be present to win.
The Horizon Project will conclude in August of 2008 at which time the Presho Horizons group will receive the remander of their $10,000 grant from the Northwestern Area Foundation.

Horizons is a 18-month community leadership program aimed at reducing poverty in small rural communities (population less than 5,000). Funded by the Northwest Area Foundation of St. Paul, MN and partnered with South Dakota State University Cooperative Extension. 

By Lucy Halverson, Lyman County Herald  May 03, 2007
Over six weeks ago the community of Presho held a Horizons Project kick off event at Hutch’s Café. Nearly 50 people attended and many signed up to be part of a five-week study circle group.

Five study circles met weekly for the past five weeks to discuss different aspects of the community from what is being done currently to what needs to be done or offered to assure a good quality of life in Presho.

Now, the study circles will come together for the next step in the Horizons Project, an Action Forum.

All participants of the study circles, the facilitators, and other interested community members are invited to a free catered meal at the Presho gym Monday, May 8 at 6:30 p.m. Information gathered from various study circles will be on display for viewing. Following the meal a representative from each study circle will present the action ideas gleaned from their five-week session. The group will then decide how to implement the actions. Task groups may be organized or as Dan Oedekoven, SDSU Extension Service, stated, “Some actions may require the involvement of a government board or a leadership group such as a LeadershipPlenty group.”

Sign ups are now being taken for the upcoming Presho LeadershipPlenty class that will be given as part of the Horizons Project.

LeadershipPlenty is a program developed by the Pew partnership for civic change. It is designed to equip citizens with skills like effective communications, conflict management and partnership building that they can use to work together as community leaders and put into action positive change.

Tonya Ness and Gloria Schaefer, who attended LeadershipPlenty training at Rapid City in March, will be involved in teaching Presho’s LeadershipPlenty course along with other SDSU Extension staff members.

Plan to attend the Horizons Action Forum Monday, May 8 at the Presho gym to hear more about the upcoming LeadershipPlenty class and discover what actions the study circles recommend.

Presho is one of 23 communities in the state to be selected for the Horizons program, which is sponsored by the Northwest Area Foundation and SDSU Cooperative Extension Service.
 

By Lucy Halverson, Lyman County Herald  November 22, 2006

Presho is officially a part of the statewide Horizons project that kicked off last Wednesday, November 8, 2006 with an orientation in Pierre. Two community members, Jim Cole and Chris Zirpel attended the daylong session along with representatives from the other twenty-three communities that will take part in the project. The day was spent learning about the first segment of the project and planning for involvement from area citizens.

The first step in the two-year Horizons project will be gathering a wide variety of citizens from the area interested in contributing and listening in small group discussions around strengths and challenges in the community. Work on reducing poverty in the Presho area will be a major focus, with the goal of an action project at the end of the sessions. The group worked with John Fenner, from the National Study Circles Resource Center, to learn how to pull off successful discussions and move the groups to action. Further details about these “Study Groups” will be release in the near future.

Participants in the orientation shared many ideas with other communities and started to plan ways to pull residents together for the biggest impact. Involvement from all ages, genders, income levels, occupations and interests will be needed to make the project the best possible experience for the community. The direction of the project will be determined by the active community participants, and guided by the coordinators from the SDSU Cooperative Extension Service.

Watch for more information coming frequently, and contact Angela Ehlers for more information on getting involved. The Horizons project is funded by the Northwest Area Foundation of St. Paul, MN, and delivered by the SDSU Cooperative Extension Service.