Bowdon, ND

One of the Focus Items that came out of the Group Decision Center Activity and the surveys Horizons sent out was ‘Improving our Senior Citizens Services’.  So we sent out a letter to the communities with the following info:

Some of the areas where they felt help would be needed/appreciated are:·       
Needing rides to Doctor/dentist/eye (medical) appointments·       
Needing rides to bigger towns to purchase items that can’t be purchased in Bowdon (such as clothes, hardware items, etc…)·       
Help with Spring & Fall Cleaning for someone who can no longer physically do it·       
Pick up and take them to the Bowdon Grocery store for weekly grocery shopping or pick up just their list and monies and do the grocery shopping for them here.·       
Give them a ride to their local hair appointment.·       
Assist them with their mailing needs by taking them to the Post Office or doing their Postal needs for them (mailing their packages, getting them stamps, etc…)·       
When activities are going on in town, provide transportation for them to and from the activity·       
Give them a ride to & from the café if they want to eat out - or if they want to order in, pick it up for them 
We have come up with a possible Volunteer program that could assist in all of these areas.  ·       
We would have a Volunteer Program Coordinator who would be a liaison between the person needing the service and the volunteer providing the service.·       
The Senior Citizens/Shut-ins would call the coordinator to let them know the needs they have.·       
Volunteers would call & let the coordinator know when they will be going to another town and would be willing to take someone to and from their medical appt. or when they would be willing to help transport with the local grocery shopping, hair appointments, activities, café·       
The organizer would contact the Senior Citizen of dates for them to make their medical appt.·       
If the Senior Citizen has a specific appt. where the date is set and can’t be changed, the coordinator would call someone on the list of Volunteer Providers to see if someone could help out.·       
If at all possible, the person needing the service should always schedule their appointments to meet the Volunteer Providers schedule. 

Carolyn Ondris is willing to be the Volunteer Program Coordinator as she is home most of the time.  Her phone # is 962-3020.  (Thank you Carolyn!!!) 
If you are a Senior Citizen/shut-in who could use these services, call Carolyn & let her know of your needs. 
If you are interested in being a Volunteer Provider, call Carolyn and let her know how you are willing to help out. 
If you have any questions/suggestions, please call me at 962-3697.   
Sincerely,

Pam Hoff, Volunteer Program Chairman

An idea that surfaced when the Bowdon Public School merged with Fessenden in 1997 was to build a commercial kitchen in the science room of the vacated school. It wasn’t until the Horizons program in Bowdon that the entire community has started to look at the real possiblilites of such a business in the community.

On February 4 at 4:30 Dennis Hahn of St. Cloud, MN will meet with the members of the school utilization committee to look at the possibilites of remodeling the 1958 built science room into a kitchen for use during community activities, cooking classes, rental to food entrepreneurs, and possible food processing business for the community of Bowdon. Dennis works with a Fargo based restaurant supply company in offering his expertise in commercial kitchen design.

On February 14 an informational meeting will take place with the stakeholders of the kitchen project. Bruce Smith from Glendive, Montana will come to Bowdon to share his expertise on commercial kitchens and food related business. Bruce has had past experience working for two major food companies and is presently a Montana State Extension worker helping eastern Montana establish a project in Glendive which includes a shared-use kitchen, micro-brewery, restaurant, and culinery school. Bruce has been to North Dakota in the past to share information at the state capitol with members of the Bowdon community and others around the state.

Details are being worked out for the workshop which at present will run from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the school building. Anyone interested in helping with the project, fruit and vegetable growers, present and future entrepreneurs, economic development personal, local government officials, etc. are welcome. The project fits into the strategic goal of developing business and jobs in the Bowdon-Chaseley-Heaton community. The project likely will involve persons from throughout the central part of the state.

Please call Patti Patrie at 962-3355 or 471-4748 with your interest.

The Bowdon Cafe is the hub of activity in Bowdon. When it was closed for weekends this past summer due to a shortage of cooks the residents of our community awoke to the fact that everyone is needed to support business in rural communities. For the Bowdon Cafe it was not the lack of customers but the need for committed workers.

Luckily Brian Tebelius persuaded his wife, Kathy, to work several days per week and because of a Horizons steering meeting where the need was presented, Cindy Hoff, offered to cook Fridays and share weekends. Brian knew he needed a place to eat when Kathy is away teaching art, attending college classes, or sharing her Bible School programs with children throughout the state. Kathy is a busy, multi-talented person who brings a great sense of humor and new recipes to work with her. Cindy’s talents are not to go unnoticed either as she ran the cafe several years before the present owners took over in 2002. Beside being a great cook, Cindy cares about the appearance of the cafe and upkeep that makes a visual difference to the customer.

Two remaining cooks who had been maintaining the balance of cooking with Judy Schlossnagle, whose resignation this summer caused the community’s alarm, are Freida Tebelius and Londa Neumiller. Freida manages the cafe’s kitchen and should be given a reward for working extra hours and refusing to let the owners completely close the cafe this summer. Londa works during the winter when she is not busy on the family farm. Freida is loved for the “cheese buttons” she makes as a special entree and Londa has gained a reputation as master baker, especially known for scrumptious cheesecakes. Both are wives of two present cafe owners.

The cafe has been owned by 10-12 community men since 2002. Each owner has contributed finances to the business on two occasions and know they will not receive any financial dividends from their generosity. Their rewards are knowing they will have a place to eat a hearty, home-cooked meal or just have coffee and a carmel roll with discussion on the latest agricultural pursuits.

Lately the owners have realized that the cafe not only meets their food and social needs but also those of singles and elderly in the community. Meals on Wheels is offered to people in Bowdon from the Sheridan-Wells Aging Council, but there still is a need to socialize while eating and the community is dedicated to meeting this need even if food delivery is required. (A separate strategy of Horizons is meeting the transportation, housekeeping, shopping,and delivery needs of the elderly in the community).

So on January 2 four of the Cafe owners and several BDCI board members met in the school building library to dialogue about the cafe, its future, and its meaning to the community. The number one concern of the cafe owners is to find more help, or to find someone who will take a full-time position. BDCI offered to help by advertising through its website and the “Bowdon Guardian”, supporting the idea of signature foods offered at the cafe; planning and installing decor; and looking at a possible remodel of the kitchen. Long-term goals were discussed and a future meeting of the group was suggested.

The dialogue was pertainent to the goal of “Supporting Local Business”. It’s hard for the community to see itself as growing and thriving when rural North Dakota is changing so fast. The 12 leaders who stepped out to buy and save the cafe 6 years ago responded to a need. Now they will become leaders in looking at the needs a small town and its rural components will have in the future. The January gathering was a recognition that both entities care very much for this community we call Bowdon-Chaseley-Heaton and want to work together to weather the changes of this world and look for opportunities for our community to thrive.

The Bowdon community through its Bowdon Development Center, Inc. sponsors a yearly calendar raffle where $4000 total is given to 61 winners–a daily prize from March 1-April 30. Winnings range from $50 to a high of $200 on holidays. 30 percent of the proceeds go to support a community project each year. This year the first $1000 will support the Bowdon Centennial Museum and Library. The museum received its second grant to renovate the museum from the State Historical Society. There will be new windows, doors, and the lowering of the stage to make more room for displays. The $1000 will help meet the matching funds needed for the grant. If all 600 tickets are sold the remaining $1400 in profits will support the Bowdon Locker and Grocery with new cooling equipment. The grocery is an intregal part of the community and Bowdon is so lucky still have a grocery when many small towns are loosing theirs. The number #1 goal in our list of nine strategic goals for reducing poverty and build on thriving communities is to support and patronize our local businesses. The remaining 70% of the proceeds will be used by BDCI for maintenance of the school and verious ongoing projects of the organization. Freida Tebelius is managing the dispersal of the ticket books. Any sellers or buyers may contact her at 962-3080. BDCI wishes to thank Myra Suckut and Linda Schander at the First International Bank and Trust for handling the finances of this project. THANK YOU!!!!!

Community Commentators
Bowdon’s Community Visioning process, the fourth step in the Horizons Program, which is sponsored by the Northwest Area Foundation, got off to a great start when participants were greeted by the usual North Dakota spread of good food when they walked into the Bowdon Auditorium on a recent Sunday evening.  Thirty-five people gathered to make comments on nine different categories that were an outgrowth of the paper survey that was sent to 220 households in the Bowdon-Heaton-Chaseley community.  From the 78 responses to the paper survey, the Group Decision Center  from NDSU created an interactive program to gather opinions, solutions, volunteers and more from the highly motivated, community-oriented participants. Laughter, a little frustration from the new-to-computers-crowd, and energy emanated around the room as we used the 35 laptops to answer questions, make comments, and make comments on others’ comments in the pursuit of a vision for our community.

At the completion of the evening, the Bowdon Horizons Steering Committee was given a complete overview of what our community views as important and actionable issues, along with practical solutions and ideas. In addition, many people volunteered to particpate in the implementation of the actions needed to realize the community’s vision.

In a meeting that followed soon after the Group Decision Center night, the Steering Committee and a few other volunteers met to distill the process into measureable goals with doable action steps. Those goals and actions are posted on the blog site. Just look in the column on the right hand side of the page to see them all.

Ready! Set! Go! Bowdon!

Recently, Patti Patrie and Laurel Jones attended a conference/workshop in Mandan, ND, under the auspices of Headstart that addressed the issues of poverty and moving from one economic level to another.

The workshop instructor, Monica Bein, mbein@tulsa-health.org from Oklahoma gave participants many personal anecdotes that illustrated the need to identify the “hidden rules” in any organization or group and to find ways to make experiences in accessing information and services user friendly.

Patti and Laurel purchased some books that are available at the Community Library and also received a workbook to accompany the books.

In the planning are workshops for the community to apply what Patti, Laurel, and Laurene Heintz–who attended an earlier conference on the same topic–have learned.

As a result of the Horizons Program, the new School Utilization Committee has set up the Bowdon Fitness Center in the south classroom attached to the Bowdon Auditorium.

There’s enough equipment available to rival Gold’s Gym or the Bismarck Y!!

To use the Center, all you have to do is contact Pam Hoff at dnphofs@daktel.com, sign a waiver of liability for insurance purposes, go through an orientation, pay the monthly $15.00 fee, get a key, and start your exercise engine!

The committee is grateful to all of the community members who have donated equipment and is looking for others of us who are using treadmills and other such items as middle-of-the-room clothes closets.

BDCI is also considering a scholarship program for those unable to afford the monthly fee.

All right, you guys, let’s get fit!

Beginning on January 8, Bowdon residents began computer classes at the Tech Center in the school under the instruction of retired library media teacher, Laurel Jones. The classes are free to the public and are an outgrowth of the Horizons Program.
Under the auspices of Bowdon Development Center, Incorporated (BDCI) and the Bowdon Centennial Museum and Library, the former school library has been turned into a community lending library and a technical center with six computers that have high-speed internet access. The computers came from the Fessenden-Bowdon School after they upgraded their technical system. In addition, several community members have donated monitors and other peripherals.
The classes take place once a week on Tuesday evening at 7:00 with a repeat on Wednesday at 1:00. The students are easily able to follow the teacher’s instructions because she uses an LCD projector that is on loan from the NDSU Extension Service in Fessenden So far, students have learned internet skills and what’s in and on their computer.
Everyone’s welcome–just call Laurel at 3633 to make sure there’s room. Oh, and there will be no classes during the last week of January and the first two weeks of February, as the teacher is taking off!

About 40 people spent a fun-filled evening at the Bowdon Community Center heralding in the New Year with music, food, games, and good conversation. This event was sponsored as a Horizons activity, giving members of the community a free way to celebrate and build relationships.
Ages ranged from pre-school to some very venerable senior citizens, all of whom reported having a good time.
The festivities started with a wonderful pot-luck spread that included some exotic foods–seaweed, kimchi–as well as the standard North Dakota hotdishes and everything in between. No one went away hungry. Accompanying supper was music from the CD of Richard Bruer’s bluegrass friends from this fall.
After we were all well fed, the games began. Sequence, Social Security, dominoes, and cards were played across the age spectrum, but the players were distracted by the raucous, rowdy crew that played first Taboo and then Rigamarole.
As the midnight hour approached, a little disagreement arose about the exact time, so the crowd loudly sang “Auld Lang Syne” twice, just to be sure.
The organizing committee was very happy with the attendance and looks forward to providing safe, lowcost, no travel fun for the whole community next New Year.