Philip, SD

Eighteen people in two separate classes successfully completed the 13-week Financial Peace University.  Financial Peace kits were purchased with some Horizons funds and provided to community members free of charge.  (Materials and a spot in an FPU class typically ranges from $125 - $150!)

Classes covered such topics as Cash Flow Planning, Dumping Debt, Relating With Money, Understanding Insurance, Real Estate and Mortgages, Understanding Investment, Retirement and College Planning and many other subjects. 

During the thirteen-week period, participants kept track of credit card enticements that totaled over $600,000.  Class members also kept track of the total money they saved and the total amount of debt they paid off.

In just thirteen weeks, the two classes put nearly $16,000 in savings accounts and paid off just over $24,000!! 

One of Dave Ramsey’s (Financial Peace University founder)  joys in life is to cut up credit cards and several people did so.  This was a monumental moment for a few of our class members!

Here are a few anonymous comments from FPU grads:

“Just know that I look forward to being out of debt sooner than I ever realized possible!”

“I had no idea I could become debt free AND build wealth on the salaries we currently make!  No need to pray for a lottery win anymore….now it’s all about putting our noses to the grindstone and telling our money what to do!”

“It amazes me how much I learned about insurance - I feel so much better knowing what products I should buy and what products aren’t for me.”

“This entire program has been a blessing to our lives!  Thank you!  I’m going to tell everyone I see about it!”

Thank you to Roger and First National Bank for providing a location for our Tuesday night class!  Thank you to the Senechal for opening your doors to our Monday night class!  We ALL appreciate it!

A fall class (beginning near the end of August) is planned.  Space is VERY limited - if you are interested, let Britni know right away! 

Thoughts from Event Coordinator Christine Andrus:

We all were so happy with the way the Farmers Market turned out and are eagerly anticipating next week and beyond.

The vendors agreed that this first market was as an opportunity to learn what to bring next week as much as it is was a sales event. Many vendors sold out of their wares in the first hour and a half due to the great turnout and support of the community but also in part to the slim pickings of ripe produce. We will all be watching and waiting for our gardens to turn out more and more fresh vegetables. The season is just begining so there is plenty more to come.

The craft vendors also did very well. There will be some very creative work going on this week to resupply their booths! A big hit was the High School German Club’s baked goods and snowcone stand.  They were thrilled with the results of their fundraising efforts and look to be that much closer to their trip to Europe.

Another big winner were the downtown businesses. Businesses showed an marked improvement in traffic and sales compared to a usual Saturday according  to the owners who came to the market and spoke to us.  That’s great news as it has always been the goal of the Farmers Market to increase traffic and attract people to the downtown area on an otherwise slower day. 

Overall, we anticipate the event to grow in coming weeks and look forward to new vendors and different types of goods to keep things fresh and different. We hope the community will continue to support the Market and keep coming to see what is new and fresh and local.

A large crowd turned out for a fun afternoon!

SAVE THE DATE (Specifics will follow, but please mark your calendar for now!)

Monday, July 14th, 2008

YOU are invited to promote all the wonderful things your organization is involved in that promote our community. Please bring a sign (poster board) listing all the events, contributions, talents, etc. that your organization has that strengthen our community through volunteerism. Your posters will be displayed at the Fire Hall. This event is hosted by Horizons and will include an ice cream social at the Fire Hall Park to celebration our Horizons graduation!

Our goal is to emphasize how important your role is in our community and to encourage more people to join in your organizations efforts. Additionally, we hope that we can encourage community partnerships between individuals and organizations that are working on similar projects. Basically, we are encouraging the community to strengthen your power to make a difference by working together.

Lastly, all organizations that participate will have an opportunity to possibly receive a Sharing Community Spirit monetary award to be put toward one of your ongoing community betterment projects or a new project that your organization has wanted to do, but just needed a little extra encouragement for - It’s a lottery! All we ask is for your organization’s participation for this night where the focus is on fun and happiness derived from service to the community.

Please encourage your organization’s members, friends and family to come and please bring your lawn chairs! We hope you will help us spread the word about this event, and we look forward to seeing you there! Thank you again for the contributions you make to the quality of life we have here in Philip through arts and culture, education, community betterment, human services and economic development.

For the final round, let’s do something just a little bit different.

Respond to this post with your top three “wishes” for Philip - those things that affect you directly, those things that you feel passionate about, those things that you believe would improve life here in our community.  Let’s just end up with a big list of things we can work on and dream toward.  Be specific - lay it out there!  Nothing is impossible!

Let’s leave this round open for a little longer than normal.  Comments received by May 26th, 9pm will be entered in a drawing for $100!

Winding down with the winnings, winding up with enthusiasm!

What is our plan for maintaining strong community leadership?   

Comments received by Thursday night, 8pm, will be entered in the drawing for $100!

Dan Oedekoven will be in Philip on May 21 to meet with the members of the different action committees. The meeting will start at 6:30 and be held in the Conference Room at the Philip Hospital. All team members, please be there as this might be the last time Dan meets with us.

Members of the Philip COMMUNITY MARKETING ACTION TEAM will hold a second meeting on April 14th at 6:30pm at Glenn’s office. A lot of good ideas crossed the table as the group was very enthusiastic after taking part in the “Marketing Your Community” Seminar.

Here are the details just for reference:

Monday Night class begins April 7th at 6:30pm at the Senechal Lobby. 

Tuesday Night class begins April 8th at 6:30pm at First National Bank.  (Enter through the agency - class will be held in the bank conference room).

Just a note - the Tuesday night class is full, but we can still squeeze a few into the Monday night class.  Materials are on hand, so if you’d like to register for Monday - there is still time!   We have 3 names on the waiting list for the fall class.  If you are interested in that class, please let me know.  We don’t have an exact start time for the fall class, but we will start it early enough so that it ends well before the holidays get into full swing.

The Daycare Action Team will hold their next meeting on April 1, 2008 from 12:15pm-12:45pm at the Hospital Conference Room.

Bad weather kept a few people away from the marketing seminar held in Philip on March 26th, but twenty-five hardy souls braved the conditions to hear Dr. Milan Wall talk about “branding your community”. After a delicious meal, people from Murdo, Mission, Whitewood, Faith, Parmalee and Philip listened attentively to what Dr. Wall had to say and then spent time working on some questions and answers about their respective communities. Also in attendance were Kari, Carolyn, Dan and Dave Adrian from the USDA.

Did you miss the community-wide meeting Tuesday night? If you’d like to work with others in the community on building a new library, there is always time to join one of the committees.

The committees are:

Funding

Budget

Services

Technology

Building

Contact Alison at the library, 859-2442, for more information or to list your name on a committee.

Six study circles - four in Philip, one in Milesville and one in Midland - began meeting February 28th. Each group met for three weeks. Last night, seventy concerned citizens attended a community-wide meeting at the grade school gym to learn the outcome of those study circles.

At the first week’s study circle, each group discussed the current library, its services and the assets and challenges of the library’s current location. They also talked about ways to improve it now so as to better serve the needs of Haakon County. The groups also discussed their vision for library services in the county. This included everything from size and appearance to available technology and programs offered by the library.

During the second meeting, the groups studied and critiqued their vision. Participants discussed pros and cons to the group’s vision and how to promote the vision to the community.

The final meeting had each group brainstorming on how to move their vision into action. Specifically, they talked about how to raise funds and gather community support for a future library.

Tuesday night, the groups shared with the community all their ideas and topics gone over during the study circles. Alison, our librarian, reminded the listeners, ‘No matter how you feel about any of the ideas shared tonight, please remember that this is your community. Not any one person or group can choose the best course of action for a community’s library. This must begin on a community level with the community’s support. Embarking on the journey to build a new library will not be easy by any means which is why you need each other’s support as a community.’

Members of the Philip COMMUNITY MARKETING ACTION TEAM will meet April 7th at 6:30pm at THE STEAKHOUSE.

A free seminar on Affordable Housing was held in Kadoka at Jigger’s Restaurant on February 25, 2008. Individuals represented several communities to learn about issues and possible solutions regarding housing situations in rural South Dakota.

A representative of the Rural Housing Collaborative in Howard gave a presentation titled “Flipping the Switch – Why We Need to Rethink Rural Housing”. After summarizing the research findings, Rita discussed how rural communities need to come together as a whole village and “swim together” to solve complicated issues.

She provided a link with some interesting information: www.rethinkruralhousing.com. They also hope this site will become a useful tool to help communities avoid reinventing the wheel.

After a short break, we heard from an informed panel of speakers on various services and programs available to western South Dakota.

Marlene Knutson, executive director of the South Dakota Central Enhancement District shared her experiences with a successful house project in Lemmon when she was the Economic Development Coordinator there. She also discussed the Governor’s House program.

Mark Lauseng, executive director of the South Dakota Housing Authority, expanded on the Governor’s House program. The current price for a 1008 square foot home (delivered) is $33,000. He also discussed several different programs that assist low and moderate-income individuals/families obtain quality housing. Below-market interest rates, home improvement loans, down payment programs and the Governor’s House program are all programs that can help South Dakotans become homeowners. More information can be found at www.sdhda.org.

Joy McCracken, executive director of Neighborhood Housing Services of the Black Hills, discussed several interesting programs in their “Campaign for Home Ownership”. Some of those programs are Plant the Town, Paint the Town, Revolving Loan Funds and Block Clubs. They also offer many different education classes including homebuyer education courses, post-purchase classes which provide how-to and hands-on maintenance courses, and credit counseling to educate participants on living within their means. This organization originally began to benefit Black Hills communities, but now reaches most of western South Dakota. A plethora of information can be found at www.nhsblackhills.org.

Connie Gerard, rural development specialist with the USDA Rural Development Rural Housing Service, gave information on some different loan and grant programs. The 504 Home Repair Loan and Grant Program assists eligible, very low income home owners with repairs to their home. The Direct 502 Home Ownership Loan Program provides loans to low and very low income families to purchase an existing home, build a new home, purchase a new manufactured home from an approved dealer/contractor, or purchase and set up a Governor’s House. The Guaranteed Rural Housing Loan Program guarantees loans made by private lenders which allow eligible applicants to purchase a new or an existing home. All of these programs can be seen at www.rurdev.usda.gov/sd.

Finally, a representative of the New Underwood area talked about ways they developed housing and attracted individuals to their town by becoming a bedroom community to Rapid City. Brett had many interesting things to say and had words of wisdom on how things could be accomplished more easily than when they took on their first project.

The meeting ended with wide discussion on the problems facing several of the represented communities. While all the communities face the housing crisis, each situation is very unique and will require completely different procedures. It was reiterated that the housing problem could not be solved immediately, but that it would take lots of hard work and dedication to completing one project at a time.

Those representing Philip at the seminar were Kent Olson, Shirley Chin, Michelle Butler and Britni Ross.

On the evening of January 14th, the Visioning Committee presented to members of the community Philip’s Strategic Plan. A good crowd was on hand to hear Kent Olson talk about the goals we’ve chosen to work on for the improvement of Philip. Dan Oedekoven & Kari Fruechte were on hand to celebrate with us and to tell us what we can look forward to in the meetings coming up.

Philip will be a community that continues to grow in population and resources through the 21st century.  The western values of the area will result in residents and newcomers alike wanting to stay in our vibrant and viable community to raise future generations.

Philip residents will know and care for each other with a wealth of resources and educational opportunities and will do so for all stages of life.

Parents will be assured of the physical well-being and educational growth of their children.  Families will rest easy at night in safe, affordable housing within the community.

Gainful employment will be available for all who wish to work.

Philip will continue its regional leadership while building relationships across the trade area.

Philip will witness and support the ongoing creation of new and innovative businesses and community infrastructure that result in community growth and prosperity.

Philip’s Horizon Group is having their Strategic Planning Celebration Supper at The Steakhouse on Monday, January 14, at 6:30pm.  The supper is free and everyone is welcome. 

The dictionary defines poverty as “the state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions”.

After attending the Study Circles and the LeadershipPlenty training sessions,  members of Philip’s Horizons group see poverty in a different way:  lack of sufficient day care (the four in our community all have waiting lists),  absence of nice affordable housing in the community (there is little or none),  a crowded, inadequate library (it’s been that way since 1964),  a better way to communicate community events (a strong gust of wind will blow the sign over that is placed at the intersection of Center & Pine),  a sports complex that needs to be improved and enlarged (Philip would no longer have to travel to Kadoka to hold their own track meet),  and a lack of marketing of Philip as a great place to live & raise a family.

Philip is fortunate in many ways:  we have a main street that is flourishing, a great school system, a medical complex (new up-to-date hospital, dentist, chiropractor, eye care center, physical therapy center, nursing home, assisted-living center and ambulance service) that services many area communities,  five major ag-related businesses that also serve a wide area and a manufacturing concern that is a world leader in its field.   Philip is wealthy in that it is a community that cares about its members and its future.

With determination and hard work, we hope to change some of what we see as poverty.

Give us time, kids. Give us time.   Earlier,  second graders gave us some ideas of what they thought Philip needed:  a dirt track,  a NASCAR track and a castle.   Who knows?   Anything is possible if we work hard at it.

The following is posted on behalf of Tanya McIlravy. Anyone got ideas or suggestions?

The conservation district board recently voted to remove any further development of the outdoor classroom area at the school from their plan of work, including commissioning a new design plan for the area. They had been setting aside money each year in an account to fund the design plan, but are now unwilling to head up or maintain anything else concerning the project site.

Is there a committee that is part of the Horizons program that may be willing to take on this project? The board stated they would consider funding the planning if an outside group emerged to take on the project itself, especially maintenance. The project proposal included replacing the steps and adding other trails (a part of the larger trails project I proposed several years ago to the various groups in the area that Shirley had been working on, including the city’s efforts to put in sidewalk along 73). However, other parts of the master plan include interpretive exhibits and educational/hands-on exhibits that were selected by the teachers and students during brainstorming sessions, as well as seeking out funds and personnel to create a site-specific, grade-specific curriculum for the site. Additional brainstorming with the higher grades, as well as follow ups with the elementary teachers will be necessary before planning, to be sure our ideas correspond to current classroom needs.

The board’s biggest concern seemed to be maintenance, and they also did not believe that the community supports this project, that only a few teachers use what is already offered and that is sufficient. I know that is not the case, both from my previous work with various groups in effort to establish a support base for the project in the beginning, as well as contacts with various people around the community and information on who has been using the site, etc. As far as maintenance, the two items in place, the living classroom and the butterfly garden, are by far the most maintenance intensive items planned for the site. The board is going to continue maintaining them, so the only maintenance needed by others would be based on what is added to the site.

I have done lots of research into how to design the site so that maintenance is minimal. I also know that design is crucial to controlling amount of maintenance. And, there will be no maintenance involved if nothing is installed, which translates to not making changes until a plan is in place for either a particular section/exhibit, or for the whole area.

Basically, what is needed now is a group to accept this project as its own, and move forward with brainstorming and design. I had asked the school board if they could form an ad hoc committee for this and they declined. The horizons group was my next choice, as there are already groups formed, and many of the organizations and people that supported this project are involved in horizons. I don’t believe any of the current groups that support this project would be able to take this on, and I am not sure if they would want to create an ad hoc committee that included non-members.

I hope you and the other members of the Horizons project are supportive of the outdoor classroom project. Please let me know if you have any interest in taking on this project, and if you have any questions. I am willing to be a part of making this project a success.

Tuesday night, December 11th, the Haakon County Public Library entertained 19 youngsters and 12 adults. The evening started off with Alison K., our librarian, reading THE POLAR EXPRESS (Chris Van Allsburg) to a very attentive audience.

Then Marianne F. entertained the group with music and story books. The children danced with sticks to WE GOT THE BEAT and even some of the adults kicked up their heels to JUMP JIM JOE.

The children learned about typewriters from CLICK, CLACK, MOO: COWS THAT TYPE (Doreen Cronin & Betsy Lewin). They also learned what SNOWMEN AT NIGHT (Caralyn & Mark Buehner) do.

Hot chocolate and muffins were served as refreshments. Thank you to all the women who helped to entertain that night.

Sierra says…

BENEFITS

The SilverLeaf (Assisted Living Center)

Physical Therapy

Hospital

Chiropractor

THINGS THAT NEED TO CHANGE

“Build a sports complex on the empty lot by the baseball fields.”

“Plant grass or build a rec center on the ‘dust bowl’”.

Thank you Sierra!

In 1994, a group of women started brainstorming on how they could make Philip a better place to live. That original group of eight now numbers fifty-four. Nowadays, their projects are just as numerous.

They began with Art in the Park for local talent with the ladies serving brats, hot dogs and root beer floats and haven’t stopped since.

Other projects include assisting in refurbishing the Memorial Field sign and the landscaping in front of the sign, selling t-shirts with the Philip logo, purchasing ‘Welcome to Philip’ banners & Christmas banners for the downtown area, helping the city to purchase Christmas decorations for downtown, purchasing large flowerpots for downtown and caring for the plants during the spring & summer, holding an annual blood drive, giving to the Ministerial Association to help people in need and many, many more.

Their largest project was the Fire Hall Park. They were involved in landscaping, seeding, installing a sprinkler system and a covered picnic area. They continue the upkeep on the Park.

They give ‘Good As Gold Awards’ and ‘Kids Who Care Awards’ to individuals in the community.

Their biggest fund raiser and the project that truly identifies them is the ‘Birthday Ladies’ with several hundred birthday songs having been sung by them through the years. For a fee, they will travel around town and serenade individuals celebrating birthdays. They wear hats that fit the season and sometimes appear in black hats and veils should you be reaching an important milestone of life.

The goal of the organization is to do everything that is necessary to make Philip A Better Place To Live.

Grace says…

ASSETS

“The Kiddy Park is an asset because it is a nice place for kids to play.”

“The swimming pool is an asset because it is a good place for adults and kids to spend time in the summer.”

“The hospital is an asset because it is nice to not have to go far to see a doctor if you are sick or hurt.”

“The library is an asset because it is nice to go find a book or research on the computer.”

“The movie theater is an asset because it is nice to go watch a movie on a weekend and not have to go to Rapid City.”

IT WOULD BE NICE IF…

“…we had a place to spend time like an arcade or a fitness center to go and work out at.” (Perhaps this vacant building.)

“…we had a more roomy library so you could read there or have a place for more new books.”

“…we had a sidewalk on the school hill so we wouldn’t have to walk in the street or in the mud.”

Thank you Grace!

Jeb says…

ASSETS

“Picture one is of the Fire Hall Park. It is very well kept and is a nice place to have a picnic with your family.”

“Picture two is of the elementary playground. It has all new stuff that is better and safer than the old stuff.”

“Picture three is of the Kiddie Park. It is fun for all children. I enjoy taking my niece to the park.”

“Picture four is the swimming pool, which is fun for all ages and everyone enjoys it.”

THINGS THAT COULD BE CHANGED

“Picture five is of the football field. It needs to be ripped up and redone.”

“Picture six is of the ‘dust bowl’. It needs to be ripped up and grass needs to be planted.”

“Picture seven is of the softball field. The bleachers need to be painted and the concessions stand should be redone.”

THANK YOU JEB!

Tate says….

“The football field needs to somehow be fixed up. It would be nice if the bare spots had grass.”

“Not very many towns have a Kiddie Park as nice as this one!”

“This is the old museum. I think they should do something with this building. Either reopen it or put it to use in some other way.”

“Not very many towns have a movie theater!” (This is Philip’s very own Gem Theater!)

“Very few towns have as nice of a hospital and nursing home as we do!”

Thank you Tate!!!

We asked Mrs. O’Connor (English teacher) to help us out with a project for Visioning. She and Kelly came up with an assignment that she gave to the Junior class. We asked them to take 6-8 photos: a few of those being of things they liked about our community and a few of those being of things they thought need to be improved. With the photos, we asked that they give a little write-up about why they chose the things they did.

We’ve got lots of pictures to scan in and share - so I’m hoping to be able to post at least one student’s work per day. Bear with me. Scanning photos is not my favorite thing to do (wink) and I need to enhance several of them. The new digital technology sure makes the photos taken with disposable cameras look less than desirable!

So - THANK YOU Mrs. O’Connor and the Junior Class at PHS. We appreciate and value your input and dedication to the Horizons project!

My name is Michelle and I’m learning how to blog. We have a good teacher, so we should do well!

My name is Karen R.   I am a third grade teacher and I’ll be writing blogs for the elementary children.