OZARK OPPORTUNITIES, INC.
701 E. PROSPECT P.O. BOX 1400 HARRISON, ARKANSAS 72602 (870) 741-9406 FAX: (870) 741-0924
This agency is in compliance with Titles VI and VII Civil Rights Act “Equal Opportunity Employer”
www.ozarkopp.org
Agency Progress Report Report for October 2019 Board of Directors and Stakeholders
I. Chief Executive Officer Update:
Agency Finances are (still) going well. We have no issues with making payments to
vendors on time, and cash flow is not limited due to access to funds.
We have received all regular funding from all sources.
We are still completing projects and purchasing items listed in our HS/EHS One
Time Funds grant. We have completed several additional much-needed
improvements at the centers, have replaced aging technology, and are looking
forward to additional classroom materials and updates in the near future.
OOI Finance Stoplight; Green= ALL GOOD!
Mr. Jim Sprott, our “Private
Sector” Board of Directors
Member for Boone County was
recognized on October 9th as one
of this year’s John Paul
Hammerschmidt Men of
Distinction!
Congratulations!!!
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II. Community Services Rebecca Hanlin; Community Services Manager
1. Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program:
The Summer 2019 Energy Assistance Program (both Non-Emergency and Crisis) closed to
the public on Monday, September 30, 2019.
Final utility checks were written October 16, 2019.
2. Community Services Block Grant (CSBG):
September 11, 2019 State CSBG monitors conducted an extensive review of our agency. This
was a full review of our agency with eight areas they scrutinized; Organizational Standards,
Financial/Personnel, Payroll and Travel, Procurement, Property Management, Board,
Performance Management, Client Files. Due to time constraints Beverly and her team took a
lot of information back with them to conduct a “desk audit” of materials they were not able to
review while at our office.
October 14, 2019 CSBG Monitors contacted OOI and conducted an exit interview regarding
their review of our agency that began September 11th. There were no findings in seven of the
eight categories reviewed. Two findings were identified in the Board section; two vacancies
exceeding 90 days for a public elected official in Boone County and a private sector
representative for Baxter County. We are currently recruiting and expect to have the
vacancies filled by the November OOI Board of Directors Meeting.
Non-Emergency Assistance Counties Received Approved $ Pending Denied
Baxter 625 560 $64,153 0 65
Boone 660 607 $69,339 0 53
Marion 311 276 $32,480 0 35
Newton 196 172 $20,011 0 24
Searcy 211 185 $20,765 0 26
Van Buren 302 251 $29,546 0 51
Total 2,305 2,051 $236,294 0 254
Emergency Assistance Counties Received Approved $ Pending Denied
Baxter 102 90 $17,212.01 0 12
Boone 146 118 $18,238.30 0 28
Marion 61 52 $10,077.71 0 9
Newton 32 23 $3,667.33 0 9
Searcy 13 12 $1,466.66 0 1
Van Buren 45 35 $5,578.52 0 10
Total 399 330 $56,240.53 0 69
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A Funding Announcement for 2019 CSBG Discretionary Funds was made August 27, the
application was due and submitted by the September 27th deadline. To date we’ve received
notification that our application request was received but no results have been provided.
The CSBG Fourth quarter, and program year, ended September 30, 2019. The quarter report
is due to the State by October 30, 2019.
3. Vehicle Repair Loan Program:
Current balance is $4,383.08. $500 maximum loan amount.
Current outstanding funds are $1,965.50.
Loan must be repaid within one year. Income eligibility is
200% federal poverty level.
From the start of the program we’ve had 15 individuals receive a loan;
We have had one new loan since last reporting.
o Six are paid in full. Two are in the repayment process.
o Five are delinquent, collection efforts being made. Two are in default.
We are working with Community Partners to spread the word about this program. Partners
must be willing to sign a referral letter and help with contacting approved clients if they
default on the loan.
4. HOPE Revolving Loan Fund:
Ozark Opportunities, Inc. administers an interest-free micro loan program through the Housing
Opportunities Partnership Exchange (HOPE 501(c)3) that is intended to assist homeless
individuals/families with the upfront costs such as rent deposits, rent payments and/or utility
deposits when establishing a home.
Activity from September through October 12 includes:
o No new clients were processed. No new payments received.
o Revolving loan account current balance is $1,388.56. 13 letters were sent to clients
who have become delinquent on loans; 3 letters returned undeliverable, 3 loans are
now in default.
5. Stability Funds:
A total of $17,951.19 in funds have been dispersed on behalf of clients since October 1,
2018. Funds were used for items such as water disconnects, housing deposits, overdue rent,
eye glasses, dental work, and building a handicap ramp.
County
October 1-September 30, 2019
# of Apps Total Amount
Baxter 15 $5,266.17
Boone 27 $8,500.00
Marion 5 $1,814.03
Newton 1 $196.18
Searcy 1 $260.00
Van Buren 6 $1,914.81
Total 55 $17,951.19
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6. Family Development & Empowerment:
As of Sept 30, 2019 we have 114 families enrolled in SUCCESS(!!!)
The SUCCESS Banquet was AMAZING this year. Thank you all so much for
helping us celebrate our participants. We will be sending out Thank You Cards
for the following businesses for donating to the banquet:
United Healthcare, Lillie Hobbs Mercantile, White River
Designs, Casey’s, Jerry Jackson Realty, Bounce Mania and
Skate Mania, Sonic, Mudslingers, Maurices, El Mexica Lindo,
AMayesing Sweet Sauce, Prairie Market, Neighbors Mill,
Shelby’s, Titanic Museum, Anstaff Bank, Cavendars, Centry
21, Hibbett Sports, Hardees, Good Guys Pizza, Leonardos,
Breadeaux Pizza, Harness Boots, OOH LA LA, Laura’s
Mexican Kitchen, and Total Image. This year’s donations
totaled $3,804(!)
WE TRULY APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT!!!
We are actively recruiting new families for the SUCCESS
Program(!)
Success with SUCCESS: “Rebecca” joined the SUCCESS program in February of 2019
at the age of 71. Around 5 years ago she was in a bad accident while on a job while
driving for a trucking company that forced her out of the workforce and onto Social
Security. As a single person and homeowner, she quickly began to struggle due to the
major shift in income.
Rebecca came into Ozark Opportunities seeking assistance with her utilities when she
learned about the SUCCESS program. Although she may be considered “non-traditional”
for the program, she made it clear that she was determined to change her status. Rebecca
was tired of struggling just to get by every month. The goals Rebecca set were lowering
her utility costs, getting the ticket from her accident removed from her record, paying off
the court costs, repairing her credit, passing a D.O.T. physical, and returning to the work
force(!). Her ultimate goal was to return to driving a truck again.
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Rebecca was very worried that she would not be taken seriously at her age, so she worked
on a backup plan by applying with the NCBA program (previously known as Experience
Works). She was accepted into the NCBA program and they began to look for her duty
station.
In the meantime, Rebecca and Family Development Worker Ferrin Carlton met multiple
times over the several months to complete items on her “to do” list toward her goals; they
included: crafting a “Letter of Explanation” about her accident, updating her resume, and
a spending plan to pay off her fines.
Rebecca also joined the Getting Ahead In a Just Gettin’ By World class, where she
brought an interesting dynamic to the program due to her broad range of experience, from
times where she had to problems paying bills, to her current situation where there were
daily struggles. After a lot of progress and hard work another issue occurred- she had
begun to incur additional fees on her fine payments and she couldn’t afford to keep paying
them. Feeling she had no choice, Rebecca pawned one of her prized possessions, her
laptop computer, to finish paying all of the fines in one payment. At this point Rebecca
was discouraged, frustrated and felt taken advantage of.
Thankfully, soon afterward, (during An OOI workshop she was attending) Rebecca
informed the group of amazing news! She would have to leave the SUCCESS group and
Getting Ahead classes because she passed the D.O.T. physical and was offered a driving
position! At 71 years old she had met her long-term goal of returning to her desired
career. It must be noted that she was able to complete this goal in just four months!
After years of struggling and feeling slighted, Rebecca is finally getting another chance to
live the life that she wants and deserves! We are excited to see where all of her hard work
takes her… (which at this point is literally across the country!)
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2019 SUCCESS Banquet- in Pictures
SUCCESS GRADUATES!
9 SUCCESS participants were celebrated for graduating the program. Back
Row: Cathy Brownell (Family Dev. Specialist), Arrianne Grunewald, Kathleen
Peters, Michele Prince, Paige Rogers, Shelly Cotterell, Ferrin Carlton (Family
Dev. Worker); Middle: Takara Morris, Melissa Ritter, Sabrina Stone, Kelli
Zurcher; Front: Richard T. Atkinson, CEO
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15 SUCCESS Participants received the “Initiative Award”. From back; Cathy Brownell- FDS, Melissa
Ritter, Kathleen Peters, Cindy Cross, Brianna Werb, Brittany Brandon, Sherry Monistere, Palmira
Robertson, Leslie Wagner, Ferrin Carlton- FDW ; Middle row: Sabrina Stone, Ashley Ramsey, Tim Chase,
Jennifer Chase, Danielle Cooper, Sabrina Binam, Tommy Moore; Down front: Richard T. Atkinson, CEO.
12 SUCCESS Participants received Getting Ahead in a Just-Getting’-By-World Completion Certificate:
From left; back: Cathy Brownell- FDS, Kathleen Peters, Michele Prince, Melissa Ritter, Palmira
Robertson, Leslie Wagner, Brittany Brandon, Sherry Monistere, Tommy Moore, Richard T. Atkinson;
Front; Sabrina Stone, Tim Chase, Cynthia Cross, Ferrin Carlton- FDW
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Right; Michelle Prince received
the Community Service Act of Valor
Award.
To the right: Cathy Brownell- FDS,
Ms. Prince, OOI Board Chair
Paulette Hill, and CEO Richard T.
Atkinson.
Left top middle: Excellence in
Community Service Award winner
Tommy Moore.
To the left, from left: Ferrin Carlton-
FDW, Mr. Moore, OOI Board Chair
Paulette Hill and (front) Richard T.
Atkinson.
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Above; Cathy Brownell and Richard T. Atkinson present the ACAAA Diamond
Empowerment Award to Maxine O’Brien.
Kelli
Zurcher
shared a
heartfelt
story about
her
struggles
and
successes as
she worked
to better
her life-
Bravo
Kelli!;
Thank You
for
sharing(!)
Michelle Prince
shared her
experience with
the loss of her
son, and
struggle to
finish school
and work her
way back to a
sense of normal.
It was a heart
wrenching
account that
ended with
hope as she
showed
forgiveness and
grace in the
face of
adversity.
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A good time was had by all!!!… In addition to SUCCESS
Participants, we also had several OOI Board of Directors Members and
their families attend- it was a great night of celebrating hard-earned
success, and it is always a touching night.
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7. Healthy Families Arkansas: September Activity:
Total enrollment of 25 families (83% capacity) – 15 in Van Buren County and 10 in Searcy
County
Received 3 new referrals, had 1 new baby born to a family enrolled prenatally, completed 36
home visits, & did outreach with HUB Program students at the Clinton School(!)
Melissa Smyth represented the OOI Healthy Families America (Arkansas) program at the first
meeting to reestablish the Local Interagency Coordinating Council (Local I.C.C.) in Morrilton on
September 26, 2019. The Local ICC is a multi-county coalition of community stakeholders
committed to improving results for children 0-5 with developmental delay and/or disability. This
coalition encompasses the Arch Ford Education Service Cooperative area and includes the
following counties: Van Buren, Cleburne, Pope, Perry, Conway, Faulkner, and Yell.
It is facilitated by First Connections and DHS: Division of Developmental Disabilities Services
and is a joint effort between the regional Part C (First Connections- early intervention ages 0-3)
and Part B representatives (Early Childhood Special Education ECSE - ages 3-5). The Local
ICC’s primary roles and functions are: finding children in need of services, increasing public
awareness, identifying the local network for Early Intervention/Early Childhood providers,
planning for smooth transitions for children and families, and providing input to the State ICC.
During this meeting, the attendees started forming the Local ICC by identifying organizations and
programs who needed to be involved, developing a vision and mission statement, and choosing a
priority area to focus their first efforts on. For the next quarterly meeting, members will identify a
leader and co-leader, invite other community stakeholders, and work on goals associated with the
priority area.
8. Community Engagement & Staff Development:
Community Services Leadership attended a “Developing Your Emotional Intelligence”
webinar on September 10th.
HFA staff assisted the Van Buren County Health Department with their Mass Flu Clinic on
September 26th and helped patients complete their flu shot paperwork prior to getting the
vaccination.
Rebecca Hanlin and Crystal Rogers attended the LIHEAP Affiliates Meeting in Little Rock
on Friday, September 27th.
All Community Services staff participated in “Stop The Bleed” training on October 2, 2019.
Evaluation committee met to review all SUCCESS case files on October 8th.
Rebecca Hanlin, Ben Glover, Cathy Brownell and Ferrin Carlton are now Getting Ahead in
the Workplace and Getting Ahead While Getting Out certified facilitators. They attended both
certification trainings on October 11th.
HFA is assisting Van Buren County Health Department with the Shirley School Flu Clinic on
October 11th and the Southside-Bee Branch School flu clinic on October 31st.
Rebecca Hanlin conducted First Aid and CPR testing for Child Development staff on October
15th and 23rd.
Training on: Adverse Childhood Experiences, Domestic Violence (Stats, Causes & Signs),
Teen Dating, Violence Prevention, and Getting Ahead will be held October 17th.
Child Abuse & Neglect, “Working with Adults with Intellectual Disabilities” or “Managing
Upset Clients”, “ROMA Basics” and “Getting Ahead 2” will be held October 30, 2019.
November 8th staff will attend an all-day Safety Training in Harrison.
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9. Community Services Staffing Updates:
We are currently looking for another Family Development Worker for Baxter & Marion
counties.
Shae Sutterfield, Family Development Worker for Searcy & Van Buren counties, was hired as
part-time. She will transition into full-time.
III. Child Development (ABC Pre-K, Head Start, & Early Head Start):
A. Arkansas Better Chance Pre-K Program:
90.4% September 2019 Attendance.
CACFP CLAIM SUMMARY- AUGUST 2019: ABC Pre-K
Breakfast= 558 Lunch= 559 Snacks= 551
Total $3,118.76
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B. Head Start & Early Head Start:
a. Health & Nutrition- Sharon Burnett:
CACFP CLAIM SUMMARY- AUGUST 2019: $19,866.72
Head Start
Breakfast= 2610 Lunch= 2695 Snacks= 2513
Total $16,899.17
Early Head Start
Breakfast= 486 Lunch=438 Snacks= 493
Total $2,967.55
HEALTH OUTCOMES: AUGUST Head Start Early Head Start: Status
70% 54% Completed Dental Exams
58% 41% Completed Lead Testing
70% 70% Completed Physical Exams (Well Child
for EHS)
90% 87% Completed Immunizations
6 1 Parents applied for immunization waiver
from ADH
SEPTEMBER 2019 Update:
Reconciled bills for payment- SGC, Hiland, Mtn. Valley Water, Pippin.
Processed CACFP Free & Reduced Lunch Forms for 3 centers.
Completed CACFP Food Monitoring Reviews for Harrison HS, Yellville-
Summit, Valley Springs, Western Grove, Mtn. Home HS, Norfork, & MH EHS.
Completed CACFP Application for 2020.
Management Team meeting on September 25, 2019.
Lead Screens completed at Bruno and St. Joe.
Attended CACFP Refresher Training in Little Rock on September 12, 2019.
Attended the AHSA Institute & Staff, CLASS and AHSA Board of Directors
Meetings on Sept. 18, 2019.
Interviewed potentials for hire September 11, 2019.
Assisted with Vision and Hearing screenings for EHS sites on Sept. 9th, 17th, &
19th.
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b. Program Manager/ Education Coordinator- Ryan Clayborn:
Traveled to each location and conducted a curriculum training with each teacher in
ABC, HS, and EHS. This training focused on them understanding expectations and
how certain items should be taught to be developmentally appropriate.
Attended multiple one on one meetings with parents and IEP meetings.
Attended the ICC meeting at OUR Co-Op concerning autism.
The Boone County Imagination Library met on September 3rd and is currently
providing books to 1,221 children in Boone County.
Completed interviews to replace vacant positions as well as trainings for the new
staff.
Updated several education forms for home visits.
Updated the School Readiness Agenda and the CLASS Implementation Plan.
I completed all MOU visits will superintendents and principals in all school
districts.
Trained the OOI Executive Committee on CLASS, Developmental Testing, School
Readiness, and the Training & Technical Assistance Plan.
Working on a new socio-emotional curriculum for teachers to implement into their
daily activities.
Playground updates- I seeded grass and covered the playground with hay at Valley
Springs Head Start.
Created the September Teacher’s Newsletter focusing on health, licensing, and
interaction skills.
c. Mental Health- Tawnya Akins:
Sent resources to staff for social/emotional and behavioral issues.
Mentored several teachers in classrooms.
Assisted with behavioral issues in several classrooms.
Scheduled trainings for Mental Health First Aid and ACES.
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d. ERSEA/FSW’s & Family and Community Partnerships- Terri Beard:
ENROLLMENT UPDATE: At the end of September we had 261 Head
Start children enrolled and 48 Early Head Start Children for a full enrollment
of 309.
HS/EHS ATTENDANCE UPDATE: We are at 90.45% Average Daily
Attendance (“ADA”) in Head Start Pre-K & 86.89% ADA in Early Head
Start (even with many illness-related absences the program was still over the
85% minimum regulations.)
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e. Disabilities & Center Supervisor- Patricia Murray:
Substitute training is being held October 29, 2019 to insure they are properly
prepared to assist in our classrooms.
Staff have been busy making sure all students are screened for vision, speech
and developmental needs.
Conferences with parents are taking place now through the end of October.
Below is a breakdown of the current IEP’s and IFSP’s we are serving:
f. Parent Engagement- Krystal Mayes:
September In-Kind is being reviewed and entered for approval from finance.
The classrooms are starting off the year with excellent community
involvement- Just see the pictures below!
The Post Man in Mt. Home demonstrating how to drive the mail truck!
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Jasper Head Start learns how to be safe from a local Police Officer.
Mt. Home had a visit from REAL Army man!
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Jasper Head Start students explore a Fire Truck!
IV. Corporate Services (& Human Resources) Jane Bueg, Chief Operating Officer
September 2019
Hires Education
Community
Services Administration Total
5 0 0 5
Departures Education
Community
Services Administration Total
3 0 0 3
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Corporate Services Report
Other/Training:
GoogleApps in-kind report: $414.00 (Head Start) $192.00 (Early Head Start)
$54.00 (ABC)
Hire: 5; New Hire Orientations: 5
Income/Employment Verification– 1
CSBG Monitoring
Final Dept. of Labor Survey for August (Van Buren County statistics)
Employee Jury Duty: 2
Reference Check response: 1
COBRA Notice: 1
Contractor List Update
Child Maltreatment Central Registry Check – 13
Criminal Records Check – 15
Fingerprint Check – 12
Termination: 3
Termination of Benefits: 1
Driver List update
Child Care Licensing tracking updates
OSHA Survey for 2019, Boone County Community Services
4th Quarter CSBG Report
Job Posting & Advertisement: Teacher Assistant (Jasper), Early Head Start
Teacher (Clinton)
Garnishment: 3
FIRE Unit Unemployment Audits: 26
Policy Council Meeting
Technology: set up 17 new Head Start Laptops
Training: Employment Law & Legislative Affairs Conference
Schedule Interviews
Arkansas Workers Compensation Rule 32 resolution
New e-mail accounts: 5
Close e-mail accounts: 3
Delivered new HS classroom laptops
Employment Law Poster(s) updated