10
Volume 5, Issue 13 – February 2018 KI BOIS Community Action Donates Computers .. see page 4
Volume 5, Issue 13 – February 2018
KI BOIS Community Action Donates Computers .. see page 4
From the Desk of the Executive Director / CEO
Page 2 KI BOIS News
KI BOIS News is published monthly by
KI BOIS Community Action Foundation, Inc.
200 Southeast “A” Street P.O. Box 727
Stigler, OK 74462 918-967-3325 800-299-4479
www.kibois.org
R. Carroll Huggins Executive Director / CEO
Tom Marlatt Associate Director / CFO
Larry Hall, Associate Director / COO
KI BOIS Community Action
Board of Directors Gene Bass, Board Chairperson
John Cook, 1st VP Cecil Williams, 2nd VP
Jan Coplen, Sec/Treasurer Steve Carter, Parliamentarian
Kay Box, Editor
918-967-3325, Ext. 131 [email protected]
Wilburton: 918-465-3381 McAlester: 918-423-3525
Poteau: 918-647-3267 Stigler: 918-967-3325
February is……..
February 2018 is here and our annual agency audit is complete. The new audit team reported to us that it is a clean audit with no questioned costs. Our compli-ments to our financial staff for their hard work through-out the year.
Several members of the KI BOIS Community Ac-tion staff have been in training by the IRS to do free Income Tax Preparation for our low-income clients un-der the VITA program. We are also assisting our cli-ents with their Medicare Part D.
We are excited and looking forward to kicking off our New Early Head Start Program in Sallisaw this month.
Head Start, Weatherization, CSBG, SSVF, Transit, RSVP, and Foster Grandparent programs are operating under the Federal Continuing Resolution passed this month until March 18th. Future Federal Funding is still uncertain until the President and Congress agree on funding levels for the next two years. We are expecting additional budgets cuts this next year from the State of Oklahoma due to the current economic situation in our state.
Our agency continues to grow and prosper due to the hard work and dedication of our board, staff and volunteers. We look forward to the challenges of 2018. Hope you didn’t forget your Valentine this year.
R. Carroll Huggins, CCAP
Executive Director
Carroll Huggins
Apply now…. Your Child Needs Head Start and Head Start Needs Your Child ! Call 918-967-3325 for more information.
Page 3 KI BOIS News
The January 2018 KI BOIS Community Action Board Meeting was not only informative, but educational too. We first welcomed two new board members, left, Mike Mouzakis and right, Jennifer Woods. Mouzakis is representing the private sector from Se-quoyah County and Woods, the private sector from Latimer County. In addition, the board received training from Executive Direc-tor of Oklahoma Association of Community Action Agencies Michael Jones, bottom left. This training is conducted once a year and meets the requirements of various funding sources. The board and staff were also presented the 2017 Agency Audit which was conducted by staff from Beall Barclay Certified Public Accounting firm, bottom right.
Page 4 KI BOIS News
KI BOIS Community Action Making a Difference
Vian Peace Center Gets Computer Donation The Vian Peace Center CEO Richard Tyler and his wife, Jackie, are on a mission to help kids in their hometown and surround-ing area. The Tyler’s saw a need and for the past several years have been trying to meet those needs. According to Tyler, “Our kids need a safe place to access a computer, read a book or just hang out with their friends. The Vian Peace Center offers all of that and more.”
KI BOIS Community Action was made aware of the need for computers through KI BOIS Community Action Sequoyah Coun-ty Director Melissa Lowe and, with the approval of CEO Carroll Huggins, their needs were soon met. According to Huggins, “We were in a position to help and that is what our agency is all about…..Helping People. Changing Lives. Our IT staff was able to come up with six used computers and in a matter of days had them installed and ready to go.” These computers will allow kids to do research, their homework and have the capabilities to upload to the school, if needed. They also hope to offer adult GED clas-ses in the future.
The Tylers have taken an old service station and are in the process of turning it into, not only a library, but a facility which could serve many purposes. They have added a large commercial kitchen, large bathrooms and bunk areas which could house up to 30 individuals. The facility could also serve as a command post and house emergency personnel in case of a disaster. Tyler went on to express his thoughts of when the barge hit the bridge on I-40 in May of 2002. “Our town was immediately inundated with grieving families, state and federal investigators and workers. It would have been nice to have had a facility then, but now we know and we will be prepared in case of another disaster.”
Front row left to right, Jackie Tyler, Carroll Huggins, Melissa Lowe, Tom Marlatt and Larry Hall along with back row County Com-missioner District 2 / KI BOIS Community Action Board member Steve Carter, Jeremy Porter, Blake Smith and Richard Tyler stand in front of some of the donated computers.
Page 5 KI BOIS News
We are Celebrating 50 Years of Service ……...
According to a U.S. Marine Corps veteran he has spent a number of years conducting research, program development, imple-mentation and management in the veteran space. Through this journey he has found no greater go-to site for quick access to the most up to date supportive information than The Office of Warrior Care Poli-cies, National Resource Directory. It is incredibly user friendly, with the easiest navigation interface. For example, click on the link, http://www.nrd.org, and scroll down. You will immediately see a “box-list” of the ten most important care catego-ries for military transition and barriers many of our veterans face after leaving active duty. Selecting the link, Home-less Assistance, for example, will take you to a list of options, including the V.A. Homeless link. Upon link selec-tion you can scroll down, and to the right you will see the “House a Veter-an” box with a great resource called the Housing Toolkit with links to great resources such as our very own Sup-portive Services for Veteran Families Program. Finally, immediately below the 10 box-list categories you will see a link, View All Categories. By clicking this link, each of the primary 10 will be displayed in all of their sub-focus are-as. This is a most excellent resource tool for any person seeking veteran support services. Check it out! Tammy Randazzo
Once again winter is upon us and the Oke-mah KATS office is ready! Each year the Okemah staff make “Winter Emergency Boxes” for their vehicles. This allows the drivers to be prepared in case they find themselves stuck somewhere. The boxes are filled with blankets, snacks, water and other items to keep our passengers and our drivers safe in an emergency situation. Pictured left to right are KATS drivers Sarah Robertson, Tracy Carver, Manuel Fixico and Bradley Fixico. Good job!
Great Resource for Veterans and their Families….. Submitted by Supportive Services for Veterans Families Director Tammy Randazzo
KI BOIS News Page 5
KI BOIS Community Action Staff Attend Meeting
It’s Been a Long Time Since All Directors Were Together!
Page 6 KI BOIS News
Are You Phubbing Your Valentine?
Is Your Smartphone Ruining Your Relationship? Smartphones are a wonderful thing. I can do more work on a smartphone than I could on the first computer I used in college. I can also waste more time on a smartphone than I can anywhere else. Smartphone dependency is on the rise. According to Dr. James A. Roberts, “the typical American checks his or her smartphone once every six-and-a-half minutes, or roughly 150 times each day.” When one of these frequent phone checks interrupts a conversation or quality time with a romantic partner, it can have serious consequences on the rela-tionship. The new term “phubbing” (derived from “phone-snubbing”) describes those moments we are all too familiar with, when one partner gets distracted by their phone and the other partner feels rejected. In fact, phubbing has be-come so common that it is now one of the biggest sources of conflicts in ro-mantic relationships—right up there with arguments about money, kids, and sex! A recent study published in the journal Psychology of Popular Media Cul-ture examined how smartphone use and smartphone dependency affect the health of relationships amongst college-aged adults. Young couples were asked about their own smartphone use and dependency as well as the per-ceived smartphone use and dependency of their partners. The study showed a significant link between higher levels of dependency on smartphones and higher levels of relationship uncertainty. Additionally, participants who per-ceived their partners as being highly dependent on their smartphone were significantly less satisfied in their relationships. According to the Chicago Tribune, Brandon McDaniel, who studied phones and relationships at Illinois State University, “found that when technology devices frequently interrupted partners, couples had more conflict over technology use, lower relationship satisfaction, more depressive symptoms and lower life satisfaction.” Yet, this is an incredibly common problem. A study on “Technoference,” the interference of technology in relation-ships, found that 70 percent of participants reported that smartphone interruptions negatively impacted interactions with their romantic partners. Authors of the study explain that by allowing technology to interrupt time spent with ro-mantic partners and loved ones “individuals may be sending implicit messages about what they value most, leading to conflict and negative outcomes in personal life and relationships.” The bottom line is: nobody likes to be phubbed. It makes us feel as though our partner or loved ones don’t take us seriously and/or don’t find us in-teresting. It leads to more insecurity in ourselves and more uncertainty about our relationships. So, if your goal is to have happy, healthy relationships, it’s best to con-sistently prioritize your loved ones over your smartphone. I challenge you to set up technology free time to spend with your loved ones. After all, this is the month of love! Hope you had an awesome Happy Valentine’s Day! As always, thank you for reading, Linda Love
Whoa…..when you can’t find a parking place close to the front entrance…..just park in the lobby. Actually this KATS bus was on display during the Oklahoma Transportation Winter Conference. The conference was held at the Tower Hotel in OKC. Really don’t know who parked the vehicle there, but Carroll Huggins, Charla Sloan and Larry Hall could be on the suspect list.
SO HAPPY TOGETHER….. these Developmentally Disabled (DD) clients spent everyday to-gether and loved it. Their days were filled fun and laughter while shredding paper at The Oaks. The shredded paper was then picked up by the KI BOIS Community Ac-tion Recycling Program. Left to right, front row, Jillian Lawson and DD Job Coach Torri Hudson, Back row, Sonny Sam, Patty Deans, Eddie Morris and Ja-son Hall posed at the end of their shift, not only was this the end of their shift, but the end to the pro-gram. Some have retired, but for the most part they are now busy working on other opportunities within the DD Program.
Page 8 KI BOIS News
Page 9 KI BOIS News
ALL POSITIONS SUBJECT TO CONTINUED PROJECT FUNDING. All positions are open to KI BOIS Community Action Foundation Staff as well as to the public - unless otherwise noted. Deadline for all openings: Until Filled. CURRENT AGEN-CY EMPLOYEES – please submit a letter of interest, and updated resume (if applicable) to Human Resources. Applica-tions for new hires are available online at www.kibois.org, or may be picked up at any KI BOIS Community Action office. Applications should be returned to KI BOIS Community Action Foundation, Inc. P. O. Box 727 Stigler, OK 74462, Atten-tion: Human Resources or e-mailed to [email protected]. Fax: 918.967.9100.
Applicant will be subject to a criminal history records search, as well as drug testing. KI BOIS Community Action Foundation, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. It is the policy of the KI BOIS Community Action Foundation, Inc. to not discriminate against or deny equal employment opportunity to any applicant or employee on the grounds of race, sex, color, age, national origin, genetic information, religion, or disability, so long as the disability does not render the person unable to do the work for which employed. All employees of KI BOS Community Action Foundation, Inc. are "at will" employees.
KI BOIS News Page 10
KIBOIS COMMUNITY ACTION FOUNDATION, INC. IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER!
KI BOIS AREA TRANSIT PROGRAM
JOB TITLE: TRANSIT DRIVERS (Please verify current openings with local transit office.)
JOB REQUIREMENTS: Maintain a valid dr iver ’s license. Good driving record. Must be physically able to assist passengers and their belongings while entering and exiting the vehicles. Must be able to lift a minimum of 50 lbs and provide wheel chair assistance. Should have knowledge of area resources and live within convenient distance of city where job opening is available.
KI BOIS Community Action Notice of Job - February 8, 2018
KI BOIS COMMUNITY SERVICES
JOB TITLE: COUNTY COORDINATOR – FT (Muskogee)
JOB REQUIREMENTS: Bachelor’s Degree preferred. Experience plus education may be substituted for degree. Three years’ experience in community organization activities. Excellent communication skills, both oral and written. Must be able to handle and maintain confidential information with tact and discretion and meet deadlines.
JOB DUTIES: Responsibilities include but not limited to program outreach and client intake as required by program guidelines. Assist clients in completing applications for services. Establish and maintain effective relationships between the agen-cy and outside organizations/perform public relation activities as needed. Meet with low income groups to help them organize and locate resources as needed. Perform other duties as required or assigned.
KI BOIS DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES JOB TITLE: HABILITATION TRAINING SPECIALIST - PT/FT (Stigler, Poteau, McAlester, Ada, Ardmore, Pauls Val-ley and Sulphur)
JOB REQUIREMENTS: Will serve as direct suppor t staff for consumers. Ability to handle sensitive issues while protect-ing others’ welfare. Able to exercise patience, understanding, creativity and flexibility. HS Diploma/GED, valid DL and auto insurance. Must complete Foundation, CPR and First Aid Training (and any other training as required/requested.) Able to lift a minimum of 50 lbs.
