collaboration

Bridging Fathers and Families through Financial Literacy

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We’ve all seen the statistics:  Being actively involved with our children reduces problems and leads to positive outcomes. One area that often leads to a disconnection in this area is with non-custodial parents. This is (statistically) often the father.

Child support plays an important role in the finances of many families, both for the custodial parents or other family members caring for children who receive payments, and for the noncustodial parents (usually fathers) who pay child support. Both can benefit greatly from financial education and from access to asset-building tools such as Individual Development Accounts (IDAs).

Susan 2015-07-09Towards that end, OSU Extension is proud to report that they are one of three organizations selected in the state of Ohio to receive funding from the Ohio Department of Commerce. OSU Extension will use this grant funding to help non-custodial parents, especially fathers, gain access to financial education, counseling and economic empowerment opportunities, thereby helping them remain compliant with the orders of the court, but moreover remaining active in the lives of their children.

Studies have shown that non-custodial parents (especially fathers) who are actively involved in the lives of their children have a positive impact on the health, behavior, grades and delinquency of their children. Do you know someone (or an agency) who could benefit from getting involved? Please contact us. For details, call Susan Colbert at (614) 247-1983.

(Submitted by Susan Colbert, Program Director, Franklin County Expansion and Engagement)

Imagination: The Key to Making Positive Change in Groups, Organizations and Communities

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What we forget about groups, organizations and communities is that they are human inventions just like moveable type, the steam engine, the automobile, the airplane and the atomic bomb. There is of course a huge difference between inventing a social system like an organization and creating an inanimate object like an automobile. The parts of an automobile do not have cognition. They can’t think. They don’t wonder if they are doing the right thing or doing the thing they have been asked to do correctly. They are not looking to be recognized for doing a good job or looking for a promotion and salary increase.

Humans, however, can and fortunately do think. Their thinking leads to meaning making, values, ethics and emotions. It is the human thinking and feeling that make organizing and all the good things that come from working together possible. At the same time human thinking and feelings make organizing enormously complex. The complex social arrangements created by humans since the beginning of time have led to our current way of life. Those complex social arrangements created by diverse people in different parts of the world lead to very different ways of living and working together. Those different ways should not scare or threaten us. Not all bridges are built the same, but they all have the same purpose.

Ideas 2015-04-23Obviously some of our social inventions for working together, resolving conflict, sharing resources and living together have not worked so well. We still settle some of our differences through violence, and there is still racism, prejudice and greed. There are far too many people who live in poverty, lack adequate food, water, education and medical care. However, looking at the facts we can see a decline in all these categories. In the area of hunger we now produce enough food to feed everyone in the world but not everyone has enough food, so we need to invent a new worldwide food distribution system. What we forget is that we invented the current worldwide food system and that the only thing that limits our ability to create something new is our imagination.

Everything that goes on in every group, organization and community is something that humans have invented and the only thing that limits our ability to create something better is our imagination. We forget that we are the inventors, and therefore we can reinvent anything that is not working. The interesting part is that research shows that the best way to reinvent a social process is to start studying what is currently working. That gives us a shared understanding of what is making organizing possible and allows us to imagine new and yet undiscovered organizational possibilities.

(Submitted by Chet Bowling, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, Community Development)
Note: Chet will be retiring from OSU Extension on April 30. We thank him for his many years of dedicated service to Community Development work and look forward to continuing our working relationship with him in the future.

CD coordinates Emergency Preparedness Initiative

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Duck Creek 2015-04-09

Photo: mariettatimes.com

It is late June, 1998. Warm moist air has collided with cool air to develop a frontal boundary creating thunderstorms covering much of Southeast Ohio. The frontal boundary system stalls and its resulting storms produce a foot or more of rain over four days that floods the banks of Duck Creek,  a 30-mile long tributary that flows through Noble and Washington Counties. Families are forced to wait on rooftops for rescue by helicopter, waters reach the tops of utility poles, and nearly all the homes in one small town are destroyed. All told, this localized flooding caused five deaths and an estimated $20 million in property damage.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAs a result of this devastation, local officials, agencies and residents began an initiative to establish a flood warning system for Duck Creek. After several years of research and evaluation, a system consisting of various stream and rain gauges, computer monitoring equipment, transmitters and associated enclosures was designed. In 2012, installation was complete and the system became operational. This system provides real-time data for the National Weather Service and can be accessed via USGS website. This information aids emergency management personnel in making emergency preparedness decisions. The $376,000 project is expected to produce a benefit in avoided property damage of $131,260 annually over 50 years; a total impact of over $6.5 million.

Ohio State University Extension coordinated this collaborative project that included U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, United States Geological Survey, Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District, state and county Emergency Management Agencies, and Noble and Washington Counties. This decade-long project illustrates the role Extension can plays in strengthening communities and the environment.

(Submitted by Darlene Lukshin, Program Specialist, Washington County and Buckeye Hills EERA)

Helping to preserve diversity in Weinland Park

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Weinland Park (pop. approx. 4800) is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the city of Columbus. Its residents are of various ethnic, cultural, racial, socio-economic, religious and educational backgrounds. As it transforms, however, from a neighborhood of last resort (one formerly plagued by drugs, gangs, substandard housing, low performing schools and high poverty) to a mixed income neighborhood of choice (where people want to live, work, worship or attend school), a key concern is the displacement of residents and gentrification.

Weinland Park Group

Photos: weinlandparkcivic.org

To address these concerns, Extension plays an integral role in helping to preserve diversity in the neighborhood by:

  • Offering free HUD-certified home-buyer education workshops, including individual counseling
  • Serving on the Weinland Park Collaborative, a group of community, civic, corporate, collegiate and church partners working together to revitalize the neighborhood
  • Offering free Financial Literacy training and counseling to area residents
  • Connecting residents to financial resources needed to obtain, maintain and retain their homes
  • Providing supportive services to homeowners and renters in the neighborhood
  • Assisting in the formation of Block Clubs, thereby giving residents a voice in the development of their community

As the demographics continue to change, Extension continues to respond to community needs by adapting new tools and methods to promote the diversity of the neighborhood. The goal is to create a sustainable community where all residents have opportunities to work and live together in a way that improves outcomes for all.

(Submitted by Susan Colbert, Program Director, Franklin County Expansion and Engagement)

Extension seeks grant funding to improve community services and infrastructure

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What service and infrastructure improvements would benefit your community?
Imagine the possibilities . . . now go for it!

Decreasing local government funds coupled with increasing material and equipment costs require government entities, first responders and non-profit organizations to seek grants to cover the expenses of specific projects and programs.

Little Muskingum VFD

Little Muskingum VFD recently purchased
this 4WD Rescue Squad
with funding from various grants.

Recent Extension efforts in Washington County have resulted in grant funding for new fire safety equipment.  The  Little Muskingum Volunteer Fire Department, a rural volunteer department, was able to purchase a new four-wheel drive rescue squad. Community Development Block Grant, Sisters of St. Joseph Charitable Fund, Marietta Community Foundation and numerous businesses and individuals contributed to the existing department funds for this life-saving equipment that serves over 1700 residents in a four-township area.

Economic growth and development relies on infrastructure to expand community resources. Financing for local public infrastructure improvement is provided by the Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC). Emergency road and bridge repair assistance for qualifying projects that pose an immediate threat is a part of the OPWC funding program.

In times of federal and/or state declared disasters, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Ohio Emergency Management Agency (OEMA) offer communities financial assistance in recovery from damages due to disasters. Through Emergency Management Performance Grants-Special Projects Program (EMPG) our county was able to renovate an existing building for a state-of-the-art Emergency Operations Center. During disasters, this center coordinates the response activities of multiple agencies.

Grant funding is competitive and requires research, planning, organizing and writing. OSU Extension professionals are available to help you learn more about grant writing.

More information on the grant opportunities mentioned above is available at:

(Submitted by Darlene Lukshin, Program Specialist, Washington County & Buckeye Hills EERA.)

Teamwork, it’s not rocket science…or is it?

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Have you ever noticed that when we want to illustrate how easy something is, we compare it to rocket science or brain surgery? Ok, it requires years of advanced educational study and hundreds of hours of technical experience to master aerospace engineering or neurological surgery. But, truthfully, the average person will never need to become adept at either of these disciplines. Effectively working on a team and getting along with others – those are skills that are necessary for everyone.  Unfortunately, embracing the abilities needed to be a good team member and build relationships with others is not always easy. In fact, it can be downright difficult – kind of like rocket science…or brain surgery.

Emotional 3In a 2004 article in the journal Psychological Science, J. Richard Hackman contends that effective team members are people who possess the emotional maturity needed for their roles with their teammates. His research shows that fostering emotional maturity is essential; however, it is a trait that tends to be developmental in nature and cannot be readily taught. Well, you’ll get no argument here. In fact, while many institutions of higher learning offer degrees in neurology or engineering, we’ve yet to see a university that offers a degree in emotional maturity.

So what are those elusive (for some folks, anyway) skills that demonstrate emotional maturity, thus enabling a person to be a good team member? Here’s a list of our top three essential teammate traits:

  • Trust – Let’s face it, trust is the foundation of all relationships.  Whether it’s with your spouse, your friends, your coworkers or your hair stylist, if you don’t trust the person, you’re not going to be willing to take the risk of being open, honest, and well, trusting.  For a good team to work, we need to be able to count on each other.  Building trust takes time – and dare we say, it also helps to have face-to-face interactions now and then.  Social media and Skype are wonderful tools to keep in touch, but there’s just something about breathing the same air as someone else, and actually spending time interacting together at the very same GPS coordinate that helps to build a strong, reality-based relationship that goes beyond cute photos and 140 characters of type.
  • Open Communication – Ok, this seems like a no-brainer.  But trying to build a team with a poor communicator can seem like working with a person with no brain.  Good communication skills include the ability to effectively and diplomatically express yourself, while quieting your inner voice (and the one resonating from your face) long enough to listen to and understand another person.  Honesty, tempered with genuine and sincere kindness, help grease the communication gears, preventing resentment and allowing a shared sense of responsibility to grow.
  • Flexibility – Guess what…things don’t always go your way.  Good team members know that compromise and a willingness to adapt to change are essential when working with others.  And honestly, it’s that combination of ideas – that diversity of thought and experience – that really contributes to building a strong product – and a strong team.

So, creating a good, effective and enjoyable team really isn’t rocket science. It’s actually a lot more complicated than that.

If you want to learn more about how we’ve worked to make our team more successful, check out our June 2014 article in the Journal of Extension, joe.org/joe/2014june/iw4.php.

Becky Nesbitt and Rose Fisher Merkowitz, OSU Extension Educators for Community Development, have worked together for many years, building a strong and effective team focused on providing educational materials related to leadership and organizational development. Take a look at the educational programs that Becky and Rose offer at go.osu.edu/seekexcellence.

(Submitted by Becky Nesbitt, Assistant Professor and Extension Educator, Ohio Valley EERA, and Rose Fisher Merkowitz, Associate Professor and Extension Educator, Miami Valley EERA.)

Moving from poverty to security and opportunity

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BAFF Child SupportHow can we work together to increase personal financial security, address poverty and create economic opportunity? OSU Extension – University District, in collaboration with the Ohio CDC Association and Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services, has joined the Building Assets for Fathers and Families (BAFF) initiative. Ohio is one of seven states selected to pilot this initiative. Because OSU Extension is an Assets For Independence (AFI) site, we’ve been selected to provide financial education training and counseling to area residents. The BAFF initiative is designed to connect existing asset building services with non-custodial parents, especially fathers, who have been ordered by Franklin County courts to pay child support. Parents who successfully complete the program become eligible for driver license reinstatement or review and adjustment.

According to The Shriver Report:  A Women’s Nation Pushes Back from the Brink (2014), 1 of 3 American women with children under the age of 18 live in or on the brink of poverty. Furthermore, 2 out of 3 women consider themselves the primary breadwinner of the family. These statistics demonstrate the essential role of child support payments and programs.

BAFF IDAOSU Extension is able to provide supportive services to Franklin County BAFF participants in collaboration with community, civic, corporate, collegiate and church partners. These programs and services include Individual Development Accounts (IDAs), which can be used towards the purchase of a home, business or higher education. Moreover, they are able to gain access to other valuable programs, services and resources including, but not limited to:  banking, GED, employment, public benefits and much more!

Not only does OSU Extension offer financial literacy training and counseling in the community, but the programming has been extended to Pickaway Correctional Institute inmates who are non-custodial parents and preparing for reintegration into society. Susan Colbert and Lois McCampbell, located in OSU Extension’s University District, are facilitating the program, which consists of four (2-hour) financial literacy workshops offered once a week for four consecutive weeks. The program offers inmates who reside in Franklin County (and have been ordered by the courts to pay child support) an array of skills that can help build a collaborative relationship between the child support agency and fathers with children. This program will provide tools to build personal financial development, credit education, positive child support financial counseling, home buying education, college pursuit directives, driver’s license reinstatement, establish paternity servicing, job preparation and more. The program has been well received by PCI officials and inmates!

(Submitted by Susan Colbert, Program Director, University District)