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We hope you enjoy our November Mental Health & You Column We are releasing this to you early due to the topic and to share these helpful steps Thanks for reading, and please share! Conversations for Hope | Diana Kendros and Jan Sickler  In This Column: Mental Health Strength During Elections  In this Column, we are sharing a timely article that can help us to understand how to handle the Stress Between Now and the Election - and afterwards.
Some helpful ways to cope include talking to others about our feelings, as well as managing our exposure to social media and the news. According to our Psychology Today article, the good news is that we can take steps to stay mentally strong during election season. Managing stress and making a few environmental changes can go a long way toward helping us weather a bitter political climate. We appreciate your support! Stay Safe and Healthy, Diana and Jan 5 Ways to Stay Mentally Strong During Campaign / Election Season
 New Audio Program - Sign up to Listen! Jan asks Diana about her decade-long journey with her son, Demitri and the details of his courageous recovery.  A special message from Demitri about his tools for recovery. 
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Fairfield Area Chamber of Commerce Chamber Member Trick or Treat Friday, October 30th, 2020 Would your business like to participate in the Chamber's Trick or Treat event? Contact the Chamber at 641-472-2111 or Info@FairfieldIowa.com! The Fairfield Area Chamber is partnering with Chamber Member businesses to welcome trick-or-treaters during their respective regular business hours on Friday, the day before Halloween. Fairfield’s citywide Trick or Treat will be happening on Saturday, October 31st, but trick-or-treaters can don their costumes early and trick or treat during daytime at local businesses on Friday, October 30th. Please visit this page for an updated list of participating Member businesses! Participating Chamber Member Businesses: Fairfield Area Chamber of Commerce JC Huffman Cabinetry Community 1st Credit Union SOMM Wines Temp Associates   This free online presentation will provide an update on the 2020 legislative changes impacting Iowa taxation. Topics covered include:
The Department of Revenue has partnered with the Center for Business Growth and Innovation at the University of Northern Iowa to provide free tax webinars on IASourceLink. The presenter for this webinar is Tim Reilly, Sales & Excise Tax Policy Director - Research and Policy Division, with the Iowa Department of Revenue.  Dear Employers, IowaWORKS Ottumwa will be hosting a Drive Through Job Fair in our parking lot on Tuesday, October 27th, 10am -12pm. Due to the Pandemic, we are not able to have employers on site. We will be putting together 100 Bags for Job Seekers and handing them out during the Drive Through Job Fair. If you are interested in being included, please send us 100 print copies of open positons that you would like to advertise or company brochures by Friday, October 16th. What - Ottumwa IowaWORKS Drive Through Job Fair When - Tuesday October 27th., 10am-12pm How To Participate - Send 100 paper copies of flyers with positions available or organization brochure Where To Send - IowaWORKS, attn: Sam Busch, 15260 Truman Street, Ottumwa, IA 52501 Deadline - Friday, October 16th  September 30, 2020
Dear Iowa Churches of Jefferson County, The CCW Board has God-inspired news for you! The Well Fairfield has fully acquired CCW. This is an answer to prayer in meeting the needs of our struggling community members. CCW opened July 20, 2017 and operated mostly with volunteers who had day jobs. This meant it could only serve people a couple nights a week by appointment only. We knew of The Well in Pella before we opened in 2017 and toured that site with Executive Director Jayson Henry. Since that time, The Well has opened a second site in Knoxville. CCW is NOT struggling financially, but services for our community need to increase. Completing a community-needs assessment, increasing hours open and increasing services are important. Our Board asked The Well to open a third site in Fairfield, and they have agreed! As of September 30, 2020, CCW is no longer utilizing the building at 1208 S 5th Street in Fairfield. All CCW monetary and physical assets transferred to The Well Fairfield and will stay in our community! The Well has purchased property at 1700 South Main Street in Fairfield. Jayson’s team is at work overseeing remodeling of the building formerly owned by Foursquare Gospel Church, so volunteers are already needed for remodeling! (Please call Tabitha at 641-621-0164, ext. 709 to volunteer!) An early phase of remodeling will prepare a thrift store to generate income for the Fairfield site. *Please wait to donate items to the thrift store until they are ready to receive them. The Well Fairfield will be open weekdays with regular business hours. An array of services will be provided with opportunities for many more volunteers to be the hands and feet of Christ; however, there will be a necessary break in services from now until the ministry side of The Well Fairfield is open. January is a target date. Please know that your monetary donations will be effectively utilized in our community and will be needed to grow the number of services offered. Donations may now be mailed to The Well Fairfield, 1700 S Main, Fairfield, IA 52556 OR The Well Fairfield, 419 E Oskaloosa St, Pella, IA 50219. We invite you to visit an existing location in Pella, 419 E Oskaloosa Street or Knoxville, 404 W Pleasant Street or online at www.thewelliowa.org. There is also a Facebook page for The Well for you to stay current with opening dates. We believe you will see the reason our Board is enthusiastically welcoming The Well to Fairfield! God Bless you for transferring your allegiance from CCW to The Well Fairfield! We truly have appreciated our volunteers as well as your prayer and financial support these past 3 years! As always, it’s great to move forward!! Together, we will make positive changes in our community. Called to Serve, CCW Board members: Carol Meyers Bo Northup Deb Bemis Nancy Hesseltine Goodwill Partners with Southeastern Community College to Offer Hospitality Training Certification10/2/2020 Goodwill partners with Southeastern Community College to offer Hospitality Training Certification October 1, 2020 — Goodwill of the Heartland in partnership with Southeastern Community College is now accepting registrations for their Hospitality Training Certification Program. This seven-week class gives participants the knowledge needed to find work in the hospitality industry. The course begins October 13th, and includes 70 hours of classroom training and the opportunity to gain five industry recognized credentials for Hospitality careers:
Topics also include job search skills training, career navigation, interpersonal skills, and conflict management. All modules covered include an exam that will be given to any student wishing to attain nationally recognized American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute Certifications. An optional connection with local employers is included. Financial assistance is available for qualifying applicants. The registration deadline is October 9th. For more information and registration, interested applicants should call Southeastern Community College at (319) 208-5375, or by email at cbiz@scciowa.edu. ### About Goodwill of the Heartland The mission of Goodwill of the Heartland is to advance the social and economic well-being of people who experience barriers to independence. Goodwill offers life and job skill development, work experience, job placement assistance, day habilitation, supported community living, workforce services to employers and contract manufacturing, assembly and packaging. In 2019, Goodwill provided more than 20,000 services to people with barriers in its 19-county service area. For more information, including retail, donation and service locations, please visit www.goodwillheartland.org or call toll free 1-866-466-7881.   Issue Number: 2020-17Inside This Issue 1. IRS highlights online resources during Small Business Week; including resources available in multiple languages In support of National Small Business Week – Sept. 22 to 24 – the Internal Revenue Service is emphasizing the many IRS online resources available to help small business owners and self-employed individuals handle the tax aspects of their business. The IRS has a long history of providing resources in Spanish and also provides products in Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Russian and Haitian-Creole, such as the Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center. To help more people, the IRS is translating other tax resources into more languages. In the meantime, the IRS is offering basic tax information in 20 languages, including a section on filing for a business. Back to top 2. Three employer credits available that grant relief to businesses The Internal Revenue Service reminds business owners and self-employed individuals of three employer credits available to them during COVID-19. During Small Business Week, the IRS wants to ensure all eligible people know about the relief these credits provide. The Employee Retention Credit is designed to encourage businesses to keep employees on their payroll. The refundable tax credit is 50% of up to $10,000 in wages paid by an eligible employer whose business has been financially impacted by COVID-19. The Paid Family Leave and Sick Leave Credit is designed to allow business to get a credit for an employee who is unable to work (including telework) because of Coronavirus quarantine, self-quarantine or has Coronavirus symptoms and is seeking a medical diagnosis. Employees are also entitled to paid family and medical leave equal to 2/3 of the employee's regular pay, up to $200 per day and $10,000 in total. Up to 10 weeks of qualifying leave can be counted towards the Family Leave Credit. Back to top 3. Reminder: Taxpayers may be eligible for the home office deduction The IRS is reminding individuals to consider taking the home office deduction if they qualify. The home office deduction is available to qualifying self-employed taxpayers, independent contractors and those working in the gig economy. However, employees who receive a paycheck or a Form W-2 exclusively from an employer are not eligible for the deduction, even if they are currently working from home. There are two basic requirements to qualify for the deduction. The taxpayer needs to use a portion of the home exclusively for conducting business on a regular basis and the home must be the taxpayer’s principal place of business. Additional information on the home office deduction can be found in IRS Publication 587, Business Use of Home (Including Use by Daycare Providers) or Form 8829, Expenses for Business Use of Your Home. Back to top 4. Tips for people starting a new business Understanding the tax responsibilities when starting a new business can save taxpayers money and help set them up for success. IRS.gov has the resources and answers to help people through the process of starting a new business. Finding resources for choosing a business structure, tax year and applying for an EIN can easily be found on IRS.gov. Back to top  We are here to help. The Iowa Department of Human Rights (DHR) brings strength to Iowa's rich heritage. Our three divisions - Community Action Agencies, Community Advocacy and Services, and Criminal and Juvenile Justice Planning - work to reduce cultural, social, and economic barriers to opportunities for Iowans to succeed. Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Programs Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps qualifying low-income Iowa homeowners and renters pay for a portion of their primary heating costs for the winter heating season.The assistance is based on household income, household size, type of fuel, and type of housing. View eligibility guidelines. The program will accept applications beginning October 1, 2020, for households who have a member that is at least 60 years of age, or disabled, or where disconnection is imminent. All others may apply beginning November 1, 2020. The last day to apply is April 30, 2021. Applications are taken at your local community action agency. Anyone facing disconnection at any time should contact their local community action agency for assistance. To find your local agency, you may call 2-1-1, visit https://humanrights.iowa.gov/dcaa/where-apply, or contact: LIHEAP Iowa Department of Human Rights 321 E. 12th St. Des Moines, IA 50319 (515) 242-5655 or 1-800-351-4659 Please note that Operation: New View Community Action Agency in Dubuque, Iowa, will no longer provide services after September 30, 2020. Hawkeye Area Community Action Program (HACAP) in Hiawatha, Iowa, will expand its services to include the counties of Dubuque, Delaware, and Jackson. An applicant may initiate an appeal if the application was denied, or incorrect facts or improper procedures were used to determine eligibility, assistance amounts, or services. For more information on appeal and hearing procedure in multiple languages, visit Appeal & Hearing Procedure. Weatherization Assistance Program Households applying for LIHEAP will also be applying for the Weatherization Assistance Program. Weatherization is a federal grant program established to help reduce the heating and cooling costs for low income persons, particularly the elderly, disabled, and children, by improving the energy efficiency of their homes, thereby reducing the households’ energy bills. The program also improves the health and safety of low-income homes.
Mental Health Videos The Iowa Department of Human Rights, in collaboration with Mosaic Family Counseling, developed a five-part video series focused on mental health and wellness for service providers. Topics include trauma, understanding emotions, crisis intervention, suicide, and self care. Videos can be viewed DHR's Facebook. Time is Running Out-Respond to the Census Today The Census count will end September 31. While the coronavirus pandemic and natural disasters presented significant challenges, there are easy ways to respond and be counted -- online at 2020census.gov, by phone at 844-330-2020, or completing and mailing back the paper questionnaire. Census takers will visit households that have not responded. Your response will shape the results of the 2020 Census official count that determines how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding flow into communities every year for the next decade. Census data affects funding for critical programs such as infrastructure, education, hospitals, child abuse prevention, housing, and responses to natural disasters.
September is National Service Dog Month September is National Service Dog Month, and we honor service animals and emotional support animals for assisting people with disabilities be successful in work life and everyday life. Dogs perform many important tasks, such as helping blind and visually impaired individuals navigate their environments, providing stability for a person who has balance issues, picking up items for a person who uses a wheelchair, alerting a person who has hearing loss to important sounds, or signaling the onset of a medical issue such as a seizure. If you are interested in learning more, here is some guidance:
Disaster Recovery Resources FEMA makes assistance available to public entities in 7 additional counties and the Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has made assistance available to public entities and nonprofits in seven additional counties as well as the Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa that were impacted by the August 10 derecho. Greene, Grundy, Guthrie, Hardin, Iowa, Jackson, and Washington counties have been added to a Presidential Disaster Declaration issued by President Trump on August 17, 2020, which made public entities and select nonprofits in 16 counties eligible to apply for the federal Public Assistance Program. The 16 counties that were approved for Public Assistance funding in the August 17 declaration are: Benton, Boone, Cedar, Clinton, Dallas, Jasper, Johnson, Jones, Linn, Marshall, Muscatine, Polk, Poweshiek, Scott, Story, and Tama. The Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa received a separate Presidential Disaster Declaration from President Trump on September 10, which made the tribe eligible to apply for the federal Public Assistance Program. Public Assistance funding may be used for emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities. Did you know that the Iowa Department of Human Rights has an Office of Native American Affairs? The Office advocates for and serves the needs of Native Americans to participate fully in the economic, social and cultural life of the state. State Disaster Recovery Website The state has a website dedicated to news, information, and resources related to the August 10, 2020, derecho. The website includes resources related to agriculture and business; federal, state, and local assistance; donation and volunteer opportunities; food and shelter; and mental health resources. Visit https://disasterrecovery.iowa.gov. DHS Disaster Assistance Governor Kim Reynolds issued disaster proclamations for a number of counties affected by the derecho storm. Visit the Iowa Department of Human Services' website regarding details and deadlines for food assistance programs, Iowa Individual Disaster Assistance Grant Program, Iowa Disaster Case Management, and Disaster Behavioral Health Response. Note that if a presidential major disaster declaration for Individual Assistance is issued for a county for the same event, the state program is automatically canceled for that county, as the FEMA Individual Assistance program then goes into effect. Community Action Agencies Many community action agencies offer assistance such as food banks, food delivery initiatives, clothing, diapers, and other emergency and disaster relief needs. There is a network of 17 community action agencies that serves all of Iowa's 99 counties. To find a community action agency near you, visit the Iowa Department of Human Rights' website. 211 Help Line 211 provides support, resources, and referrals in the event of a disaster. Iowans may call 2-1-1 or 1-800-244-743, or visit https://www.211iowa.org to be connected to the help they need. For the English Language Learner Help Line, call 1-877-558-2609. For deaf and hard-of-hearing Iowans, dial 7-1-1 first for the Telecommunications Relay Service to reach the 2-1-1 hotline. Legal Assistance Derecho Legal Hotline 1-877-469-2259 M-F, 9am-4pm Victims of the August 10, 2020, derecho in Benton, Boone, Cedar, Jasper, Linn, Marshall, Polk, Poweshiek, Scott, Story, and Tama Counties who are experiencing legal problems due to the storm can get free legal advice through the hotline. Issues may include FEMA denials, insurance problems, landlord/tenant issues, unemployment benefits denials, employment issues, contractor issues, or identity theft. Callers may leave a message, and a Legal Aid staff member will return their call. Iowa Legal Aid 1-800-432-1275 Iowa Legal Aid helps low-income and senior Iowans with civil legal problems, including disaster related issues such as landlord tenant, government benefits, and insurance. Iowa Attorney General's Office 1-888-777-4590 Complaints about price gouging and other issues related to the storm clean up can filed with the Iowa Attorney General's Office. Their office also put together a checklist for important things to consider, such as hiring a contractor and what may be scams. COVID-19 Legal Advice Hotline 1-800-332-0419 Iowans experiencing legal issues related to COVID-19, such as eviction, denial of unemployment benefits, employment issues or identity theft may call the hotline. Callers can leave a message, and a representative will call them back. COVID-19 Language Resources American Sign Language Videos-CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-Resources for Limited English Proficient Populations Congolese Health Partnership Videos Coronavirus, State Website Crescent Community Health Center-Marshallese Language EMBARC Ethnic Minorities of Burma and Advocacy and Resource Center Hawaii Office of Language Access-Youtube Iowa Department of Human Rights-Language Access Iowa Department of Public Health Iowa Spanish Helpline 515-344-3936 Multi-Lingual Hotline 1-877-558-2609 Refugee Alliance of Central Iowa Iowa Department of Human Rights Lucas State Office Building 321 E 12th Street Des Moines, IA 50319 515-242-5640 or 1-800-351-4659 Contact Us Form Fairfield First Fridays Celebrates Oktoberfest with Online Activities and Streaming Live Music9/24/2020 Fairfield First Fridays Oktoberfest Friday, October 2nd, 2020 While normally there would be music, vendors, wiener dog races and more in Central Park, the activities for this year will be online for the October 2nd Oktoberfest event. The Wiener dog races have been postponed and will hopefully be able to be held at a later date. The champion from last year needs to be able to defend their title! This year since we are not able to hold the races at this time, we will be holding a Wiener/Wiener Wannabe photo contest. Send in your best picture of your beautiful dog, whether wiener or wiener wanna be, and be entered to win prizes! Send us those photos! The winner will be picked by the number of likes for each picture. Make sure you have your friends like the photos! Get the pictures in early! We will create an album for the participants. We will have a German recipe contest! Usually we have a German Chocolate Cake contest, this year, because we are not able to get together for this event, we are asking you to send in your best German recipes. Feel free to include pictures! Sending us your recipe will enter you into a drawing for prizes! For the younger (or young at heart) Oktoberfest participants, we have created a few coloring pages. You can print them off or pick them up at Community 1st Credit Union. Color them, or decorate them in any way you would like and send us a picture of your art work to be entered into a drawing to win some great prizes. You can also drop them off at Community 1st Credit Union and they will put them on display! Link for coloring pages. The band, The Boys, will be streaming a live performance from 7 to 8:30 on Friday October 2nd ,of their original music for all to enjoy. A link to watch the live performance will be posted on our website and social media pages. If you have heard the band before you know they always put on a great show, if you have not heard them before you are in for a treat! We would like to thank Community 1st Credit Union for their sponsorship, many years of continued support and ideas for this annual event! We would also like to thank the Fairfield Convention and Visitors Bureau for their continued support with each of our monthly events. Get to coloring, digging through those recipes and snapping pictures of those pooches! https://drive.google.com/drive/u/7/folders/1p5emGEo2z3JMrCSsD7VY8yr4CaiIDx8v Link for coloring pages If you would like to submit a wiener/wiener wanna be photo, a German recipe or would like to send a photo of your coloring page please email us at fairfieldartwalk@gmail.com . If you have any questions, please text or call 641 233 8883. Please submit everything by Wednesday, September 30th!   The Fairfield Area Chamber of Commerce, Fairfield Arts & Convention Center (FACC), and Fairfield Economic Development Association, with the support of presenting sponsor Freeman Kevenides Law Firm, have partnered to present the 2020 Fairfield Area Candidate Forum series on Tuesday, October 6th, and 7th, 2020. On Tuesday, October 6th, Bart Richmond and Tracy Vance, the candidates for Jefferson County Sheriff will weigh in on a variety of questions, with doors opening at 5:45PM and the moderator, Lindsay Bauer, Executive Director for the FACC, will be introducing candidates at 6:15PM. The sheriff’s forum will end at 7PM and Dee Sandquist, Susy Drish, Nick Adam, and Keith Vlademar, the four candidates vying for Jefferson County Supervisor, will be introduced at 7:05PM. The event will end at 8:30PM. On Wednesday, October 7th, Rich Taylor and Jeff Reichman, the candidates for the Iowa Senate District 42, Joe Mitchell and Jeff Fager, candidates for House of Reps District 84, and Phil Miller and Jeff Shipley, candidates for House of Reps District 82 will be introduced at 6:15PM. The event will end at 8:30PM. These events will be held at the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center with doors opening at 5:45PM each night. Seating will begin at 5:50PM. Due to current CDC guidelines, the in-person capacity of the FACC will be limited to 60 people. These events are free and open to the public but due to limited seating, there is a lottery for open attendee seats. Interested persons should sign up for the seat lottery by one of three ways. You may call the Chamber at 641-472-2111, or email Ceo@FairfieldIowa.com. You may also apply online at www.growfairfield.com/2020forum. Seats will be drawn on Friday, 10/2/20 and seat recipient names will be posted on the above websites. At 6:05PM both nights, any unclaimed seats will be released to people who are in line for the event but not registered in the lottery. Livestreaming of both of these events will be available on Fairfield Media Center’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/FFMediaCenter, or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/FairfieldMediaCenter/. Both nights will also be available for later viewing at those websites. 1570 KMCD radio will also host a radio broadcast of the events in cooperation with the Media Center. Questions for the candidates may be submitted by calling or emailing the Chamber, or online at the FEDA website, as shown above. Per FACC policy, all attendees must wear a mask as the enter, leave, or move about the FACC. Once individuals are seated, masks may be removed as long as the individual stays seated. Due to the uncertainty of the pandemic environment, last minute changes that move the events to only online will be posted at the Chamber and FEDA websites, as well as the FACC website, www.fairfieldacc.com. |
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All or most of the photos were provided by Werner Elmker Audio-Visual Studio.