 Coronavirus relief options SBA offers several different relief options to help businesses, nonprofits, and faith-based organizations recover from the impacts of COVID-19. You can view all options or skip to a specific program below. In order to reach the smallest businesses, SBA will offer Paycheck Protection Program loans to businesses with fewer than 20 employees and sole proprietors only from Wednesday, February 24 through Wednesday, March 10, 2021. President Biden has also announced additional program changes to make access to PPP loans more equitable. https://www.sba.gov/page/coronavirus-covid-19-small-business-guidance-loan-resources
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 Oscar nominee Sam Pollard ('MLK/FBI') with host Brent Roske on 'Your Iowa Morning' Your Iowa Morning is the new hit program featuring Oscar winners, elected officials, journalists, local and national business leaders - and now they want to showcase your West Des Moines business, talent or non-profit! Host Brent Roske lives here in West Des Moines and has made it his personal mission to promote local businesses and residents through these challenging times. On his EmmyTM nominated TV series Roske on Politics (ABC5 Des Moines) he promoted several local businesses while interviewing Presidential candidates, members of Congress and more. His new program, Your Iowa Morning, is a lifestyle series and incredibly flexible as to what can be featured. Do you run your own businesses or non-profit? Do you have a product to sell or special talent that just needs to be seen? Email Brent at roske@youriowa.com and get on the show! Recent guests include Oscar winner Bryan Fogel ('Icarus'), Oscar nominee Sam Pollard ('MLK/FBI'), the United Nations HRC, the co-creator of Julan Fellowes (Downton Abbey) new series Ian Kelly, Dr. Frantz Whitfield, Iowa realtor Misty Soldwisch, Jeff Bruning of Iowa's Full Court Press, Ken Davitian from Netflix hit series 'Cobra Kai', Andrene Ward-Hammond who stars with Bryan Cranston in Showtime's 'Your Honor', Christina Anthony (ABC's 'Mixed-ish'), Milena Govich (director of NBC's 'Chicago Med'), Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand and many more. Tune in Mon-Fri at 7am CT at youriowa.com to watch live or archived episodes.
Don't wait. Get seen on 'Your Iowa Morning'! CONTACT: Brent Roske roske@youriowa.com  .
Agri-Industrial Plastics in Fairfield is looking to hire for the following positions; Safety Coordinator, Machine Operator, and Benefits & Payroll Specialist. Safety Coordinator: Help us promote and maintain a safe work environment at Agri-Industrial Plastics! Responsibilities include administering the safety program, while working collaboratively with employees, management and outside vendors. 1-2 years experience in a Safety-related field, 10 hour OSHA training and First Aid/AED certification preferred. Please click here for job descriptions and application information!  Dear Colleague,
The Social Security Statement is one of our most valuable tools a person can use to learn about their earnings and future Social Security benefits. A convenient way to access the Statement is by using my Social Security, where you can find a variety of useful tools and information, including our new fact sheets. We have added new fact sheets to accompany the online Statement. The fact sheets are designed to provide clarity and useful information, based on your age group and earnings situation. They can help you better understand Social Security programs and benefits. The fact sheets cover:
The fact sheets help educate workers about Social Security so they can make informed decisions based on their specific situation. You can find all of the new fact sheets at www.ssa.gov/myaccount/statement.html. I encourage you to share this information with your members, colleagues, affiliates, and other interested parties. Sincerely, Jeffrey Buckner Associate Commissioner Office of Strategic and Digital Communications (T) 410-965-1804 @SSAOutreach  Get certified as a food systems leader through ISU Extension and Outreach; registration closes March 5 Limited scholarships available, apply by Feb. 22 The COVID-19 pandemic emphasized the importance of resilient local food systems. The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach has transitioned its nationally recognized Local Food Leader professional development certification course to a virtual format. This certification includes cohort workshops hosted through Zoom and online curricula through Moodle. The first online workshop of 2021 begins on March 16 and ends July 13; registration closes March 5. Register here. The course integrates live online instruction with a set of online modules completed at participants’ own pace. Those who successfully finish the course will receive a certificate of completion. Limited scholarships are available. Fill out a scholarship form here by Feb. 22. See more information about each course, including schedules, registration, and scholarship application links, at this link. Questions? Contact Kaley Hohenshell at kaleyh@iastate.edu. .   Fairfield Art Association (FAA) Membership Exhibit Opens The Fairfield Art Association announces the opening of its annual Membership Exhibit. Twenty- five artists have original art works on display in the Main Gallery at the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center. It is open to the public for viewing during business hours Monday – Friday from 9 am – 5 pm, masks are required, and social distancing practiced. A reception will be planned later in March, when awards will be announced with four outstanding art works and a critique of each piece will be given. This event will be also be viewable online, with details later. This year the FAA invited its members to select from several canvas size options to work on, a set of four 6”x6”, a 6”x12”, 11”x14”, 12”x12”, or 16”x16”. “As we got into the project, and Covid cases were rising around us, a few artists asked if they could use a canvas they already had at home if it were close in size. We wanted to be lenient in this upside-down year, along with concern we would not have as many participants – so the answer was YES. We even opened-up to include a non-canvas entry of a 16x16 metal piece by Curt Swarm. We feel turnout is good with 25 entries that feature painting in oil, acrylic and watercolor, several mixed media, photography, and textile. I am thinking that next year FAA might go back to including all art medias as we used to do” says Suzan Kessel, volunteer director. Artists participating are from Fairfield, Washington, New London, Mt.Pleasant, Ft. Madison, Pulaski and Pleasant Plain Iowa, and include: Susan Bomzer, Kathleen Almelien, Cindy Ballou, Deb Baughman, Ann Bosold, Care Connet, Elaine Duncan, Rolf Erickson, Annie Guldburg, Bonnie Hendericks, Brett Hendericks, Suzan Bates Kessel, Jessica Kirby, Gin Lammert, Pamela Lander, Cathryn Layer, Hans Eric Olson, John Preston, Trish Rocca, Wyndi Rutledge, Mark Shafer, John Schirmer, Curt Swarm, Laura Weinberg and Ron Weinberg.
 Washington State Bank is currently accepting applications for a full time Loan Officer position in our Fairfield branch.
Applicants must be a self-starter, meet deadlines in a fast-paced work environment, develop relationships through networking and community involvement, be able to efficiently multi-task, and have a strong desire to provide outstanding customer service. Please send resume to the Attention of Mike Greiner at Washington State Bank 1706 W Burlington Ave; Fairfield, IA 52556. Applications can be found on our website, washsb.com/career-opportunities. Applications will be accepted through March 1st, 2021. SBA's Iowa District Office Hosts COVID-19 Economic Aid Overview Webinars - February 17th and 19th2/12/2021  SBA's Iowa District Office Hosts COVID-19 Economic Aid Overview Webinars February 17th and 19th SBA’s Iowa District Office is hosting two webinars offering small business owners in Iowa an overview of the SBA’s COVID 19 Economic Assistance Programs. These identical sessions will be held via Microsoft Teams Live and provide a general overview of the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL), SBA Debt Relief program for its regular loan programs, and the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG).  Session 1 – Wednesday, February 17, 2021 from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Hosted by Iowa District Director Jayne Armstrong and Lead Lender Relations Specialist Dave Lentell Click HERE at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, February 17th to join the Microsoft Teams Live session To participate by phone only: 202-765-1264 - ID 812565838# Session 2 – Friday, February 19, 2021 from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Hosted by Iowa Deputy District Director Dawnelle Conley and Lead Lender Relations Specialist Dave Lentell Click HERE at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, February 19th to join the Microsoft Teams Live session To participate by phone only: 202-765-1264 - ID 612368408# # (Session 2 is identical in information to Session 1)  Washington State Bank’s board of directors is pleased to announce that upon the retirement of CEO and President Steve Bohn, Executive Vice-President Sue Basten will take the dual role. Bohn has announced his retirement plans, to take effect March 1. Basten has been Washington State Bank’s executive vice-president since 2015 and has been a loan officer with the bank since June 2006. She graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin in 2014 and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa. A native of Gilmore City, Iowa, Basten and her family moved to Washington in 2004. Her husband Tom Basten is a parks district supervisor for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources; her son Kyle is a civil engineer in Cherokee, Iowa; and son Reid is studying audiology at the University of Iowa. Basten is a Washington County Hospital Trustee. She has served on the boards of several non-profit organizations including the Washington Economic Development Group, Washington Public Library, Washington Chamber of Commerce and Washington County YMCA. She a member and past president of the Washington Rotary Club and currently serves as treasurer of the Washington Community School District Foundation. “I am honored that the Board of Directors has asked me to follow in the footsteps of such incredible leaders of the Washington State Bank. Steve Bohn has accomplished much in the time he has led the bank and has been a mentor and friend. I wish him the best in retirement and thank him for the success he accomplished in establishing strong footings for the future of the Washington State Bank,” said Basten. Washington State Bank directors take the opportunity of this announcement to thank Bohn for his outstanding work for the bank. Bohn and his wife Cheryl moved to Washington in 1992; Bohn began his career at Washington State Bank as a loan officer in 1991. As CEO/President since 2015, Bohn has overseen the growth of Washington State Bank with the addition of branches in Columbus Junction and Fairfield, the bank’s assets increasing from $235 million to $423 million during his tenure. Reflecting on his years with Washington State Bank, Bohn said, “It has been a wonderful experience to lead such a talented team. The bank has been serving the needs of its customers in Washington since 1932 and the addition of Columbus Junction and Fairfield locations has served to provide significant growth across all metrics for our shareholders. Our strong capital and liquidity positions leave us well structured for future success.” Washington State Bank’s directors congratulated Bohn on a very successful presidency and also stated their readiness to work with Basten to see Washington State Bank achieve even higher benchmarks while retaining its concern for the communities it serves.
  February 2021 Newsletter  Photo Contest Winners Thank you to all of the talented photographers who entered the Keep Iowa Beautiful 20th Anniversary Photography Contest! This has been the most competitive photography contest in our 20 year history! Nearly 900 photos were submitted, capturing Iowa’s beauty from river to river. Category Winners  Iowa Cities: Justin West of Des Moines “Super Moon Iowa Capitol in Winter”  **Social Media Favorite Award** Iowa Landscapes: Dave Austin of Ankeny “Trinity Church Under the Stars”  **Robert D. Ray Best of Show Award** Iowa Water: Brian Abeling of West Des Moines “Horseshoe Bluff”  Iowa Wildlife Winner: Eric Williamson of Des Moines. “Play Time”  Iowans in Action Winner: Wilford Yoder of Iowa City. “Helping Hands Loading Oat Bundles” To check out more winning photos, visit our website: https://keepiowabeautiful.org/photography-contest/winners/ But wait, there’s more! The outstanding quality and competitiveness of this year’s contest made it extremely difficult to choose the top photo in each category, so we added a BONUS social media contest featuring the second place, third place, and honorable mention winners in each category. Voting is happening NOW through Monday, February 15th. To vote, check out the photos on Keep Iowa Beautiful’s Facebook page and “like” your favorite! Pick-Up Iowa 2021 Sponsored by Keep Iowa Beautiful Don’t miss out on the opportunity to join communities across Iowa in cleaning up our streets, rivers, and public spaces! Join communities across Iowa in participating in Pick Up Iowa in support of Great American Cleanup. Your community may participate by cleaning up litter and trash along Iowa’s roadsides, neighborhoods, streets, school grounds, parks, forests, and streams. Who may participate? Anyone! Cities, community and civic associations, schools, church groups, local sports teams, college clubs, groups of families and friends, businesses, Scouts, and others can organize their members and participate in Pick Up Iowa. When: Pick Up Iowa, will be held March 26th to June 30th, 2021 on any dates that work for your group. What: Pick Up Iowa is part of Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup — the nation’s largest community improvement program. It is estimated 20,000 communities participate nationwide. As a Keep America Beautiful affiliate, Keep Iowa Beautiful is encouraging communities across the state to host a clean-up event between March and June 2021. To participate, register your group before March 10, 2021. Registered participant groups are eligible for a limited supply of free cleanup supplies such as bags, grabbers, safety vests and gloves donated by Keep Iowa Beautiful. To sign up to be eligible to receive clean-up supplies and assistance with your event, please complete the short form below: https://www.research.net/r/PickUpIowa_2021_SignUp We look forward to assisting you with a successful Pick-Up Iowa 2021 event!  Build with Bags Grant Application Deadline: March 30th Have you submitted your application for the Iowa Grocery Industry Association’s Build With Bags Grant Program? You still have time - The application deadline is Tuesday, March 30th! The primary goal of Build with Bags is to tackle an environmental concern that has been receiving a great deal of attention – the use of plastic (and to some degree) shopping bags. To address this issue, the Build with Bags program has defined four primary goals:
The grant program is available to any governmental entity, organization (i.e. service clubs, non-profit organizations) within Iowa that purchase the items for a park or school. The items must be made of recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic (the base material for making plastic shopping bags). Those receiving grant awards must acquire the items and then show proof of purchase and payment before receiving reimbursement of the award. To learn more and apply, visit the Iowa Grocery Industry Association’s website: Last Chance to Apply for 2021 Keep Iowa Beautiful High School Scholarships This week is your LAST CHANCE to apply for the Keep Iowa Beautiful 2021 High School Scholarships! Applications are due February 12, 2021. Keep Iowa Beautiful will award three $1,000 scholarships to Iowa high school seniors in 2021 who plan to enroll in an Iowa college or university. The scholarships are in honor of three pioneers in Keep Iowa Beautiful’s 20-year history: Bob Byers, William Fultz, and Gerald Schnepf. The Byers scholarship is supporting high school students who plan to enroll and study environmental science, community development, landscape architecture or architecture (historical emphasis) or community planning and sustainability. The Fultz scholarship will be awarded to a senior planning on studying communications, public relations and/or marketing. The Schnepf scholarship will be awarded to a senior who has a record of community service and a desire to continue to support and contribute to the enhancement of the place they live and work. College programs could include community & regional planning and volunteer management. Keep Iowa Beautiful is proud to continue supporting Iowa students. Since the founding of the scholarship program, Keep Iowa Beautiful has awarded $48,000 to 58 students. Remember, the application deadline is approaching! Applications are due February 12, 2021 with notification in March.  Paint Iowa Beautiful Grant Application Deadline is February 15th! The deadline to apply for the 2021 Paint Iowa Beautiful Grant is quickly approaching! Don’t miss out on this opportunity to bring a fresh coat of paint and a fresh outlook to your community. The online grant application deadline is Monday, February 15th, 2021. Paint Iowa Beautiful is an 18-year partnership between Keep Iowa Beautiful and Diamond Vogel Paint. The program provides free paint to a wide variety of community projects throughout Iowa. Administered through Keep Iowa Beautiful with the paint provided by the Diamond Vogel Paint Company. “The partnership with Keep Iowa Beautiful allows Diamond Vogel to assist and work with many local volunteers that help build communities, making Iowa the number one state in the nation to live,” said Doug Vogel, Vice President, Marketing, of the Iowa based company. This is a great opportunity for Iowans to improve the attractiveness and beautiful of their community.” Kevin Techau, Executive Director of Keep Iowa Beautiful added, “The Paint Iowa Beautiful program helps increase our assistance to communities, neighborhoods, historic projects and volunteer organizations improve attractiveness and beauty across Iowa.” In the 18-year partnership with Keep Iowa Beautiful, Diamond Vogel has awarded over 11,165 gallons of paint for 1,000 community projects in Iowa. Don’t forget – the online application must be completed and submitted by February 15, 2021. To learn more and apply online, visit our website. You Can Stop Litter! When you see litter happening on Iowa’s roadways from a vehicle, Call 1-888-665-4887 Please provide as much detail about the incident as possible:
Call 1.888.NOLITTR (1-888-665-4887) to report littering from a vehicle.  Social Media Submissions Keep Iowa Beautiful wants to share your community’s good news! Are you proud of a completed project in your town? Do you want to show off a new mural in your downtown? Did you host a fun, exciting event for your community? We want to know about it! Click on the button below to share short descriptions of events, projects, or news from your town! You can include pictures and captions as well. Keep Iowa Beautiful will share your post on our social media! Your Support Matters! Keep Iowa Beautiful is a non-profit organization and, as such, relies on your support to ensure the success of our environmental education and community outreach programs. Donations will help KIB's efforts to support our community. Any amount is valued and appreciated. Donations can be made online or checks can be mailed to our office: Keep Iowa Beautiful 2910 Westown Pkwy #302, West Des Moines, IA 50266 |
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All or most of the photos were provided by Werner Elmker Audio-Visual Studio.