July News (1)

Week of OC Youth Engagement

Darryl Birkenfeld, Director, Ogallala Commons

Ogallala Commons will be very involved with youth engagement activities this week.  On July 11^th, OC will partner with Texas Rural Innovators to present “Engaging Youth – Securing the Future,” an afternoon forum highlighting youth engagement across the Ogallala Region and beyond, as part of the Texas Economic Development Council Summer Meeting at The Overton Hotel in Lubbock, TX.  The panel on youth engagement is organized by OC Board Member Bobby Gierisch, and presenters include Julie Hodges, OC Education Coordinator and Mary Libby Campbell, OC Board Vice-President.  A number of Community Interns living near Lubbock will attend the session, as well as various OC partners.

The next day, July 12^th, OC will co-present a Training on Youth Engagement &Youth Entrepreneurship in conjunction with the WTAMU Enterprise Center from 9am-4pm at the Enterprise Center in Amarillo, TX.  We will have educators from the Texas Panhandle-South Plains, as OC is starting a new Youth E-Fair in Borger, TX and new Youth Engagement Days in Dumas and Pampa, TX.  We will also be joined by our entrepreneur partners from Colorado, New Mexico, and Kansas. 

OC Partner Community Turns 100

Megan England, OC Intern Coordinator

Local firefighters participate  in a good old-fashioned tug-o-war 
during the Campo Days Centennial Festival 
Firefighters' Muster.

Campo Days Centennial Festival in Campo, Colorado was a huge success! The celebration began on Friday evening, July 6th, with the "Campo's Got Talent" show that lasted nearly three hours and brought out all kinds of local talent! Saturday began early with a fundraising breakfast for the local volunteer fire department and many exciting events continued long into the evening, ending with a fireworks show and a marshmallow roast long after sunset. Some highlights of the day included the parade honoring many of Campo's long-standing citizens, a firefighters' muster, a giant slip'n'slide, and a performance by Ogallala Commons' Andy Wilkinson and his musical compatriots Andy and Alissa Hedges.

Sunday concluded the festival with a community church service in the park and more live music, this time from Paul Estep. After a potluck lunch worthy of a 100-year-birthday, "Campo-dians" past and present slowly went their separate ways, reminded again that "there's no place, any place, quite like this place".

Happy 100th, Campo!

Intern Profile: Shaelynn Wood

I’m Shaelynn Wood and I go to school in Campo, Colorado. I am 14 years old and I’m going into high school as a freshman. I’ve been going to school in Campo since 2nd grade. I have a sister that is about to turn 12 and a brother who is 9. I also have two step-sisters and one step-brother. When I get out of high school, I plan on going into the Navy and serve as a Nurse Practitioner. After serving in the Navy, I am hoping to go to University of Oklahoma. What I love to do most is play sports, basketball being my favorite. I also play volleyball, baseball, track, and swimming. I am also part of 4-H and the Youth Advisory Council (YAC).

I became interested in Ogallala Commons from my friend, now supervisor, Megan England and my superintendent, Mrs. Nikki Johnson. I attended the “Connecting Kids to Community” Megan and Kerra hosted last year and enjoyed knowing that I can do a lot to help with the community too.

Intern Profile: Mayra Gonzalez 

Hi! my name is Mayra Gonzalez...I was born in Mexico and was brought to the United States at eight years old, when my dad brought my whole family here to live with him; and since then, Wilson Texas has become my new home.  I have three older brothers, being the only girl and the baby is always great! The next school year, 2012-2013 I will be a senior in Wilson High School. Currently I am in the Upward Bound Program at Texas Tech University, a program that has brought many friends, growing experiences, and great memories to my life. Through my learning experiences in the Upward Bound program I started to look for more and more opportunities to grow and learn about the world around me and that led me to the Ogallala Commons Internship

This summer...I will be working on creating Science lessons to teach to a few kids in my community at our Summer Academy, and also helping to engage my community in our 100th anniversary this year. I am so excited to finally get an opportunity like this where I will learn so many new things and ways to better prepare myself for the future.

Intern Profile: Greg Laudenslager

My name is Greg and I look forward to another summer in Denver, working for the High Plains Food Coop. I look forward to long days, thunderstorms, bike rides, and most of all…BBQs! [...] So for those of you that did not get to follow my blog last summer, you now know that I am a strong supporter of BBQs and good food. To be specific, I am an advocate for local food that is grown with integrity. I believe passionately in farming methods that work with nature, utilizing the magnificence of its ecological processes as opposed to trying to control them. Permaculture and Biodynamic farming are two of such methods, the principles of which guide much of my daily life. This passion for ecological design has lead me to choose a career as a landscape architect. I am currently working towards a Masters of Landscape Architecture from the University of Colorado-Denver. I am interested in all facets of landscape architecture, but I place particular emphasis on storm water & wastewater management, sustainable agriculture, and edible landscapes.

When I’m not working or studying Permaculture, I enjoy spending time in the mountains. I enjoy skiing, snowboarding, fly-fishing, mountain biking, climbing, backpacking, gardening, and cooking. I love life and I am thankful for everyday. I appreciate the ups and downs of life and I am out to make the most of everyday!

Intern Profile: Joshua Nameth

 My name is Joshua and I'm from Fowler, Colorado which is a small town of about 1,100 people located in the Arkansas River valley of southeastern Colorado.  I'm 17 and have three younger brothers, but one is bigger than me.  My family lives on a farm where we grow produce for a CSA in Fowler and Colorado Springs. We also raise pigs, chickens and have a milk cow.   I like living on a farm and being part of a small town where we know the people that run the businesses. I enjoy mechanical work and fixing things I [also] like to garden and farm and I've been thinking about developing my own business based on the farm.

My internship will be interesting. I will be working for Arkansas Valley Organic Growers which is a co-op that buys produce from farms in southeastern Colorado and sells it to restaurants in Colorado Springs. I will be helping with the produce pickups, deliveries, record-keeping, learning the computer programs and making sure that the records, paperwork and deliveries are correct.