After Three Years It’s All About The Community

Oskaloosa Iowa on July 25, 2013.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – Three years. What can happen in three years? It seems as though everything can happen in three years, but there is still something new every day.

Oskaloosa News may have been one of the best accidents that could have happened in my family’s life.

Just over three years ago I can remember myself thinking, and occasionally expressing my thought, that there was nothing to Oskaloosa and especially nothing to do here. Oh how wrong I was!

After three years of getting to know this town and especially the people that call it home, I am still amazed by the individual and collective actions of those who work every day to make this town a better place. That has been one of my most personal lessons during this time.

In these three years I have learned that it is so much harder to step out every day and try to make your community a better place than to do nothing but complain. Some of the reward has been meeting and sharing those moments in life with many of you.

So now, when covering an event, it becomes even more important to me to do my best to showcase those talents and time that are so graciously volunteered.

Without trying to exclude anyone because there is no way I can begin to remember every smiling face, or helpful voice. Things like, the Oskaloosa city band that brings smiles to faces. A clean and green project where people volunteer their time to make the city a more beautiful place. The men and women, teens and children who fill bags of food for the hungry, and the little league coach who makes sure the young sluggers swing is just right. Things as simple as someone who holds the door for you, these moments of sacrifice help you and your community to be a better place.

This spirit of community was really driven home to me one day when I saw a local business owner bend over and collect loose trash that was blowing down the city sidewalk. He carefully scooped them up and quietly place them in the nearest trash container, then he spotted some more, and quickly chased down that litter, disposing of it in the nearest trash bin. My thoughts then turned to, what if we all would just take the time to honestly care for our community. What kind of home would we really have?

Something else I have learned and come to enjoy about Oskaloosa is the incredible feats accomplished by our elementary, middle and high school students along with, getting to know our local university and its amazing students.

This school year will start and we will have the great privilege of being there during many of those great accomplishments. We look forward to it, to getting to know the newest young people while they start to make their mark, and then feel a sense of pride and sadness when we see some of them move on, out of our community. The nice part is knowing that they take the lessons learned, while in Oskaloosa, with them.

Oskaloosa News reader map for July 2013.

So after three years, this little project wouldn’t be here without its own share of volunteer spirit. Some have come and gone like my friend Charlie Comfort. There have been other volunteers who have sent guest submissions, written columns like Martha Comfort’s ‘Living on Less’, and my mother’s (Diane Mortensen) column that highlights recipes from my grandmother titled ‘Georgia’s Kitchen’.

Photography has been a very large part of Oskaloosa News. Without some volunteers helping to take pictures and documenting the things that make our town what it is Oskaloosa News wouldn’t be what it is today.

Countless hours by Don Hubbard, Denis Currier, Ginger Allsup, my daughter Candace Allsup and myself, along with the impressive guest submissions from hundreds of readers which help connect our community in a very unique way.

Oskaloosa News also has been blessed with some very supportive businesses. Without their financial help we would never be able to keep fuel in the Jeep, or to afford a new camera after we had worn the others out. We can’t thank them enough for their most generous support.

In the past year we have had the pleasure of partnering with CRI or the Communications Research Institute of William Penn University. This experience of working with a group of people who are also dedicated to informing their community has been instrumental in making me a better citizen journalist. I want to thank them for their kindness and generosity.

Speaking of citizen journalism, it’s been fun connecting with my fellow citizen journalists around the state. To see someone figuratively grab pen and paper and expose themselves for the sake of telling a story with little to no pay, but with the desire to make a difference. Many of those people are making that difference in their neighborhoods.

With that in mind I look forward to continuing this crazy experiment and strive to the best of my ability to make a difference. Yes I will fail, many times falling short of expectations, it is inevitable. I want to thank our many readers, and their many compliments and praise. Also, to those that are not so fond of us, your criticisms and opinions are also valuable, and we thank you.

Thank you again and we (Ginger and Ken) look forward to meeting as many of you as we can in the coming year.

P. S.- If you have any questions, concerns or a desire to volunteer, not only at Oskaloosa News but at something else in the community, feel free to drop us a line at info@oskynews.org