Author: Brad

Income Tax Assistance

The IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free basic tax return preparation to qualified individuals.

The VITA program has operated for over 50 years, offering free tax help to:

  • Individuals/families who generally make $60,000 or less;
  • Persons with disabilities; and
  • Limited English-speaking taxpayers

The regional VITA sites are staffed by volunteers who have IRS tax law training, passed IRS certified tax law exams, adhere to procedures to protect taxpayer privacy and confidentiality and operate the VITA sites that meet the IRS quality review standards.

Taxpayers who qualify for this service can call the message phone for NEIVITA at 563-277-7246 or email neivita.assist@gmail.com to request an appointment.  A VITA volunteer will return your call to verify your qualification for the program and schedule a future tax appointment.

All taxpayers need an appointment.

The VITA locations in Northeast Iowa are the:

Waukon ISU Extension Office

Decorah ISU Extension Office

Decorah Spectrum Kitchen

Cresco Public Library

Postville Public Library

Elkader ISU Extension Office

Appointment times and days of the week vary for each location.

Almost all of the Volunteers who serve through VITA completing tax returns are members of the Northeast Iowa RSVP Volunteer Program.  We expressed an interest in this program and then were referred to VITA.  There are many volunteer opportunities available through RSVP as long as you are 55 years old or better.  With RSVP, you can choose which opportunities work the best for you.

Need more information?  Leave a message at NEIVITA 563-277-7246.

Decorah MEU Task Force Education Events Summaries and Recordings

Between May and October of 2022, the Decorah Municipal Electric Utility Taskforce invited all of the speakers below to share information with our MEU taskforce and with the community about their electric utilities. We also invited representatives from Alliant to join this series, but they declined to participate.

Each of these speakers provided valuable information about how electric utilities operate in Iowa. Each of these approximately one hour presentations were recorded so that we could share them with those who were unable to attend the initial events.

The link to all of the videos in the YouTube playlist is here:

The link to the MEU Education Event Series Executive Summaries and Transcripts is here:

tinyurl.com/meutaskforce

(This link is to the city’s MEU Taskforce Dropbox folder that also contains all of the other documents related to the work of Decorah’s Municipal Electric Utility Task Force. The Education Event Series Recordings and Summaries Folder contains this document, with the link to the recordings, as well as each of the individual summary and transcript documents. )

NE IA Get Charged Up! EV Event

Join us at the NICC Wilder Business Center on Thursday October 13th for the Northeast Iowa Get Charged Up! Electric Vehicle Event!!!  A line up of subject matter experts and panel discussions will introduce attendees to community electric vehicle (EV) readiness, EV fleet transitions, charging infrastructure deployment, funding opportunities and more.  Also check out the EV exhibit, Ride and Drive opportunity, and networking lunch. This is a free, full day event (9 am – 4 pm). Our goal is to bring engagement around this expanding technology to our local communities so they can capitalize on opportunities and prepare for local impacts.  Businesses and organizations, schools, community leaders, and more are encouraged to attend and GET CHARGED UP ABOUT EVs! Visit the website for more information on the event and to get registered!

https://whova.com/web/KYwwfxE5WRuLsall5hJtdN-rmLPBS4W-NVO0-MADgr0=/

Presented by: Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission, Northeast Iowa Community College, Northeast Iowa Resource Conservation and Development, Luther CollegeMajor Sponsors: Iowa Economic Development Authority – Iowa Energy Center, Northeast Iowa Funders Network, Northeast Iowa Community College, and KAR Auto Group

Red Oak Outdoor School Announces Fall Programs

The Red Oak Outdoor School is excited to announce their fall program series for youth and families. Programs include weekly exploratory days with children 4 and under (with a parent/guardian), monthly workshops for youth aged 5-12, and a weekly homeschool enrichment program for ages 5-12. 

“My daughter grew immensely from her time in Willowers (a Red Oak program), deepening her sense of confidence and a willingness to try new things,” says Somer, parent of a program participant. 

This fall’s programs will be run by Ida Rotto, joined by guest mentors from the Decorah area. All programs will take place within a 15 mile radius of Decorah Iowa. Specific locations will be sent upon registration. 

Red Oak is informed by the 8 Shields Coyote mentoring model, the Rx Outside Nature-Led Mentoring model, the Reggio Amelia approach, and the landscapes and seasons that we inhabit. 

For more information view this pdf

https://drive.google.com/file/d/189nRmQnvGAErAfgalpvIUautf4hwqWYg/view

and to register, contact Ida Rotto at 707.919.5802 or ida.rotto@gmail.com

 

Red Oak Fall Programs

 

*******

 

The Red Oak Outdoor School is committed to supporting youth to know themselves in the context of the communities that they are a part of, seeing and thinking for themselves with an understanding of our interconnectedness in a world that asks us evermore to do so. In the day-to-day, this means supporting children to build relationships with the natural world, each other, and themselves, through meaningful play and exploration. Through time outside, we believe that youth are aided in their development in ways for which the human body has been wired for millennia, integrally supporting them in their ability to predict and orient, and grow in their confidence and resilience. By building familiarity with neighbors of all kinds, we hope to help youth to discover a sense of unquestionable belonging.

Happy Birthday Toys Go ‘Round!

Birthday gifts are fun and TGR has approximately 20 riding toys they would like to add a helmet-for-checkout with the toy. If you would like to donate funds or a new kids helmet – dropoff during our open hours or send a check to TGR at 607 Washington Street.

Open Wed. & Thurs. 3:30-6:30 or Saturday 10:00-1:00.

Happy 30th Birthday to the most unique toy lending library in Northeast Iowa

 

Volunteer at the Oneota Film Festival: March 3—6

Some of the Film Festival’s current areas of need are:

  • Set-up and Take-down
  • Doorkeepers at 6 venues
  • Festival greeters and runners
  • Doorkeepers
  • Screening Hosts

More detailed job descriptions will be found in the Volunteer Sign-up pages:

Thursday/Friday Signup (March 3, 4)

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0f4ba8a82ea20-oneota

Saturday & Sunday Signup (March 5, 6)
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0f4ba8a82ea20-oneota1

When you sign up with Signup Genius, you will receive emails telling you what you have signed up for. You can change your assignments, if you need to. You will receive reminders before the day of your volunteer job.

Volunteer Coordinator: Brenda Ramlo 563-419-6765.

There will not be a training meeting this year. If you are new to volunteering, please come to OFF Headquarters about 15 minutes early to learn what you need to do.

OFF Headquarters will be at Lingonberry Event Center, 218 W. Water St., Decorah

 

Decorah First United Methodist Church Announces Becoming a Reconciling Congregation

As a newly approved reconciling ministry, the Decorah First United Methodist Church happily celebrates the stance of offering Christ’s Love to all regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. We wish to proclaim our affiliation with the other churches who are seeking to resist evil and oppression in whatever (any) form they present themselves.

We’ve heard the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  It is suggested that a way to move beyond thinking about how we’d like to be treated is to use the more empathetic Platinum Rule: “Do unto others as they  would have us do unto them.”  The further suggestion is for us to utilize the highest level of treating others,  the Titanium Rule: “Jesus says, “Just as I have loved you, you should also love one another more.”

As followers of Jesus, we acknowledge our human frailty sometimes causes us to pause in being the strongholds of uncompromising love that our Lord exemplifies.  With our newly acquired status as reconcilers, we now step forward to proclaim the message of God’s Love and Peace being meant for ALL.

Our congregation recently voted overwhelmingly to accept the following statement, therefore becoming a Reconciling Church: We celebrate God’s gift of diversity and value the wholeness made possible in community equally shared and shepherded by all. We welcome and affirm people of every gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, who are also of every age, race, ethnicity, physical and mental ability, level of education, and family structure, and of every economic, immigration, marital, and social status, and so much more. We acknowledge that we live in a world of profound social, economic, and political inequities. As followers of Jesus, we commit ourselves to the pursuit of justice and pledge to stand in solidarity with all who are marginalized and oppressed. In this effort we stand in solidarity with other Reconciling churches, groups, and individuals seeking to change UMC discriminatory practices.

Our congregation is planning a service of celebration and recognition of becoming a Reconciling Church on Sunday, March 20 at 9:00 AM. As always, our doors are open to anyone wanting to celebrate God’s Love with open hearts and open minds.

1 2