To all the supporters who came to the dance, we thank you.
Okay, I'm confused....again. There is talk about a YMCA coming to Dodge. Sounds great...until you get the details.
Dodge City's two big back-to-back basketball tournaments provided a healthy dose of January Madness this year. Some teams won, some lost, but the games took place in an atmosphere of high energy and hearty competition, and all for the first time in the United Wireless Arena, surely an inspiring experience for each athlete.
United Methodist Mexican American Ministries (UMMAM) was started in 1974 by the United Methodist Church as a way to provide care to migrant workers in the area. As Christians, they responded to the need for food and clothing for those workers and their families. Nearly 38 years later, UMMAM is still meeting needs. And no longer does UMMAM just serve the needs of migrant workers. UMMAM serves everyone.
With medical clinics in Dodge City, Garden City, Liberal and Ulysses, UMMAM treats patients with chronic and immediate health issues. In 2011, UMMAM treated more than 4, 700 patients. UMMAM dental clinics in Dodge City and Garden City treat kids and adults that might otherwise not be able to afford regular dental care. The dental clinic in Dodge City, although not open full time, is one of only two options for Medicaid patients in Dodge City. UMMAM Care Centers provide food, clothing, emergency assistance, immigration assistance and other social services to those needing assistance.
The holidays are particularly difficult for many of our families struggling to put food on the table for their children. Each Care Center works with families and individuals to provide food boxes, Christmas gifts or Helping Hand Funds. As hearts open to those seeking refuge in the Lord, may UMMAM clients find grace and peace as they struggle with financial or family issues, health complications or other situations.
Filling the basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, electricity, or medical care impacts lives, but the true impact is the relationships that are built with clients. These individuals and families do not forget about the generosity that is bestowed on them by UMMAM staff. Many come back to the Care Center to volunteer, give a donation or just let the staff know how they are doing.
UMMAM is extremely grateful for each civic group, each business, and each individual that crossed our threshold with a food donation, a gift for a child or a monetary donation. Those donations have stayed within in your community. Those donations helped your community. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you.
As we look to 2012, we hope to continue to do what we have always done in serving people of all races and faiths. When you come to one of our care centers or our medical or dental clinics, we are concerned with all that are in need and how we can help. John Wesley said it best when he said, “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can.” We appreciate those that have helped us do good. I encourage you to visit UMMAM in your community to learn more or experience the joy of this ministry.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Waggoner, CEO
For the past 13 years, Windthorst Heritage has been blessed with the association of the Dodge City Community College Musical Department as our partner in concert presentations at our beautiful historic church. This year the Christmas performance directed by Jodi Reese, vocal director, and Ginger Zigara, instrumental director, was nothing short of outstanding.
All things considered, we have to give Governor Brownback's proposed School Finance Reform Plan an 'Incomplete'. It's good to give districts more flexibility in deciding how to spend aid dollars and the formula may be easier to understand, but there is nothing in this plan to substantively address his laudable goals of raising student achievement. Excellence in Education requires laser-like focus on outcomes and those elements are missing from this plan.
The Migrant Family Night was held at Dodge City Middle School on December 14th, 2011. Our sponsors for the event were Cargill, National Beef, Walmart, Ruiz Auto, Central Station, Montana Mikes, Salon Exotica, and House of Beauty. These sponsors have contributed regularly for many years and we greatly appreciate their support to the migrant families.
The cacophony of ignorance emanating from President Obama and the Republican presidential hopefuls is truly astonishing. The endless yammering about government creating jobs is more pabulum for the ignorant or hopelessly uninformed.
My father, who passed away in 2008, lived to be 79 years old. Those who knew him will remember him as a man with a sharp wit, a keen sense of humor and a warm heart. He had a temper, too of course, but his normal demeanor was one of friendly optimism.
The Globe recently printed a piece that I submitted on some of the issues that received public interest recently in our community, and the correlation to similar issues that received public interest closer to one hundred years ago. In my effort to share some unique, lesser-known, and even forgotten history, perhaps I also tried to share too much at one time. The piece had to be edited for length, and a significant portion had to be cut. Leave it to an elected official to say anything briefly.
