Peter Komendowski, president and executive director of Partnership for a Drug-Free Iowa, was in Greene County last week to talk with elected officials, healthcare providers, educators, law enforcers and even the Jefferson Rotary Club.
His message at two of the meetings wasn’t as much about what to do about, to or for people with substance abuse issues as it was about curbing risky behaviors in young people.
He talked about the importance of reclaiming the positive influence parents and other adults can have on young people, an influence that has seriously eroded in the past decade or so with the increasing amount of time spent on social media, the internet, and computer games. It’s not just kids who have swapped devices for old-fashioned conversation, he said. It’s parents, too. In a lot of households, parents text message their way through “family” supper just like the kids.
Komendowski advocated for a shift in how we – parents and the community as a whole – think of raising children. He suggested that corn and soybeans aren’t Iowa’s most important crop. Kids are. We should approach raising kids the same way farmers approach raising crops. If a farmer knows there are inputs he can add that will give him a better crop, he borrows money from the bank and smiles while he signs the loan, Komendowski said. He thinks Iowans should invest in children the same way.
I suspect he delivers the same spiel everywhere he goes. But we’re different here in Greene County. We have resources. We could increase inputs on our kid crop without having to borrow a single dime. The Racing and Gaming Commission when it approved the license for Wild Rose Casino gave us an opportunity to be someplace special. The money is there.
The county and the city of Jefferson are already receiving money from the casino. The money is in the respective general funds, not earmarked for anything yet. That money is expected to be about $150,000 per year for the county and for the city.
Grow Greene has laid out its plan for how it will disburse the $1.5 million in charitable funds generated by casino gambling. After making good on the commitment to share with contiguous counties, Grow Greene will have $1,230,000 left. Of that, about $700,000 will be disbursed to the seven municipalities and two school districts in the county. Another $400,000 will be used for “impact” projects.
What if everyone involved in deciding how to use that money put kids in the forefront? I’m not thinking just of kids who already have advantages. I’m thinking of all kids.
What if the city of Jefferson used its share to provide all Jefferson park and recreation department youth programming at no charge to participants? That’s very do-able. For 2014-15, JPRD programs generated $80,500 in revenue. They were a money-maker, with expenses at $44,724. A portion of the revenue comes from adult programs, but to keep the discussion easy, let’s say the city council earmarked its Wild Rose money to replace participation fees (the revenue). If there were no registration fees, every kid would be able to play soccer or basketball or volleyball or take tumbling class. Studies show participating in group activities is good for kids. Why not make it easier for every kid to do that?
Several JPRD programs rely on volunteer coaches, and with an increasing number of participants, there would be more coaches needed. What if our service clubs, which now do an admirable job of raising funds and writing checks for local projects (many of which benefit kids), stepped up to provide coaches, too?
Take it a step further. What if Wild Rose or Grow Greene money subsidized the JPRD budget so that the current family membership to the Greene County Community Center could be eliminated? What if adults had to have a membership, but every child up through high school graduation could use the rec center at no charge?
Not fair to Jefferson taxpayers? Why not ask the county and/or the other six municipalities to pitch in, based on the number of residents under age 18?
Grow Greene intends not to attach strings to the money it allocates to municipalities and schools. I suggest both school districts use their share to decrease the Opportunities Gap between students who qualify for free lunch and students who don’t. That might be Saturday or summer field trips to places advantaged families go that challenged families bypass, or band instruments so every fifth grader who wants to try band can, or maybe it’s money for haircuts, basketball shoes and prom dresses.
The Greene County Community Foundation will receive $100,000-plus from Grow Greene. The Community Foundation in the past has funded only tangible items. What if that policy were changed so that wages could be paid, too? I wouldn’t suggest the Community Foundation start covering regular wages, but the list of projects that could be undertaken if time, wages, or outside presenter’s fees were covered by a Community Foundation grant is limited only by the imagination of area non-profits.
Greene County Development Corporation has a list of nine proposed projects, all of which are meant to develop the economic vitality of the county. What if the project that most benefits kids, a youth sports complex, moved to the top of the list? And what if that project were developed so that every program that takes place there was accessible to all kids, regardless of their ability to pay?
Economic development folks talk about the things that attract employers and employees. If we think of our children as our crop and we think of opportunities for all children as an input, and we pay for the input with our new resources, Greene County would be a truly amazing place to raise a family for newcomers and established residents alike.
The Racing and Gaming Commission made our grass greener. Greene grown kids should benefit. ~Victoria Riley
