About aroundcarthage

fffff

The Joplin Area Habitat for Humanity is building homes to help out local families

JOPLIN, MO – While the Joplin Area Habitat for Humanity is helping out many families, one new future homeowner cant thank them enough.

Life is about to go through a big change for Maria Ortega-Espinoza.

“I just feel excited, blessed, you know to be working with Habitat, you know to get my home here locally in Joplin close to work.” Says Maria Ortega-Espinoza, future homeowner.

And living here won’t only help her with her daily commute to work, but it will also help out her children.

“They’ll have their own room. You know two boys, each kid can have their own room. It’s closer here to school, there’s a couple schools here near by, so that will be easier, more convenient.” Says Ortega-Espinoza.

They’re just one family benefitting from the work of the Joplin Area Habitat for Humanity.

The group is currently working on two homes in Carthage, and seven in Joplin.

“We have four homes right now that are in different levels of construction, and then five being framed today into next week, so we’re excited about this time. You know we have plans for nine right now which is a good number for us.” Says Scott Clayton, Joplin Area Habitat for Humanity Executive Director.

While building nine homes is already an accomplishment of its own, it’s involving the future homeowner in the project that’s even more special.

“We connect that family with the people that’s helping build their home, and it’s a special process to bring that all together. And, plus the homeowner can see what it takes to build a home, and they can gain appreciation of what that means, and how hard that is.” Says Clayton.

An In-Home Caregiver is awarded for her hard work and care that she puts into her job

NEVADA, MO – In tonight’s dose of good news… A Nevada caregiver is being recognized for her hard work.

“Shocked to be very honest. I work real hard to take care of people and that’s what I pride myself in and apparently I do a very good job,” said Jessica Worley, CNA In-Home Caregiver.

The Missouri Alliance for Home Care awarded Jessica Worley The Paraprofessional Caregiver of the year Award for her hard work and professionalism dealing with difficult clients.

She’s a CNA at On My Own, Inc. in Nevada.

Worley’s boss held a surprise party and had her family in attendance.

“It’s good to know that people see us and that I was able to continue with everybody and get all the cares that they needed. Even though it was stressful and you weren’t sure going to the grocery store you were going to get some sort of health issue so it was stressful, but I had to keep going,” said Worley.

Worley was nominated by her boss for helping a client that was unresponsive and her work during the pandemic.

“When I walked through the back door which I always come in, I happened to glance over and I saw her legs on the floor. I went in and she didn’t respond to me, she didn’t answer to the name. She kept looking at me but I got kind of scared and went in and called 911.” Says Worley. “She’s doing well now, she’s as well as she can be, but I’m glad she survived.” She continued.

The Missouri Alliance for Home Care says Worley was chosen from 122 home care agencies.

Worley’s boss says she goes above and beyond caring for her clients.

“She has some very challenging clients and instead of calling and saying. Some of our aids would call and say ‘please don’t send me back there. I don’t want to go back there.’ But she would say ‘it’s a challenge I’m working through it, but I’m learning his ways or her ways and we are going to get through it and it’s going to be okay.’ That’s her attitude rather than ‘I’m just done, and it’s too hard,” said Amanda Fischer, Director of In Home Service of On My Own Inc.

The Carthage Technical Center is ranked one of the highest in the state

CARTHAGE, MO – A Southwest Missouri nursing program is ranked one of the best in the state.

The website “Best Value Schools dot org” puts the Carthage Technical Center LPN course as #2 in the state.

The rankings evaluated flexibility of classes, the length of the program, the tuition, and certifications offered.

“It’s 8 to 4 every day so it’s manageable hours. It is a tough program, obviously it’s a nursing program at the end of the day, but I feel like it’s set up to help students succeed and also manage their lives outside the class as well.” Says Gage Tiller, CTC Asst. Dir.

The program is currently in the middle of its 11 month cycle, but they are taking applications for classes in 2022.

https://ctc.carthagetigers.org/practicalnursing

A Nevada community garden is giving out free fresh vegetables

NEVADA – A community garden in Nevada is giving residents the chance to get fresh vegetables, for free.

“On My Own Incorporated” has a community garden next to its facility.

It was started 5 years ago to help people with disabilities have access to a garden.

It’s since expanded to four beds full of fruits, vegetables, tea, and flowers.

The garden is wheelchair accessible.

Officials also teach a gardening class for people who have developmental disabilities.

“It kind of normalizes their life. That they can do what other people can do despite the fact they may have some physical, or cognitive, or developmental disabilities. It gives the, a sense of self because they have self sufficiency they can grow their own food.” Says Kelly Day, Independent Living Skills and Benefits Specialist.

They have a group on Wednesday from 9:00a.m. to 10:00a.m. where they plant and tend to garden.

If you’d like to volunteer call 417-667-7007.

Teen hero helps Missouri officer during a dangerous arrest

JONESBURG, Mo. – It was a role reversal in Jonesburg, Missouri when a 16-year-old boy came to the aid of a police officer struggling to make an arrest. The cop is calling the teen a hero.

It all began at a local convenience store and it could have been so much more dangerous. Fortunately, Gunner Sexton and two others dropped what they were doing to keep an officer from getting hurt or worse.

“As I entered, this person didn’t look like he was doing so well, had a hypodermic needle in his pocket,” Officer Len Sylcox said.

Officer Sylcox was responding to a 911 call when he discovered a man, apparently on heroin, who was about to drive away in his car.

“As we approached him at his car, he said, ‘I’m not going to jail today’ and took off running,” Sylcox said.

The officer chased the man and tackled the suspect in a muddy field near Interstate 70.

“I grabbed him by the shirt and yanked him down and as I yanked him downwards, my feet slipped out from under me; I actually pulled him on top of me,” Sylcox said.

That’s when Sexton and two adult males came to the officer’s rescue. The suspect could face a number of charges.

“We all helped. It was combined effort getting the guy off of him,” Sexton said.

Sexton, who plays high school football, baseball, and track, stands 6’5” tall and weighs 235 pounds. He said his talents and size made his impromptu police work a little less challenging.

“I really didn’t do too much,” he said. “I thought it was necessary to help because he was in need.”

Officer Sylcox said Jonesburg is made up people who support police, like Gunner.

“They’re heroic. It’s awesome. It’s heroic for people to come out and help the police,” Sylcox said.

Sexton lives by a message he learned at high school: “Do the right thing when no one’s looking. That’s what my football coach always preaches.”

A Missouri bill was signed today to help veterans get employed when they leave the military

JOPLIN, MO – A bill signed into law today by Missouri Governor Mike Parson is designed to help veterans get jobs when they leave the military.

The purpose of Missouri House Bill 476 is to make it easier for men and women who’ve left the military to get licensed in the occupation they held while in the service.

State Senator Bill White says it will benefit veterans who performed their occupation in the military for at least a year, and didn’t have any disciplinary action against them while performing that occupation.

“We want people to come to our state, people that are in the military here, we want them to come back when they retire, so this is a great thing, you’ve been an EMT or a physician or what ever your licensure is in the military, it will make it a lot quicker to get a job here in Missouri.” Says Bill White, Mo. State Senator, 32nd District.

White says veterans make great employees, adding this law helps make the transition to civilian life a little easier.

Costs of building materials puts a stop to construction on the Joplin City Jail

JOPLIN, MO – A project to improve the Joplin City Jail is put on hold.

A hike in construction costs means city leaders will have to delay adding a sally report to the municipal lock up.

The structure would resemble a specialized garage, allowing officers to move suspects from a vehicle to the jail in a secure environment.

Costs of building materials have been climbing in recent months, affecting a wide range of work sites.

Bids for the city project came in nearly twice as high as expected.

Snack packs will be provided to kids in the "Lion Club Academy" who qualify for state assistance

JOPLIN, MO – Thanks to a federal grant, some area children won’t have to worry about food insecurity on the weekends.

More than $10,000 from the “No Kid Hungry Campaign” will help provide bags of shelf-stable food for kids at Missouri Southern’s “Lion Club Academy.”

For the next year, children between the ages of 1 and 5, who qualify for state assistance, will be able to take the food items home each weekend in snack packs.

Three non-profits each received a $50,000 check to help with future goals

JOPLIN, MO – Grants were awarded today to three local non-profits from the Joplin Regional Community Foundation’s Philanthropic Society.

A private luncheon took place at Missouri Southern State University where the KCU dental school, community support services of Missouri, and the alliance of Southwest Missouri all received a check close to $50,000 to help them in their future goals.

While J.C.F.’s goal is to provide a big impact for non-profits, their chairman, Bryan Vowels, says he couldn’t be happier to help them out.

“We’re just happy to join up with these organizations and being a part of it. To help them give back, to make a difference in our community, so we just have the best community to live in, so we’re just excited to be apart of it.” Says Vowels.

“I’m very pleased with the fact we were able to almost complete our goal. And this means a great deal I think to the oral health and indeed the general health of the Joplin community and the areas around it.” Says Rudy Farber, KCU Dental Chairman of the Fundraising Committee.

Farber adds this donation will help the dental school in teaching approximately 320 students.

Georgia Rottweiler is preparing for her Dock Diving competitions

GEORGIA – In today’s dose of good news… A Georgia dog trainer and her furry friend are diving for the win.

The duo travels all over the Southeast to compete in Dock Diving, a sport where dogs get judged by how far they jump off a dock into the water.

Reina, a dog who not only isn’t afraid of the water, she’s taking her love for it to new heights.

“She’s definitely an anomaly, she’s unique.” Says Cindy McManus, Reina’s Owner.

Reina is a 5-year old Rottweiler training for dock diving competitions throughout the Southeast. Reina was recently dubbed the country’s best professional dock diving Rottweiler.

“Her first year she was actually the number two Rottweiler but she has jumped 26 feet which in the history of dock diving no Rottweiler has jumped 26 feet .” Says McManus.

Reina spends most of her time with Cindy in their backyard pool. There, Reina practices her swimming, jumping, and all of the other dog duties needed to win national titles.

“I just kept cultivating her diving or jumping off of this dock and she just kept getting better and better and better.” Says McManus.

Come competition time, Reina’s owner says she’s all ears and light years ahead of her opponents.

“At the competitions she’s definitely more serious, she’s amped up and has a handle on her collar because I have to hold her back, it’s a forty foot run into the pool and she just takes off.” Says McManus.

On top of reins being well known in the dock diving world, she also makes time for her community.

“She’s a certified therapy dog, she goes to libraries kids read to her, she’s titled in agility, she’s titled in lure coursing and fast cat and she’s all around just a really great dog.” Says McManus.