Grand Junction, IA

Horizons activity is continuing in Grand Junction this spring. The second annual clean up day is scheduled for early this spring. Under the leadership of two of the newly elected city council members, who are active Horizons members, the city will soon begin the big job of tearing down the first of numerous abandoned houses in town. This is a task that the Horizons group has been actively pursuing from the beginning. Some downtown painting projects are also in the works.
After last year’s successful Fun Day, planned and organized by Horizons committees, we are in for more fun this year on July 5. The success of last year’s event was a big boost to the feeling in the community that we can achieve goals we set out to strive for.
Another group that formed as a direct resut of the community’s Horizons participation is the local garden club. This active group has more than doubled in size in the past year, and is working hard to raise funds to support community beautification projects. The group, called The Naked Ladies Garden Club, has recently produced and sold a calendar which is now in its second printing, due to popular demand. The membership of the group brings together community members from all walks of life who may have never interacted, but are now forming solid bonds of friendship and cooperation.
These events are doing a lot to create a real sense of community here in Grand Junction.

The decay of the town of Grand Junction was gradual, creeping up on the town like obesity creeps up on so many of our bodies. Like a pound here and a pound there, a rundown house here, an unmowed vacant lot there, ten pounds here and twenty-five pounds there, crumbling bricks and mortor here, abandoned buildings there, it happens. If dealt with immediately, these problems can easily be remedied, but over time, they all add up to the same thing: unattractiveness, dysfunction, and a deadly risk to the health of an individual or a community.
Grand Junction is facing a deady risk from its decay and is in a fight for its life as a community. As is the case in the treatment of obesity, sometimes a group approach, like the Weight Watchers program, can lead to success. The group approach in the case of Grand Junction is Horizons.
In the past, there have been people in leadership positions in Grand Junction who would serve, but not lead, or try to lead, but no one followed. Leadership Plenty had given Grand Junction the opportunity to recruit and train a new generation of leaders. The Horizons program has planted the seeds of enthusiasm and support that will help sustain this new leadership.
This enthusiasm and support has helped develop a fellowship within the community. The fellowship leads to more communication and interaction. There is an increase in volunteerism. Fund raising for community groups is more successful. Snowbirds from the community want to stay informed on community activities while they are away instead of trying to forget about life in cold snowy dysfunctional Grand Junction.
More people are participating in the group effort to heal the community because they want change. Success with small efforts builds confidence to try more. And the gradual snowball effect of many small successes may lead to a giant snowball of success in working toward eliminating poverty, community decay and their devastating effects on the well being of Grand Junction. Just as obesity has no overnight or instant cure, stopping the gradual decay and eliminating the problems of poverty in Grand Junction will take time, patience and good leadership to achieve. We are on the way.