Page 7 - Clear Lake Mirror Reporter E-Edition 10-14-2015

Local NewsClear Lake Mirror-Reporter
Going to market
Four-year-old Grayson Harris and his two-year-old brother, Griffin, regularly
hop aboard their John Deere mobile to head to the Farmer’s Market with their
parents. This is the final Saturday for the market at the Surf Ballroom parking
lot.-Submitted photo.
Organizations receive grants
to promote locally grown foods
It was announced last week that
the non-profit, Healthy Harvest of
North Iowa, and the North Iowa
Fresh, LLC food hub are the ben-
eficiaries of two USDA Local Food
Grants aimed at raising awareness and
access to locally grown food.
The Farmers Market Promotion
Program Grant was awarded to the
Northern Iowa River Greenbelt, and
will provide funding for Healthy Har-
vest of North Iowa to grow their agri-
tourism events such as Farm to Fork
Dinners and Fresh on the Farm - Farm
Crawls. It will also provide funding
to expand a Producer Profile Project
which provides photographs and mar-
keting materials to local producers.
Healthy Harvest works within nine
counties in north-central Iowa and
this grant will allow them to continue
to promote local food producers, pro-
vide support with market develop-
ment, increase local food awareness
and develop partnerships which focus
on production and sales of locally
grown food.
“The timing is right for North
Iowa to capitalize on the local food
energy that has been building across
the region” says Andrea Evelsizer, pro- benefit a wide range of producers and
gram coordinator for Healthy Har-
vest. “We’ve seen increased interest in
local food, as evidenced by the growth
of the Clear Lake Farmers Market
and the recent establishment of the
North Iowa Local Food Coalition.
This funding will help us to expand
our current programs and continue to
develop connections and partnerships
across the region that focuses on pro-
motion of local food and local food
producers.”
The second grant, the Local Food
Promotion Program Grant was award-
ed to North Iowa Fresh, LLC which is
an emerging “food hub” or collabora-
tive marketing group, who has been
focusing on wholesale markets such as
grocery retailers and restaurants. Over
the past two years North Iowa Fresh
has begun to sell locally grown pro-
duce to grocery stores (Hy-Vee West
and East in Mason City, BE WELL-
ness Market in Clear Lake) and to
restaurants (1910 Grille, Mason City;
Sugarpie Bakery; Belmond Drive-In;
Belong; Sips, Clear Lake.
“North Iowa Fresh, LLC. is on
track to triple it’s local food sales from Western Holiday Lodge Oct. 7-9.
2014 to 2015,” says Jan Libbey, Ad-
ministrative Coordinator for Healthy
Harvest and producer for North Iowa
Fresh, LLC. “There is interest from
various retailers and restaurants to
expand their local food purchase and
this grant will provide some much
needed improvements to the busi-
ness’s internal management and mar-
keting. The two grants, together - the
marketing promotion and the food
hub business development, provide an
important boost to local food devel-
opment across North Iowa that will
communities.”
More information about local
producers in the area and retailers/
restaurants who are supporting local
food please visit the Healthy Harvest
Website www.northiowafood.org.
For more information about lo-
cal food opportunities whether you
are a producer or community looking
to increase local food activity, contact
Andrea Evelsizer, Healthy Harvest
program coordinator at andreaevel-
[email protected], 319-325-4222.
BREAST CANCER
from page 1
the entire course of cancer treatment.
As a comprehensive program, the pro-
fessionals strive to provide a seamless
transition from the primary care phy-
sician through biopsy, diagnosis, treat-
ment, and follow-up cancer care,” said
Allgood.
Tiffani also praised Nurse Case
Manager Sheri Showalter for her sup-
Fire Prevention Week lessons
Clear Lake students visited the Clear Lake Fire Station last week for some spe-
cial Fire Prevention Week lessons from local firefighters. Here, fourth grader
Adrianna Evans learns how to use a fire extinguisher, with the assistance of Erik
Myers, to put out a small blaze.-Reporter photo by Chris Barragy.
State Chamber execs
meet in Clear Lake
Leaders network, share ideas
The Clear Lake Area Cham-
ber of Commerce hosted the annual
fall meeting of the Iowa Chamber
of Commerce Executives at the Best
Close to 70 Chamber executives from
63 Iowa Chambers were present.
A number of professional devel-
opment programs were presented at
the two-day conference. One of them
was a legislative panel discussion to in-
clude Clear Lake House Representa-
tive and newly elected House Speaker,
Linda Upmeyer.
“This is a great way to showcase
Clear Lake and all it offers in the fall,” expose our chamber membership to
said Clear Lake Chamber CEO Tim
Coffey. “We hope the Chamber execs
not only hone their skills while at the
conference, but get a great sample of
Clear Lake at the Surf Ballroom and
the Lady of the Lake.”
The mission of the Iowa Cham-
ber of Commerce Executives is to pre-
pare the local chambers and business
port during her care.
“She’s been through breast cancer
and was always able to answer ques-
tions and guide me the entire way.
Her help was a great asset to the health eight-hour sessions of Taxol chemo-
care I received.”
Tiffani’s lump doubled in size
within two weeks of its discovery and
her treatment began with 16 weeks
of chemotherapy. She began taking
chemo in April, driving to Mason
City Clinic every other Thursday for
leaders to meet the changing demands
on their local communities. ICCE
is governed by a volunteer Board of
Directors of chamber executives that
oversees the management of the orga-
nization.
ICCE Chair Nikki Brevig, execu-
tive director of the Decorah Chamber,
said, “Through networking, commu-
nication and education, ICCE will
focus on growing chamber profession-
als. Our local chambers serve as the
catalyst to business growth. They are a
link and a convener of decision makers
and community leaders. ICCE will
cutting edge, creative and usable ideas
that enhance local chamber manage-
ment. Focused on volunteer manage-
ment, revenue, legislation, economic
development, events and volunteer
relations, our local chambers will take
the information on trends and best
practices and apply them to their local
communities.”
Oct. 14, 2015 • Page 7
eight weeks. She would take the “ugly, through this change. I wanted to be
awful” treatment between 1-4 p.m., normal. I wanted to look normal in a
then rest at home and return to work T-shirt. I wanted to feel like a woman.
on Friday. As treatment advanced to I wanted to feel beautiful again.”
Dr. Mark Mulkey, of the Mason
therapy, she took off from work on City Clinic, performed her breast re-
Fridays to spend the day at the Clinic. construction surgery.
Radiation sessions continued daily “I was kind of nervous, but he
from August to Nov. 10, 2014. put me at ease,” said Tiffani. “He
“I can’t say enough about the was a young, nice guy. There was no
support system my mother (Barb) awkwardness. He wanted my opinion.
and brother (Dustin) provided. My He asked, ‘What would you be happy
co-workers and everybody at Mason with?’, and then he presented me with
City Clinic was fantastic and very un- options.”
derstanding. Their commitment to For the next year Tiffani will
my health was over-the-top extraordi- have checkups every three months.
nary.” That schedule will drop to every six
Although her cancer appeared to months, then after five years checkups
have been eliminated through che- will be yearly.
motheraphy, doctors recommended a “I have an all new, outlook on
mastectomy on the right side. Tiffani life— especially when it comes to peo-
elected to have a double mastectomy ples’ health care,” said Tiffani. “I’m in
to maximize the likelihood that her a much better place now than I was
cancer would not return. before. I’ve lost 150-pounds and I
“Once I had the double mas- am happy to be able to share my story
tectomy, it was a struggle for me. I and hope that it might help someone,
didn’t want people to know I had gone somehow.”
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