ASCOG will be closed Monday,

December 24, through Tuesday,

December 25 to observe

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS. Offices

will reopen on Wednesday, December

26, 2018.. We will also be closed,

January 1, 2019, for New Year’s Day.

Executive Director Ronnie Ward presenting LISA THOMAS with her

certificate for being the EOQ.

CAREGIVER PROGRAM

Cindy Hale will provide Information Presentation December 6 at the Purcell Nutrition center at 10:30 and the Wayne Nutrition Center at 11:30. She will be at the Ryan Nutrition Center at 11:30 on December 11 and the Frederick Nutrition Center on December 18 at 11:30.

LISA THOMAS ASCOG’s EMPLOYEE OF THE

QUARTER July – September 2018

LISA THOMAS was selected by her peers as ASCOG’S EMPLOYEE OF THE QUARTER. A compilation of comments received during the selection process include: “Lisa is always ready to go above and beyond to help with the SCEP and Caregiver programs. She is patient, flexible, and prompt in meeting our needs. She is friendly, generous with her time and always has sage advice for the administration of our programs. Lisa consistently goes above and beyond on her job description to make sure things run smoothly for ASCOG. Lisa’s many jobs keep her very busy, but she is pleasant to work with and has a generous, caring heart for those around her. I am proud to call her a friend and co-worker. She has the knowledge and the skills required for Blackbaud to keep the bills paid and the salaries coming.” This month, Lisa celebrates her 30th Anniversary with ASCOG. She is truly deserving of this honor. Congratulations, Lisa!

RURAL FIRE

TRI-COUNTY

MEETINGS

RESUME The Tri-County meetings will resume at the Red River Technology Center (RRTC) in Duncan. The quarterly meetings are scheduled for Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 on January 31, April 25, July 25 and October 31. Dates can be discussed at the January meeting for changes. Re-Certification will begin soon for the 2020 year and all run reports should be turned in to the state fire marshal by January 15, 2019. Please contact Perry Brinegar (Rural Fire Coordinator) at (580)736-7023 for questions or assistance.

2019 REAP APPLICATIONS AND RESULTS

Of the 40 REAP applications submitted, ASCOG’s Executive Committee members selected 19 to be presented to the full Board on Thursday, December 13, for approval and submission to the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. Upon approval, a list of the winning applicants and their projects will be posted on ASCOG’s website www.ascog.org on Friday, December 14

th.

2019 CDBG GRANT APPLICATIONS Entities interested in submitting Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) applications for $150,000 - $350,00 grants for water, sewer, community buildings, roads, fire trucks, etc. are strongly encouraged to start preparing and taking appropriate action now. Every year some wait too late to get the required meetings and other actions completed before the applications are due. Public Hearings must be advertised at least 7 days prior to the event, and then you have to have a meeting to confirm what was done in the public hearing. Also, Low-to-Moderate Income (LMI) Surveys may be necessary to qualify. If federal funds are to be used for engineering, a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process is mandatory. Engineering plans and preparing specifications take time. You should be talking to engineers now! If you need any assistance, please contact Tom Zigler or Mike Dixon, ASCOG’s CED grant writing and administration staff. If we help you get a successful grant, the grant includes funds to pay us for our efforts in administering the grants. Don’t miss out on applying if you don’t know how. We do - let us help!!

MEDICARE

Medicare Open Enrollment ends December 7

th this year.

We are pleased to announce that we have hit an all time high for the number of persons we have given assistance to and the number of informational outreach presentations we were able to do in all our Medicare counties, which include Comanche, Cotton, Garvin, Greer, Harmon, Jackson, Jefferson, Kiowa, Stephens and Tillman. If you are in need of Medicare counseling to compare your plan or make changes appointments can be made by contacting Kristina Manriquez at 1-800-211-2116 or 580-736-7036. Open Enrollment Events will be held in the following communities:

Tuesday, December 4th

, Center for Creative Living, Lawton 8:00 am - 4:00 pm.

Wednesday, December 5th

, Duncan North Community Center, 8:00 am - 1:00 pm.

Please remember we are here to assist with Medicare all year and not only during open enrollment. Happy Holidays!

INFORMATION AND

ASSISTANCE

FOR SENIORS Information and assistance is available to all seniors within our eight-county core service area including, Comanche, Caddo, Cotton, Jefferson, Grady, McClain, Stephens and Tillman. Currently we are developing 1-page information sheets by county which we hope to distribute in all community nutrition centers and community focal points in January. For information and assistance, please contact us at the Senior information line at 1-800-211-2116, Kristina Manriquez’s office, 580-736-7036, online at ascog.org, or visit our Facebook.

REAP SPOTLIGHT REPORT

TUTTLE OUTDOOR WARNING SIRENS

With $40,327 from a 2016 REAP GRANT and $42,563 from a 2018 REAP

Grant, the City of Tuttle was able to install a total of 4 outdoor warning

sirens (commonly called storm sirens). Through REAP funding, the city of

Tuttle is able to warn citizens living in more remote areas of the community

of approaching storms or other emergencies. Their projects are excellent

examples of how to plan for needs and continue to pursue funding until you

can fulfill those needs. When Tuttle was not funded for storm sirens in

2015, they made the same request in 2016. The additional 9 points awarded

for requesting the same unfunded project resulted in scoring enough points

in 2016 to get the first 2 sirens. In 2017, they requested REAP funds to

purchase another 2 sirens but did not get funded. In 2018, they repeated

their 2017 request and now their community is covered with protection.

Planning and persistence - very little effort for significant results.

Congratulations to the citizens of Tuttle!

RELAY FOR LIFE December 6, 2018 580.595.9231

Duncan Regional Hospital Duncan, OK

Round up a team and participate in Relay For Life of Stephens County in Duncan, a sporting event involving plenty of walking and running. Spend the day with teammates as you all band together and trek around the Duncan Regional Loop. There will be special laps for both survivors and caregivers as well as a luminaria ceremony to honor those who have lost a loved one to cancer, those affected by it and to honor the survivors.

MINCO HONEY FESTIVAL December 1, 2018 405.352.0518

Minco High School

Satisfy your sweet tooth at the Minco Honey Festival with pure Oklahoma honey. During this celebration of

Nature's nectar, tour the Ross Honey Plant, Oklahoma's largest honey processing facility. At the plant, which opened in 1935, learn all about Oklahoma's official insect, the honey bee and honey production, then sample an impressive array of honey products and take home a sweet treat from

the gift shop.

TRI-K BARREL RACE December 15-16, 2018 580.255-3231

Stephens County Fair and Expo Center Duncan, OK

Witness all the excitement of the Tri-K Barrel Race, held at the Stephens County Fair & Expo Center in Duncan. Skilled horses and riders will showcase their skills as they race around barrels in the arena. Watch as riders attempt to beat other riders' times on each run,

and cheer on your favorites. The Tri-K Barrel Race will be a great event for the entire family.