Public Invited to Greene County Community Involvement Night

An evening for people to find out more about the various community groups and organizations in Greene County will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 4, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church parish hall in Jefferson.  The public is invited to attend.  The evening will have an expo-like feel with community organizations having booths to visit.  The Greene County Cattlemen will be grilling free hamburgers and hot dogs for visitors.  Door prizes will be given out throughout the evening, as well as a grand prize to be raffled off at the end of the night.

The event will also feature guest speaker Douglas Burns, co-owner and reporter/columnist for the Carroll Daily Times Herald, which recently purchased the Jefferson Bee and Herald.  Burns will discuss the importance of civic engagement and the impact that it can have on a community, sharing stories from his own experiences and observations.  Burns is a fourth-generation Iowa journalist who has been with the Carroll Daily Times Herald since 1996.  Before then, Burns’ writing career took him to Washington, D. C., West Palm Beach, and Ames, Iowa.  He writes a political column for Des Moines’ Cityview newspaper and is a frequent guest on Iowa Public Radio.  Burns has interviewed President Obama seven times – six as a candidate and once as president.  Burns will speak at 6:15 p.m. to those in attendance. 

Community organizations and groups looking to recruit more volunteers for their cause are still able to reserve a booth.  Those interested in having a booth at the event should contact the Greene County Extension office at 515-386-2138 for registration information.  A suggested booth fee of $25 is being requested from community groups to help cover costs of the event.  The event will be open to the public free of charge, thanks to sponsorship from the Junction Hilltop Wind Farm, Greene County Cattlemen, and Greene County Extension.  For more information about Greene County Extension, including other community and economic development programming, visit www.extension.iastate.edu/greene.