County Connect

so even though financially and situationally it made zero sense, I took the jump and hoped for the best with the support of my fiancée and family. I fell in love with esthetics very quickly and everything fell into place.

In February 2022 it was time for graduation, and I knew Gowrie was where I wanted to bring my services. The opportunities that were out there for small businesses provided by groups like the Gowrie Development Commission seemed too great to pass up. The community involvement in events like Gowrie Downtown Markets, spring and fall shopping events organized by the community and the overall feeling of comfort provided by a small town made it a no brainer. I had looked at some store front opportunities, but nothing felt right until I spoke with Jacci Hindt, owner of Addison James Boutique and Jacci Addison photography. Her businesses are a staple here in Gowrie offering photography services and an inclusive selection of clothing for women. I knew that’s where I wanted to be!

Jacci was super supportive, and I loved the idea of collaborating and building a super authentic and welcoming place for women to feel their best. I love sharing a space with her businesses. She is so knowledgeable on owning a small business and has been such a great help to me while finding my place. It’s so nice to have that support from someone passionate about other women owned businesses. Now that my treatment room is up and moving, I could not be more grateful for the overwhelming support I have received from Gowrie residents and surrounding towns! I originally was very anxious about the what ifs: What if Gowrie couldn’t support the kind of services I had to offer? What if they thought my pricing was off? What if I wouldn’t be busy enough to justify leaving my stable job? Gowrie was reassuring for me after just my first week. Thanks to all of my clients I get to experience the overwhelming joy when a client feels beautiful in their own skin. That really is my favorite part of being an esthetician, bringing that inner beauty in people to the outside so they can see it themselves. I’m not sure there’s any better feeling when you get to make people feel beautiful while doing services you love. All of the hard work and stress has been worth that alone! I currently offer facials, skin repair services, full body and facial waxing, lash extensions, lash lifts and tints, and brow tinting. I am also working on my acne specialist certification and really enjoying that.

Sam Dischler, Owner, Wag’n Wheel

I’m Sam Dischler, the pet groomer in Gowrie! I own Wag’n Wheel, a local boarding, grooming, and pet product store.

I got started grooming after certification from Iowa Lakes but have always worked around animals. I grew up on a farm outside Fort Dodge, worked at a vet clinic through high school, went to school to become a registered vet tech, and continue to work in that role as well.

What I love most about my job is the community I serve and the “extras” we do every day to make sure every animal gets extra attention and love whether they’re there for a few hours or days. In grooming, everyone gets a skin and coat assessment, deep conditioning treatment, bandana, cologne, and styled picture. Our boarders all get pup cups, toys, 1:1 play time and walks, and art time to take home.

Gowrie is a great community to call home! It’s a small-town atmosphere that absolutely supports and helps its community on a citizen to citizen level and beyond. Meeting people and their pets is the highlight of everyday. Building bonds with pets and getting to know people and their families is a huge perk to being a small community. We give back to the community through our “Change for Chim” fund which is a free will donation that goes towards emergency medical expenses if anyone in the community or surrounding area is in need.

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Frontier Days weekend

We had beautiful weather on June 3rd for the ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of Frontier Days weekend, and to honor the parade marshals, John and Margo Daniel!

Fort Dodge Community Foundation and UNITED WAY

SINGLE MOTHERS NEED OUR HELP

When a single mother with children is in poverty, the challenges and obstacles she must overcome every day can be overwhelming. The challenges of raising a family today are very difficult and the costs for housing, food, transportation, and all the other basic living needs has skyrocketed. For many of us, paying the higher prices for food and gasoline today is irritating. For those in poverty, this challenge becomes a life-changing one. For many single parent families, it puts them at a significant risk of becoming homeless, not being able to feed their families or pay their utility bills. The stress placed on a single mother in poverty, can be staggering to the point of becoming a serious mental health issue.

An unfortunate statistic from the Anne E. Casey Foundation shows that in Fort Dodge, almost forty-three (43) percent of families with dependent children are single parent families, and over ninety (90) percent of single parent families are headed by the mother. National research on poverty shows that thirty-eight (38) percent of single parent families live at or below the poverty level compared to seven (7) percent of two parent families.

United Way of Greater Fort Dodge is focused on helping single parents who are struggling by providing them with mentoring and support services to help these parents, of which the majority are women, get connected to services they need. The ultimate goal is to help these families become stable and financially self-sufficient. United Way will serve as a central point of coordination for connecting people to support services that will help them overcome social, financial and personal barriers to employment and financial self-sufficiency that they face. United Way mentors will work with and support these women in struggling families by providing guidance, direction and encouragement. Mentors will help connect clients with support services including job assistance and connecting them to education and training opportunities. They will also assist under-skilled people in finding employment by connecting them with potential employment opportunities. Support may include assistance with resume writing, job applications, interviewing skills, etc. Other supports may include life skills and financial literacy education and connecting clients to support services for assistance with childcare, housing and other basic living needs.

This process is a collaborative one and United Way is partnering with a number of our partner agencies to help make this process efficient, effective and much easier to navigate for all clients who can benefit from these services.

United Way is looking for mentors who want to get involved and help other women in need. If you have an interest in becoming a mentor, please call United Way at 515-573-3180 or stop in our offices at 24 North 9th Street to visit with

us.

Randy Kuhlman, C.E.O. Fort Dodge Community Foundation and United Way

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UnityPoint Health - Fort Dodge’s Trinity Occupational Medicine Clinic

Congratulations to UnityPoint Health - Fort Dodge’s Trinity Occupational Medicine Clinic on your ribbon cutting celebrating your new location - 210 N 15th St! Trinity Occupational Medicine serves the health and safety needs of corporations and businesses throughout Fort Dodge.