INCA partners with Chamber, others to benefit community – Published in the April 5-11 edition of the JC Sentinel
This week’s Member Spotlight is on INCA Community Services. I have worked with Wanda Gray on community activities since getting started here at the Chamber. Some of our board members are INCA-RSVP volunteers – anyone 55 or older can sign-up. Our organizations have something in common in that we see the relationship between healthier, active Johnston County residents and a better quality of life for them and our business community.
INCA stays busy by assisting with food drives, sock collections, supports Head Start programs, offers community transit through JAMM services, helps those in need of emergency housing or with basic needs after a disaster at home, like flood or fire. Most recently, INCA has become more involved with the efforts being accomplished in our county to assist our local pollinators. Oklahoma is right along the migration path for the monarch butterfly, a species crucial to helping crops grow and for making our community look wonderful in the spring and fall. Many others are interested in the saving of monarch butterflies, including the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations, the Oklahoma City Zoo, and the City of Tishomingo – now a Monarch City. Plans are underway to plant native vegetation along Pennington Creek, our trail systems, and Main Street that will attract butterflies and tourists.
INCA has partnered with the Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge and Chamber of Commerce to bring the public information on getting involved – Thursday, May 3rd there will be an informational program at the pavilion at Pennington Creek Park on personal butterfly gardens, adopting a hiking trail or Main Street flower bed, helping enhance our community gardens, and creating safe habitats for some of the most important insects on the planet. Saturday, May 5th, there will be a nature walk at the TNWR pavilion at 9:00AM. This will entail using nets and guide books, catching and identifying the variety of species that can be found in our prairie restoration area. Anyone in attendance may participate in the annual North American Butterfly Association (NABA) surveys being conducted on Friday, June 15 at TNWR. To learn more and get involved, contact Wanda at INCA-RSVP, 371-2352.
Look out next week for a Spotlight on Tish Tire & Auto!
I wanted to mention that the Annual Chamber Banquet went splendidly this year – the décor, company, auctions, and award recipients made the evening. Thank you to the banquet sponsors, Murray State College, Keeling Laser Imaging, and the board of directors for your support and work toward making this our best year yet!
“The two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.” – Mark Twain
-Jordyn Frazier
