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July 16th, 2025

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CEO's Corner

Hello Growth Alliance Members!

Can you believe it’s already mid-July? Between summer sporting events, community happenings, family vacations, and Growth Alliance Ambassador ribbon cuttings, summer is flying by in a blur of sunshine and momentum.

This week, we experienced a phishing attempt that compromised Katy Grobe’s email. If you received a message with the subject line “Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance Balance,” please delete it and do not open the attachment. Our IT team responded quickly and has implemented added safeguards, but it’s a great reminder to stay alert. We’ve included a quick video below with tips on spotting suspicious emails. A little prevention goes a long way.

On a brighter note, we celebrated a significant milestone with Marian Home & Village as they cut the ribbon on their new facility. With over 50 years of service in Fort Dodge, this expansion is a beautiful investment in compassionate care and the evolving needs of our aging population.

We’re also excited to drop a brand-new episode of The Alliance Connection featuring Leah Glasgo, President & CEO of UnityPoint Health – Fort Dodge. Leah shares the vision behind their new $40 million surgery center and what this transformative project means for the local healthcare community.

Thanks for staying connected. Let’s keep the summer energy going strong!

Tips on spotting suspicious emails.

Astra Ferris

Astra Ferris, IOM

Chief Executive Officer

New episode dropped today, take a listen:

Alliance Connection

ALLIANCE UPDATES

Golf Outing Registration and Sponsorship

Clean Up Registration

Member Benefit

RIBBON CUTTINGS

Our ribbon cuttings are open to the public!

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

The Newsletter is growing, and we need your help to keep the flow of things going smoothly. If you are wanting to submit a flyer please click HERE to complete the NEW process. Reminder: Deadline to submit is 12:00PM the Tuesday before the Newsletter releases.

Brunch with Bickford

Come have brunch with us! We at Bickford Assisted Living invite you to brunch!

📅Wednesday, July 16th 1PM-3PM

📍Bickford of Fort Dodge 1536 20th Ave N

RSVP: Family Advocate Mercedes Anderson

515-571-5492

DIY Terrarium Class

These miniature ecosystems have fascinated and delighted people for centuries. Sign up today for our class and take one home to enjoy. Spots are limited

📅Tuesday, July 22nd

6:00PM-7:30PM $20/Terrarium

Best Practices For Food Entrepreneurs

Learn how to sell your homemade food! Join this workshop and learn how to:

Do your own batch testing

Label products correctly

Understand Iowa's Cottage Food Law

Build a compliant home food business

Whether you're just starting or ready to sell, this workshop gives you the tools and confidence to take the next step.

📅Monday, July 28th

5:30PM-7:30PM

822 Central Ave Ste 102

More Info

Garden Academy

Coming September 2025 from the Master Gardeners Program. This updated flexible training is designed for boh aspiring Iowa Master Gardener Volunteers and Passionate Iowa Home Gardeners.

Apply July 14th-Aug 15th

More Info

Tee'd Off Against Violence

Join us for our 9th Annual Tee'd Off Against Violence Golf Tournament. Benefits the Homicide and other violent crimes program. 4 person Best Ball tournament. Get your team registered today! $300 Team entry, shirt sizes are needed by July 1st.

📅August 2nd, 2025 9:00AM

📍Fort Dodge Country Club

Call Jamie for questions 515-269-0016

Back To School Block Party

Community Health Center of Fort Dodge partnering with Upper Des Moines Opportunity is inviting families to the annual Back to School Block Party. This event is par of National Health Center Week, providing essential back to school healthcare services, school supplies, a free meal, and family friendly activities.

📅Tuesday, August 5th

5:00PM-8:00PM

126 N 10th St

More Info

Carwash Fundraiser

Join us for Community Christian School's Carwas Fundraiser. All proceeds will go towards the school.

📅Saturday, August 16th

10:00AM-3:00PM

*Free will Donation

📍3126 5th Ave S

For a list of all events,

click here.

Check out our Community Calendar for Events

MEMBER TO MEMBER

Socks For The Sole

Help us give kids a fresh start!

We're collecting new socks for local students—preschool through high school.

Most Needed: Black or white crew & ankle socks

Drop off your donation at Shimkat Motor Co. by August 1!

Let’s make sure no child starts school with worn-out socks

More Info

New Addition To Community Health Dental Care Team

Community Health Center of Fort Dodge is pleased to announce the addition of Dr. Ankineedu Babu Dasari, DDS, MBA to its dental care team. Dr. Dasari will begin seeing patients in August 2025 at Community Health Center of Fort Dodge.

More Info

What Happens When You Ask ChatGpt For Local Results

ChatGPT now offers more accurate local search results by leveraging Bing data. Learn how it works—and what steps local businesses can take to maintain visibility.

Although Google remains the leader in local search, ChatGPT has made significant progress.

While still trailing Google, its local results have improved markedly since we last ranked it among AI search tools less than a year ago.

Visit our Website

Children's Forest Storywalk

📖Take a Story Walk

A new book is featured in our Children's Forest. Our StoryWalk combines reading with a walk in nature.

➡️Follow the story posted along the loop gravel trail and enjoy the great outdoors.🌳

📍Located on the NW side of Badger Lake at Kennedy Park

Our Family Homestead

Our Family Homestead will be at the Fort Dodge Farmers Market! Stop out and see us and grab a jar of our delicious peach salsa!

📅Wednesday Afternoons: 1PM-5:30PM

Saturday Mornings: 9AM-1PM

Fort Dodge Farmers Market

📍We are located in the same location, across the street east of Kemna Auto or just north of the Graham Collision Building.

📅Wednesday Afternoons: 1PM-5:30PM

Saturday Mornings: 9AM-1PM

SIMPLIFY CUSTOMER REVIEWS WITH GOOGLE'S NEW QR CODE FEATURE

SIMPLIFY CUSTOMER REVIEWS WITH GOOGLE'S NEW QR CODE FEATURE Last month, Google introduced a new feature allowing businesses to share QR codes with customers, enabling them to leave reviews via Google Search & Google Maps.

Visit our Website

Buena Vista University

Interested in earning your Bachelors Degree? You can get your degree online. Apply today! Classes start August 25.

Visit our Website

Customer Service Training Series

This 6 session course equips participants with the skills to deliver exceptional customer service. Focuses on effective communication, managing difficult customers, emotional intelligence, and conflict resolution. It aims to exceed customer expectations, create brand advocates, and turn every interaction into opportunities for loyalty and growth.

📅Starts 9/3/2025-11/12/2025

Every other Wednesday

9:00AM-11:00AM

📩noncredit@iowacentral.edu

📞515-574-1293

🔗Contact us for more information

Iowa Central Community College | Catalog