BVU and Upper Des Moines Opportunity, Inc., make connections through Strategic Partnership

Strategic Partnership with Buena Vista University allows Upper Des Moines Opportunity, Inc. to better serve its communities through advancements in education made by its employees and their family members.

Buena Vista University (BVU) and Upper Des Moines Opportunity, Inc., (UDMO) have joined forces as Strategic Partners to bolster their communities and the people they serve.

This partnership allows employees of Upper Des Moines Opportunity, Inc., as well as eligible family members of full-time employees, to receive grant funding to lower the overall cost of education while enrolled in classes at BVU’s Storm Lake campus. Partner grant funding also lowers the cost per credit hour for students enrolled in BVU’s convenient online/hybrid undergraduate programs or the organizational leadership graduate program.

BVU professors and staff are also available for training programs, workshops, and more should officials with UDMO seek those services and expertise.

“BVU’s mission of ‘Education for Service’ aligns with the myriad of ways in which UDMO serves residents of nearly 10,000 homes across Northwest and North Central Iowa each year.

Julie Edwards

“A Strategic Partnership with Buena Vista University allows Upper Des Moines Opportunity to better serve its communities through advancements in education made by our employees and their family members,” says Upper Des Moines Opportunity, Inc., Executive Director Julie Edwards. “BVU’s mission of ‘Education for Service’ aligns with the myriad of ways in which UDMO serves residents of nearly 10,000 homes across Northwest and North Central Iowa each year. Being a partner with BVU allows our employees and their families greater access to a BVU education, one way in which we’ll also strive to strengthen those we serve.”

The educational benefits offered by BVU are made even more accessible to employees of UDMO who work and reside in locations that are home to BVU offices located on partnering community college campuses, such as Iowa Lakes Community College at Spencer, Emmetsburg, and Estherville; and Iowa Central Community College at Fort Dodge. For decades, BVU has enjoyed educational ties with community college campuses in those locations, working with students as they seamlessly transfer their credits toward their bachelor’s degree at BVU. Students receive personalized support including admissions, enrollment counseling, and academic advising through BVU’s offices on the community college campuses serving Iowa Lakes Community College and Iowa Central Community College, to name a few.

UDMO promotes self-sufficiency by providing a variety of programs and services to the families they serve, always aiming to fight poverty while improving health standards and increasing educational attainment for family members of all ages. UDMO offers the following services: Children & Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), Family Development & Self-Sufficiency (FaDSS), Hand-in-Hand, Head Start, Housing Assistance ESG, KIDS, Low-Income Energy Assistant Program (LIHEAP), Outreach Services, SAIL, Weatherization, and Women, Infant & Children’s Food Program (WIC).

UDMO provides these services to families in 12 Northwest and North Central Iowa counties, including: Buena Vista, Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Hamilton, Humboldt, O’Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Webster, and Wright.

“Buena Vista University is a wonderful partner with Upper Des Moines Opportunity, Inc., as so many BVU students assist our staff with day-to-day tasks, such as unloading groceries to organizing our food pantry to working within the community as we participate in much-needed food distribution efforts,” says Maggie Reyes, Outreach Specialist at UDMO’s Buena Vista County site in Storm Lake. “The mission of ‘Education for Service’ is lived out by many BVU staff members and students. Their work helps us change the lives of thousands of people just in and around Storm Lake.”

“Buena Vista University is excited to collaborate with Upper Des Moines Opportunity, Inc., within our Strategic Partnerships initiative,” says BVU Director of Strategic Partnerships Laura Todd. “UDMO is a proven leader among community action agencies in Iowa. At BVU, we are proud to be able to provide an educational benefit that will further strengthen UDMO employees and their families as they work to serve those in and around Northwest and North Central Iowa.”

For more information about BVU’s Strategic Partnerships and partner opportunities, please visit the BVU website at bvu.edu/strategic-partnerships or contact Strategic Partnerships at StrategicPartnerships@bvu.edu
 

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