How do you help yourself, your company and your community, all at the same time? By participating in an all new, dynamic, hands-on, half-day positive coaching workshop offered by HR Ideas Unlimited. The workshop will take place at the REMC Building, located at 350 Wedcor Avenue in Wabash, on Wednesday, Oct. 1.

In business, leaders have to be both coaches and managers. To lead effectively, we need to know when to wear which hat. Positive coaching can increase your managerial effectiveness by understanding how and when to direct, delegate, or develop. This Positive Coaching for Results workshop is specifically designed for people who supervise and manage others and want to master the wide variety of coaching tools and methods available.

Positive Coaching for Results will be facilitated by area business professional, Alan Siepker, a local HR Manager, who will share his expertise in the field of management development and coaching.

Do you know what to do when an employee doesn’t achieve the desired results or behaviors expected or when an employee’s performance or conduct negatively affects their job, productivity, or the work environment?

The answer is, a leader must step in promptly to inform the employee that the situation must change or adverse consequences may result. There is a basic coaching model to assertively and positively coach individuals from whom a behavior change is expected.

Positive Coaching for Positive Results can yield consistent, positive results and actions by designing and delivering an assertive and direct message, while maintaining a polite, respectful, and supportive approach                  with the individual you are coaching.

What approach can a leader take to give an employee feedback without damaging the working relationship?

The keys to Positive Coaching are the consistent application of nine (9) action steps to improve performance and conduct. During this workshop, explore the use of I-Statements and When I-Statements to identify the behavior to be corrected in a way that is non-accusatory. Learn how and when empathy can be used to demonstrate support or understanding. In addition, expand your effective application of positive and negative consequences to improve, change, or extinguish certain behaviors.

Workshop exercises include how to explain the impact an employee’s behavior is having on others so that they can see the connection between the deficiency and outcome desired. Become skilled in recognizing the warning signs of employee anger and emotion and the process to anticipate and de-escalate negative responses while maintaining dignity and respect for the individual.

by Emily Armentrout

emily@thepaperofwabash.com

Wabash County residents came out in full force on this chilly pre-fall weekend to support the Relay for Life again this year. With 30 teams coming out and approximately 100 survivors leading the way, the Relay for Life officially got underway at 6:15 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13.

Though it was a chilly evening, relay teams came prepared to continue the fight to find a cure for all cancers. Teams had everything from RVs to tents and sold food and crafts, had a bounce house for kids play in and there was even a booth to get your nails painted.

With the survivor’s lap celebration officially kicking the evening off, teams, caregivers, friends and family lined the track to cheer on the approximately 100 survivors in attendance. After the first lap was taken, all the survivors gathered for a group photo and then pinned their survivor ribbons on their respective year makers. The makers started at “beginning the journey” and upwards to over 15 years.

Luminaries will also available in remembrance of those who have lost the battle with cancer. Cancer has touched the lives of so many in not only Wabash County but across the nation, and the Relay for Life brings that fact to light with the 30 teams participating this year. Each team has a reason to participate, each team member has a reason they are a part of the relay, whether it be in remembrance of a lost loved one or support of someone still fighting the battle.

by Sandy Johnson

Thirteen beauties lined the street in front of the Wabash County Historical Museum on Saturday, September 13. As part of International Model ‘A’ Ford Day, Tom Louten from Andrews organized a group to drive into Wabash in their Model A Ford cars, tour the museum, and enjoy a meal at Harvey Hinklemeyers.

The antique autos drew the attention of many curious onlookers. Some stopped to peek inside the cars, while others drove by and took pictures. The Model A Ford cars, produced in the years 1928-1931, were painted different colors, including shades of green and red, as well as tan and black. Each vehicle had its own unique character, depending on the style and what personal touches its owners provided.  

The 18th annual Wabash Kiwanis Club Bucket Brigade for Riley Children’s Hospital will be held Saturday, Sept. 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This year the Kiwanis will be located outside six local stores including Kroger, Bechtol, Wal-Mart, Big R, Walgreens and Save-A-Lot.

Wabash Kiwanis members along with Wabash and Northfield Key Club members will be accepting donations that will be sent to Riley. This year, the Indianapolis Colts have again joined with the Wabash Kiwanis Club project by donating a Colts backpack containing several Colts items.

USDA Indiana Farm Service Agency Executive Director Julia A. Wickard recently announced that starting Sept. 2, farmers are able to enroll in the new dairy Margin Protection Program. The voluntary program, established by the 2014 Farm Bill, provides financial assistance to participating farmers when the margin – the difference between the price of milk and feed costs – falls below the coverage level selected by the farmer. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture also launched a new web tool to help producers determine the level of coverage under the Margin Protection Program that will provide them with the strongest safety net under a variety of conditions. The online resource, available at fsa.usda.gov/mpptool, allows dairy farmers to quickly and easily combine unique operation data and other key variables to calculate their coverage needs based on price projections. Producers can also review historical data or estimate future coverage based on data projections. The secure site can be accessed via computer, Smartphone, tablet or any other platform, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Development of the online resource was led by the University of Illinois, in partnership with the USDA and the Program on Dairy Markets and Policy (DMaP). DMaP partners include the University of Illinois, the University of Wisconsin, Cornell University, Pennsylvania State University, the University of Minnesota, Ohio State University and Michigan State University.

I just returned from a getaway trip to Florida. If you are over 50 and have never been on a retreat with just your girlfriends, I highly recommend it. It is just good for your soul. A trip without husbands, children or grandchildren can be total bliss.
I have been making this recipe for coconut shrimp for many years now. The apricot dipping sauce is what makes this shrimp so yummy. Although it is not quite as good as the coconut shrimp we had on Lido Beach, it is a close contender.

The Woman’s Clubhouse, listed on the National Registry of Historical Places, will celebrate its 125th birthday of the building on Sept. 27 and 28 from 1-4 p.m., by presenting representations of the three uses of the building. More than 50 presenters will be in period costumes, telling the story of the orphanage, the hospital and the clubhouse. This building represents an important evolution of the history and care of individuals in Wabash County.

Originally, the property on which the clubhouse sits was given in a land grant to Chief Charley of the Miami Indians. In 1856, he deeded about 10 acres to the Agricultural Society of Wabash for the fairgrounds. The county received the 10 acres for a city park in 1888.

In 1889, the State Legislature authorized all Indiana counties to build orphan’s homes. The Hipskind Brothers of Wabash received the contract to build a building and it opened in August 1891 for 47 children. Mrs. Ora Jones was the first matron. In 1903, it became cheap to house the children at White’s Institute and the Orphan’s Home was closed.

In 1903, Miss Roser and two other nurses leased the building for a hospital. They were plagued by financial management and staff problems. In 1913, Dr. James Wilson and Dr. Gilbert LaSalle leased the building for a county hospital called Park Hospital.

In 1921, the hospital closed after 18 years and a new county hospital was build on East Street. The building stood vacant until 1930.

Editor’s Note: This is the third in a series of nine articles outlining each of the proposed projects included in this year’s Stellar Communities application.

by Eric Stearley

eric@thepaperofwabash.com

A decade ago, downtown Wabash was lackluster. Many old buildings, which once housed thriving businesses, were vacated and in a state of disrepair.

“When you drive through a town, that first opinion, that first thing you see, is the impression you get, and something had to be done with that in our downtown,” said Mayor Robert Vanlandingham. “We had old buildings, and they were in need of help. Marketplace stepped in and has just done a heck of a job.”

Four years ago, Wabash Marketplace awarded grant money to building owners looking to improve the façades of their buildings. It was a catalyst for the remodeling of Charley Creek Inn, Eagles Theatre, and nearly two-dozen other buildings

Downtown building owner Lisa Gillman took advantage of the program, using the grant as part of larger project to remodel the buildings at 41 and 47 West Market Street. Since completion, two new businesses, Lost Treasures in Tyme and Bash Boutique, have opened. The second floor of both buildings was remodeled, creating two luxury apartments. An open house is scheduled Sept. 25 from 5-8 p.m.

All told, the $174,000 grant total leveraged more than $30 million in downtown investment and brought over 100 jobs to Wabash. With the help of the Stellar Communities designation, Phase 2 will be much bigger.