Dinner a time for stories and relaxationñ
Houston County Womenís Resources faces 25% budget cut
Posted: 11/4/03
By Shannon McKinney
Argus News Reporter
Local children were treated to the stories of two area storytellers Monday night, October 27 at the Houston County Womenís Resources Free Community Dinner.
Home cooked lasagna and crusty bread with garlic butter was served before the program. The dinner was held as a way to say thank you to the community for its support.
Candle light illuminated storytellers Lynn Wing of Holmen and Paula Murphy of La Crosse while they regaled the audience and children at their feet with stories that focused on the courage and strength of women and girls who had battled adversity and won.
Murphy studied storytelling in Ireland. She wore a classic Irish shawl and relaxed on a rocking chair while telling the story of a young girl named Kate McGann who dreamed of being the best jump rope skipper ever.
She eventually did. And one day as an old lady at 109 years-old, McGann used her skipping abilities to save a favorite skipping place on Mount Kabor from being turned into a factory.
Wynn told the story of Mrs. McCurdy, a widow, who used her thinking skills to pull herself out of poverty and make a better life for herself.
Using a southern drawl and changing voice inflections, Wynn brought to life the determined Mrs. McCurdy who taught her son how you can turn a little ingenuity and creativity into cash.
Widowed in the 1800s with her son, Mrs. McCurdy at first had only enough money to buy a shack with a leaking roof. But after viewing her rich neighborís unused 40 acres of land, she made a proposal to till his land in exchange for keeping half of the profit for herself. The landowner was greedy and at first glance made an unfair deal. But Mrs. McCurdy outwitted him three years in a row until he finally agreed to a fair deal.
Women Resources have busy year
Houston County Womenís Resources Director Linda Riddle said they had a very busy but very positive year. ìWe provided a lot of services,î she said.
The agency received the prestigious Ann Bancroft award in recognition for their services in Houston County. Ann Bancroft was a woman who explored Antarctica and a foundation was set up to empower girls with the ideals of courage and determination.
Houston County was nominated by Rosalie Wahl who was the first female to sit on the Minnesota State Supreme Court.
Agency to face challenges in 2004
The Houston County Womenís Resources faces the challenge of a 25 percent cut in its funds beginning July 1, 2004.
Riddle explained that its agency receives its funds from the state department of Public Safety, which is redistributing its money due to a change in their formula. Of the 87 counties in Minnesota, 16 suburban counties are receiving a 25 percent increase while four rural counties are receiving a slight increase. She said, ìIt will be a real challenge for us to provide services in the rural area.î
2004 also marks the 20th year that Houston County Womenís Resources has been meeting the needs of victims of domestic abuse.
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