10 Nov New Supervisor For Stone County Neighborhood Center

On Monday, November 9, we welcomed Debra (Debbie) Dance Uhrig as the new Supervisor of the Stone County Neighborhood Center. Uhrig brings years of leadership experience to OACAC, along with a background in Education, and extensive marketing, sales, and media experience. Uhrig also works as a syndicated columnist for weekly newspapers in Missouri and Kansas.

When Uhrig and her husband moved to the Ozarks 11 years ago, they began volunteering with the Stone County Neighborhood Center. Uhrig’s husband, Ervin, has been an OACAC board member for several years and helped spearhead the annual Ozark Mountain Monopoly Tournament, which benefits the OACAC Stone County Neighborhood Center’s poverty relief efforts. As a volunteer with the tournament through the years, Uhrig has been an active part of working toward OACAC’s mission of enriching the lives of families and individuals within our communities by providing opportunities, offering assistance, and empowering people to make positive change.

Uhrig stated, “The needs are strong in our communities for innovative creative programming to help our neighbors. I want to be a part of that force.”

Located in Branson West, the OACAC Stone County Neighborhood Center serves individuals and families at 125% of poverty and below. Services include assessments to identify barriers and establish goals; individualized case management; classes to improve self-sufficiency; emergency services to meet unexpected needs; and community projects.

OACAC offers seven programs across 10 counties with the focus of alleviating the causes and conditions of poverty in Southwest Missouri. In addition to the Neighborhood/Community Centers, services include Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Foster Grandparent Program, Weatherization, Family Planning, Head Start, and Housing Assistance.