160 Acres-160 Dollars Homestead Congress Seeks Leaders

Leadership is about taking responsibility for community and driving it forward. Members of the community who have the ability to lead are especially appreciated today; please consider supporting the Homestead Innovation Congress with your contribution. Your gift of $160 will support activities that will continue to tell the homesteading story.

Your gift to the 160 Acres-160 Dollars campaign will provide a sustaining source of funds for ongoing projects and enhancements. There are no fees to be a supporter of the Friends of Homestead National Monument; however as a sponsor of the Homestead Innovation Congress you will help The Friends to build partnerships that will continue to grow in ways which we can tell the homesteading story.

Homestead Innovation Congress is a group within the Friends of Homestead organization that is dedicated to increasing communication and awareness of Homestead National Monument of America. As hosts of the 160 Acres-160 Dollars, Homestead Congress invites contributors and their guest to an appreciation dinner October 9, 2010 at the renown destination restaurant The Black Crow, 504 Court Street, Beatrice, Nebraska. The social event begins at 4:30 pm followed by a 5:00 pm special program and a 6:00 pm dinner, RSVP to the Homestead National Monument at 402 223-3514. Please make checks payable to Friends of Homestead 8523 W. State Highway 4, Beatrice, Nebraska 68310.

The program Maria Rodaway: Prairie Pioneer, by Karen Wyatt Drevo, is highly recommended by the Nebraska Humanities Council. Their web site offers these insights: “Maria (portrayed by her great-great granddaughter in period attire) looks back at her life as a prairie pioneer in Otoe County, Neb., where she homesteaded in 1867. Maria crossed the Atlantic Ocean with seven children to reunite her family after a 7½ year separation. She endured grasshoppers, hail, drought, tornadoes, blizzards, and the loss of her husband and six of her 13 children as she worked to become a citizen and a land owner in a new country. Resilient and resourceful, she lived a life of usefulness to her family and large circle of friends with her loving deeds and kind acts, delivering babies and nursing the sick.”

Dr. Don Weldon, president of the Friends of Homestead, reminds us that leaders are the driving component of any community; they are the key component that keeps community moving forward. Your joining of the Homestead Congress community and supporting of the homesteading story is appreciated.