Siouxland Magazine - Volume 3 Issue 2

Growing Community Connections is open to
anyone. Check out their Facebook livestream
the first Thursday of each month at 10 a.m.
As Growing Community Connections set strategic goals
for positive community impact, it became obvious that
data was needed not only to measure progress but also
to determine the areas of need in the community.
Gieselman said, “as the years have progressed, the
stories of Growing Community Connections impact
weren’t enough. Funders and participants began to
need more than the feel-good impact stories – they
wanted data to show working together was helping the
community.”
Siouxland Magazine | inspire/25
At the same time, DeLeon explained, “Source for
Siouxland was looking for a way to make the data more
useful. We had a ton of data, but just publishing a book
of data didn’t seem like enough anymore. We wanted to
use it to drive change.”
So, the conversation began two years ago, now five
community focus groups have been established. “These
five groups zero in on a specific social determinant
of our community’s well-being. Using the data from
Source for Siouxland, we can analyze what they think is
happening and set strategic goals, then create action
plans.” said Gieselman.
“It is a circular process. A goal is set because of some
data; then we look at what specific data can help us
measure progress. We incorporate analysis of data now,
not just reporting data,” added DeLeon.
“The data comes from everywhere. Some of it is
proprietary from Siouxland Cares surveys of middle/high
schoolers since 1999. Some is from the US Census, state
Departments of Education, Economic Development,
Chambers of Commerce, Public Health, police chiefs ...
basically anything tracked by a reputable source can be
gathered and put together,” stated DeLeon.
“Putting it together is extremely important in our Tri-
State area,” Gieselman added “We need information
from multiple sources to tell the whole story of our
community. It helps to keep us accountable and to
identify gaps we may not have expected to see or ask
analysis questions we wouldn’t have thought about
previously.”
“The annual data showcase is designed to do just
what JoAnn mentions,” DeLeon remarked. “We want
people to look at the data book, and now we’ve started
including some “did you know” data points at each
month’s Growing Community Connections meeting too.
The idea is to get people talking about data, thinking
about it and using it to focus efforts.”
JoAnn Gieselman receives an award on behalf of Growing
Community Connections. Nebraska first-lady Suzanne
Shore, presented the award recognizing the impact of the
collaboration.
The community-wide “0-3 Prime Age to Engage” initiative
came out of a focused analysis of data regarding school
readiness and health benchmarks. “People’s mouths
literally dropped when they saw the trend,” said DeLeon.
As a result, a focused multi-agency action team was
assembled. In less than 3 years, more than 70 partners
have engaged, and the community has won national
recognition for the collaboration. While it’s just a little too
early to see movement on the school readiness data; the
impact is immense. You will find free books in scores of
lounges and waiting rooms across the area – books kids
are encouraged to take home with them. Billboards,
commercials, and pediatricians are all promoting
interactive play, talking, and reading to children age 0-3.
This is the epitome of collective impact – together we
achieve more than we do individually working in isolation.
“Four states have a collective impact similar to this. In
Nebraska, we meet as a state and a nation-wide group
to look at what solutions are and what works. Data and
collective impact work are important parts of it,” Gieselman
added. Both echo – “we truly are stronger together.”
Compilations of Tri-State data on everything
from COVID-19 diagnoses to miles of trails
and number of social clubs can be viewed at
www.sourceforsiouxland.com
Photos Contributed by Source for Siouxland.