Horn is Director of the Bagley Day Activity Center

 

Meet Jessica Horn who was hired at the end of 2015 as the new Director of the Clearwater Day Activity Center located on the east edge of Bagley. She is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the DAC, their Thrift Shop, and the Pine Ridge residence where several of their clients live. All of the DAC clients are persons over the age of 18 who need additional  guidance in their day-to-day living.

Funding for the DAC comes from the federal, state, and local governments. Monies are generated per person.

Major duties and responsibilities for Mrs. Horn include the following: 1) Coordinate the Pine Ridge Residence and Day Activity Center activities, 2) Interpret federal, state, and local administrative policies and procedures for the staff, board, and community; 3) Furnish each board (two) with technical leadership; 4) Prepare and administer Pine Ridge Residence and Day Activity Center budgets; 5) Organize financial budgets and reports; 6) Approve ordering of supplies; 7) Maintain personnel records for each facility and hire staff; 8) Evaluate staff needs and recommend personnel adjustments; 9) Serve as a liaison between the Pine Ridge residence and the DAC; 10) Maintain a relationship with all communications media; 11) Arrange staff in-service and other training; 12) Initiate weekly staff meetings; 13) Initiate quarterly team meetings for each facility; and 14) Recommend admissions and discharges.

Before she was hired as director, she worked for six years in Grand Forks as a house manager for a group home. Then she was hired in March 2013 as the program director here in Bagley at the Day Activity Center. She added, “I became interested in autism and other behaviors when I worked at the Warren-Alvarado-Oslo Elementary School as a paraprofessional while attending the East Grand Forks Technical College. One of my students was autistic. When I attended BSU, I took many classes on-line and studied it more.”

Jessica was raised on a dairy farm near Fosston. Her parents are Duane and Judy Olson, and she was joined by one older brother. She graduated in 1994 from Fosston High School where her favorite subject was shop. After graduation, she helped on the farm for a couple of years and then received a two-year degree from the East Grand Forks Technical College. She earned her four-year degree in 2010 from Bemidji State University with a major in social work and an emphasis on autism.

Romance beckoned when she met Troy Horn of Gonvick. She had known him since he was a teenager. They were married in May 2015 and she has one stepson, Tyler, 13, along with her son Austin, who is 19.

The family moved to his farm near Gonvick. Prior to that, she had worked for six years in Grand Forks as a house manager (program director for a group home). She was hired at the Bagley DAC as a program director in March 2013. Then she was promoted to being the Director of the Bagley DAC.

She explained, “We are kept busy with all the activities of the DAC. Every Friday, we have a “fun day” for our clients. We take them on an adventure to the park, go swimming, go for boat rides, go on picnics, go shopping in Bemidji, Park Rapids, Grand Forks, or Fargo, etc. We go to the cities for Special Olympics competition.

“During the week, our clients help clean Bagley City Hall twice a week, clean Faith Lutheran Church once a week, cleaning the Bagley Public Library once per week, and one client works in the mail room of the Farmers Independent one day per week. They also make fire starters which we sell locally. We rotate their duties so they learn different skills. They learn all kinds of varied skills. Our main goal is for them to be as self-sufficient as possible. At their home, they are responsible for their own laundry and keeping their rooms clean. They get very protective about their own rooms.”

In her spare time, Jessica enjoys spending time with her husband and family,  helping on their farm with their beef cattle and other chores, riding their four-wheeler,  and spending time at Pine Lake.

And, she is passionate about her responsibilities at the Clearwater DAC.

Article courtesy of the Farmers Independent