Oskaloosa, Iowa – Looking good at formal dances can be a costly affair for young ladies and their parents.

according to Brei Holmes, one dress drive is looking to help make those special evenings more affordable.

Holmes and her group  are hosting a homecoming dress resale. The group had also done a prom dress resale in the past as a fundraiser.  This year is much like a trial run to see if there is a need .

The dress owners consign their dresses to the project as a way to earn some extra money. The dress owner receives 90{99cd714f394079a7f0ed2eb1518dd31342ff3ceb5b6c267c3ad8acd5b5a7d66b} of what the dress sells for, while the remaining 10{99cd714f394079a7f0ed2eb1518dd31342ff3ceb5b6c267c3ad8acd5b5a7d66b} goes to the school. The dresses vary in price, many as low as $20.

The money may go to the Pekin School, but the dresses are from many places, including Cedar Rapids to Ankeny.

The dress resale project will run on Sunday during regular mall hours at Penn Central Mall.

Story provided by Osky News

Ottumwa, IA, August 24, 2016–   A new session of High School Equivalency Diploma courses begins in September. Attend an orientation meeting about earning your High School Equivalency Diploma on Tuesday, September 6th at 9:00 am in the Community Education Center at the North Campus of Indian Hills Community College (15260 Truman Street, Suite 2, Ottumwa, IA).

Classes will begin Monday, September 12^th. Morning and afternoon classes are available, and students are encouraged to work at their own pace.

You are eligible to take the HiSET if you are 19 or older and not enrolled in high school OR if you are 17 or 18, out of school, and have parental permission.

Indian Hills Community College offers HISET (High School Equivalency Tests, formerly GED) preparation courses and materials at no cost.

Please sign-up by calling April Maldonado at 641.683.5189.

School is back in session! — Salvation Army of Mahaska County, Sieda Community Action, and United Way of Mahaska County are wrapping up Operation Backpack for the 2016-2017 school year. Thanks to the generosity of the Mahaska County community, this year the program was able to supply almost 400 backpacks filled with supplies to students in the Oskaloosa, North Mahaska, and Eddyville/Blakesburg/ Fremont districts, as well as Webster Preschool. In the next few weeks, extra supplies donated to the program will make their way to school supply closets, where they will continue to help students and teachers throughout the school year.

Aside from individual donations, several groups stepped up to help Operation Backpack this year. The Oskaloosa Community School District Transportation Department helped host Stuff the Bus by lending an actual bus for use during the event. Several groups including the Elks Club, VFW Auxiliary, Bank Iowa of Fremont, US Bank of New Sharon, and Musco lighting held supplementary supply drives to collect donations. Some groups, including Mahaska Drug and the Lions Club donated specific high-need items like backpacks and flash drives (respectively). A local daycare hosted a Back-to-School Bake Sale and raised money they then used to buy supplies for the program. Musco Lighting, the Mahaska County Sheriff’s Posse, and Homestead of Oskaloosa all donated funds to Operation Backpack as well.

United Way, Salvation Army, and Sieda Community Action want to thank each and every member of the community who gave to Operation Backpack and more importantly, supported the students of Mahaska County. Because of their generosity, these students now have the tools they need to succeed!

Story provided by Osky News