Let’s Talk Newton – Nicholas Pietrack, Founder of Open Arms of Jasper County

Joining us today on Today's Let's Talk Newton.

We have Nicholas Petrick, he is one of the founders of Open Arms.

It's an organization here in Jasper County that serves children and Nicholas Versa, thanks

for joining us today.

I know that you guys are getting an award together that you're going to be handing out, I believe

next month very soon.

So let's start off talking about that and who you hope to recognize with this award.

Yeah, so the Jasper County Guardian Award is designed to highlight someone that either

over their career has shown, you know, just tremendous support and dedication to protecting

children within Jasper County or someone in the last year that has gone above and beyond

and really stepped up to protect children within Jasper County.

Okay, you're going to be announcing the winner of that award soon, right?

Correct, yeah.

So April is a child abuse awareness month, or child abuse prevention month, excuse me.

And so our deadline for nominations is the last day in March, March 31st and then we have

a bingo night event on April 16th and we'll be announcing the winner at that event.

All right, have you gotten very many nominations yet?

I know the nominations have been open for a while.

Yeah, we have a good handful from a wide net of individuals and it's been fun to see, you

know, not just a law enforcement, not just social workers, but other community members

too that have been gone above and beyond in Jasper County.

Yeah, well, there's a lot of a lot of people doing good work in the county in regards to

this particular subject and you guys, did you guys start in 2024?

Was that, well, how long have you guys been around?

Formed in 2023, you really hit the ground running in the spring of 2024.

Okay, and for people who are unfamiliar with open arms, it's kind of, could you explain

a little bit about what you guys do?

Yeah, so open arms, we are a community-based nonprofit that our intention is to provide

meaningful and immediate support to kids that are facing any type of crisis, whether it's

potential foster care, placement, or just other crises in general by providing useful

items and support in any way we can.

And you serve the entire county, right?

Correct, all of Jasper County.

We certainly, though, won't turn down kids from other counties.

We've gotten some requests here and there from outside of Jasper.

Okay, I know, at one point I talked to you shortly after you guys formed that you're hoping

to get what's the terminology in, it's like a safe haven thing.

A safe haven baby box.

Yeah, how are you going to come in with that process?

Yeah, so we have fully raised the $30,000 that we set up as our goal to get the safe haven

baby box.

Right now we're just working on some logistics with Mercy One Newton to their remodel right

now or starting to just work on some logistics with them and then we're hopefully going to

roll that out as part of that project and we'll get that full announcement out here very

shortly.

Oh, great.

So that's going to be part of their renovation of their emergency department, in other

words.

Correct, yes.

There's only a few in the state, right?

Yeah, so there's one in Fort Dodge and one in Des Moines that Mercy One down to town.

So it will be the, in theory will be the third one in the state.

There is one in Norwalk and I think Grimes that's kind of on the horizon too.

So three, four, five in the state.

Yeah, that's just where people can surrender, of course, an infant and make sure it's well

taken care of.

Correct.

Yep.

Lawful surrender of an infant appearing up to 90 days old.

Okay.

Of course, you guys obviously serve a lot of folks and so always in need of funds.

And I know what I think I saw you guys have a spaghetti fundraiser coming up a little

bit.

Pretty soon.

I think that's what Saturday, April 18th.

Correct.

Yep.

That's going to be a fun event that free spaghetti dinner, free will donation at the

Macyonic Lodge here in Newton and everybody can come out from five to seven that night

and kind of hear about open arms a little bit and enjoy free meal.

Anything else you want people to know about the organization before we let you go?

Just that we really appreciate Jasper County as a whole.

It's been a wonderful example of community coming together for one effort and a lot of

good people in Jasper County.

All right.

Well, I appreciate the time.

Nicholas.

Thank you, sir.

That is today's Let's Talk, Newton.

Again, that's with one of the founders of open arms in Jasper County organization serving

youth in our area, Nicholas P. Trick.

It's going to do it for today's Let's Talk, Newton.

If you missed any of our Let's Talk programs, you can find them online daily at cannacareless.com

or wherever you subscribe to your podcast.

Again, that's today's Let's Talk, Newton.