Horner named Iowan of the Week

U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne recently spoke on the house floor and named Red Oak’s Jenny Horner as “Iowan of the Week” for the week of Aug. 22-26.
Anxe said Horner had gone above and beyond connecting the Southwest Iowa Latino community with local resources, and her advocacy in rural communities deserved recognition.
“Horner grew up in Red Oak where she has lived most of her life and currently works as a health educator for Planned Parenthood. After majoring in Spanish, she wanted to move back to Red Oak to help start an organic farm operation with her family. At that time, Horner was unsure whether her bilingual abilities would come into play outside of teaching in a public-school setting, but she quickly found that Southwest Iowa was more diverse than she thought. She saw the critical role immigrants play in keeping rural businesses running, often working difficult and demanding jobs. She became more familiar with the language and cultural barriers these individuals face that make it difficult to find the support they need, so she stepped up to help found the Southwest Iowa Latino Resource Center and serve as its volunteer director,” said Axne.
Axne added that Horner’s determination to listen with compassion and advocate accordingly has had a positive impact on families in Southwest Iowa, and that Horner was savvy about solving problems and connecting folks with effective resources, including the constituent services her office provides to Iowans encountering hardships. Axne said Horner’s successful engagement with the Latino community comes from her genuine effort to build trust and listen empathetically to their concerns.