March 28, 2024

‘It’s a passion’

Even after her retirement, Eaton’s love of helping people will remain intact

Within the few days Jody Eaton will transition her role of general assistance director for Jasper County to her replacement Connie McQuiston. From then on until her retirement in July, Eaton will carry out the rest of her duties as the CEO of Central Iowa Community Services.

Upon her retirement, Eaton joked she might take a month off to finally get some sleep. Rest is hard to come by with her kind of workload, which certainly has not gone unnoticed. Comments by elected officials, county staff and local service providers indicate Eaton will be missed.

Eaton admittedly gets embarrassed by the justifiable praise from her colleagues. She is not the type of person to put herself above her work, nor the one to bask in the limelight. She is quick to credit her team for any accomplishments For Eaton, helping people always comes first.

“It’s a passion,” she said. “It’s not a job for me. I think with my growing up in a faith community where it was very important to serve others, I have been able to do that and earn a living at the same time. I feel very blessed.”

Eaton has generally worn two different hats for Jasper County.

The general assistance program is required by counties across the state to serve individuals that are either indigent or needy. Those who are indigent have no income or resources and can’t earn a living through labor. Those who are needy are people who find themselves in a bad situation beyond their control.

“Perhaps it’s an eviction or a disconnect notice on utilities,” Eaton said. “Sometimes it’s prescriptions. Those types of things … General assistance is helping people to move into more of a stable situation.”

As of late, CICS has been demanding more of her time. CICS serves individuals with mental health and intellectual and other developmental disabilities in 11 Iowa counties, including Jasper, Boone, Greene, Franklin, Hamilton, Hardin, Madison, Marshall, Poweshiek, Story and Warren.

Eaton is responsible for assigning duties to the administrative team and the local staff. Every county has a service coordinator who acts like a social worker or case manager to get individuals into services and finding an appropriate funding stream, among other things. There is also administrative support in each county.

Eaton has been working for Jasper County in some capacity since the late 1980s. She began as a home care aide, allowing her to work directly with people.

“I loved that,” Eaton said with a smile.

Working in this type of field is rewarding, she said.

“You’re actually able to improve the lives of people,” Eaton said. “In every aspect, every job that I’ve had with the county it’s always been in a service capacity, always being able to do something that’s going to impact a life.”

Eaton has remained a strong proponent of mental health and was pivotal to developing new services in Jasper County, which are making an impact on the community. Although she is saying goodbye to the county and CICS, she is confident the community is in good hands.

“We’re even making a difference for the law enforcement and what we’re able to provide for folks in the jail, and then that mobile response unit,” she said. “It’s just been very, very exciting and rewarding. And I know that it’s going to continue in the future for the regions.”

The people is what she will miss most.

“Not only the people I work with but the individuals out in the community.”

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com