The Salvation Army is bringing its mobile food pantry to LaGrange County providing a nonperishable food box and frozen items to families. One is available per household, every 30 days.
Food pantry locations:
The LaGrange County Community Foundation awarded $71,736 to four nonprofit organizations during its 2023 Spring Community Impact Grants cycle.
The Community Impact Grants address community needs in Arts & Culture, Health & Human Services, Recreation, Environment, Community Development, and Education.
The 2023 Spring Community Impact Grant recipients include:
Each year, the Community Foundation seeks proposals for charitable projects and programs that help local nonprofit organizations provide services in LaGrange County. The Grants Advisory Committee reviews the submitted grant applications and makes recommendations to the Board of Directors who approve the grant awards.
The Community Impact Grants are made possible by the generosity of donors who give to the unrestricted and field of interest funds at the Foundation. To learn more, visit HERE.
This year’s Annual Celebration took place on Monday, June 12. It was a combination of delicious food, great information from some nonprofits, some encouragement to “take that extra step” because “we were born for such a time as this” from guest speaker Jason Schackow, and a celebration of volunteerism.
We are thrilled to have so many people who want to volunteer for the Community Foundation, whether on our board, on a committee, or other. We can’t say thanks enough or give anything that would be enough to express our gratitude for their time.
We also named our Spring Community Impact Grant recipients as well. The following organizations will receive grant funds of $71,736:
We were thrilled to celebrate our 10 nominees for the Heart of Gold Award. What a unique group of people, who all do a variety of volunteerism, and a beautiful example of what the people in this county can do. See more about their stories HERE.
The highlight of the evening was naming our 2023 Heart of Gold recipient. All of the nominees could be given the award, because in their own ways they do so much for those around them.
Amy Whited of LaGrange was chosen as our Heart of Gold Award recipient. Whited, an art teacher at Lakeland Intermediate School, was nominated for the award by her mentor and friend, Mary Woodworth. Whited credited her mentor for encouraging her to pursue a creative path.
Known to serve quietly in the background, Whited is involved in volunteer activities for youth – especially in art. She is a 25-year member of Tri Kappa Mu, a local women’s sorority focused on philanthropy, and helps organize the annual Tri Kappa Art Month. A board member of LaGrange Communities Youth Centers, she leads and instructs an annual summer art camp for elementary students. She volunteers with Camp Watcha Wanna Do and LaGrange Night to Shine. This past year, she was instrumental in helping support a new arts organization – LaGrange County Arts.
Overall the evening was a success!
Thank you to the following for all you did in helping us make the 2023 Annual Celebration a night to remember!
Written by: Sarah Hostetler, Marketing & Community Engagement Manager
The LaGrange County Community Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2023 Community Scholarship Program, which aims to support the educational aspirations of students in LaGrange County.
Through the program, the Community Foundation awarded $93,250 in community scholarships to 19 graduating seniors. The program includes 45 donor-created scholarship funds, each with their own unique criteria. Funds are created by individuals, families and businesses and are managed by the Community Foundation.
The scholarship program is open to graduating high school seniors who are pursuing higher education at an accredited university, college, or trade school. The scholarships support a variety of career paths such as education, agriculture, health, science, nursing, and more. Awards range from $500 to $3,000 per award; several scholarships are provided for four years.
“Each year we look forward to awarding our community scholarships to high school seniors. These scholarships recognize the accomplishments the students have achieved in the last four years,” said Executive Director Octavia Yoder.
“We are grateful to the individuals, families and businesses who created these scholarship funds and have worked alongside the Community Foundation. We aspire to welcome new donors and fund more students as the program continues to grow. We are extremely appreciative of the community volunteers who take time to help read and evaluate scholarships. The process is quite an undertaking and is truly a community partnership of donors, volunteers, schools, and Community Foundation staff. It’s rewarding to help support the educational goals of students in our community,” Yoder added.
Recipients of the 2023 Community Scholarships, listed by schools, are as follows:
Lakeland High School scholarship recipients:
Prairie Heights High School scholarship recipients:
Westview High School scholarship recipients:
Congratulations to these young men and women!
