Category Archives: News & Events

2020 Scholarship Recipients

High School is like Toilet Paper – you only miss it when it’s gone.

Anonymous

The statement above is an especially true sentiment given the unusual school year for the 2020 graduating seniors. Here at the Community Foundation we have always taken for granted that when springtime rolls around we get to congratulate and celebrate graduating seniors who receive our Community Foundation scholarships.

I am sure it is not surprising to you that it did not happen this year. And shucks! We missed it! We missed telling the seniors how proud we are of them. We missed reminding them that they should be proud of themselves for all of their accomplishments. We missed the excitement of presenting the awards. We missed the smiles and laughter.

Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash

We realized that if we missed the hoopla of senior celebrations, how much more the 2020 seniors missed it. We had to do something! We scratched our heads and came up with a plan to make this year’s scholarship recipients feel special and decided to roll with it (pun intended).

Ryker Bond

Each scholarship recipient received their scholarship award by snail mail, complete with a celebration kit (confetti included)! Yes, we could not be there in person to offer accolades to this year’s amazing seniors, but we sure did not want this year to slip by without acknowledging what an outstanding group of graduating seniors we have! Check out some of the photos we received from our 2020 scholarship recipients.

For a complete list of 2020 scholarship recipients click here.

Meet Our Summer Interns

We are extremely excited to have Kane Elkins and Shelbi Smith as our summer interns this year.

Kane Elkins, Internal Audit & Database Summer Intern

Kane Elkins graduated from Prairie Heights and is currently pursuing a double major in Accounting and Finance at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University Bloomington. He will be aiding in our Internal Audit and updating our database.

Working at the Community Foundation is an amazing way for me to give back to the community that has shaped my life so far. Making a difference/impact on the people around me, whether they be strangers or friends, is an important aspect of my life that I am always chasing.

Kane Elkins

Kane enjoys reading and helping his twin brother race at Angola Motorsport Speedway every Saturday night, #28.

Shelbi Smith, Marketing and Media Summer Intern

Shelbi Smith, was born and raised in Shipshewana and graduated from Westview Jr./Sr. High School. Currently, she attends Grace College in Winona Lake, IN, pursuing a double major in Facility and Event Management and Marketing. Shelbi will be assisting with marketing and collecting donor biographies.

Working with the Foundation is really exciting because I will be able to put what I am learning to good use, all while continuing to learn and grow within my community.

Shelbi Smith

Shelbi enjoys road-tripping, finding unique coffee shops, and spending time with people she cares about.  

We are fortuitous to have these talented young adults living and working within our community!

Feel free to drop Kane or Shelbi an email. You may reach Kane at kelkins@lccf.net or Shelbi at ssmith@lccf.net.

Click here to Contact Staff

Friends of LaGrange County Parks Awarded NIPSCO Grant

The Friends of Lagrange County Parks was awarded $2,785 from the 2020 NIPSCO Environmental Action grants through NISource Charitable. The Friends of the LaGrange County Parks is a partner of the LaGrange County Community Foundation.

Pine Knob Park

The announcement was made to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.  The support from this grant will enable the Friends of LaGrange County Parks working with the LaGrange County Parks Department and their Interpretive Naturalist to offer a water quality testing initiative available to all public, private, and parochial schools, as well as homeschool groups.  

The primary goal for this field trip opportunity is to get students outside, using their hands, sensing different ecosystems, and exercising their muscles by visiting Pine Knob Park, which has forest, lake, wetland, and prairie ecosystems all accessible by trail.  This is the ideal location for students to learn about the importance of and the differences of these ecosystems. 

Students can touch and smell and hear their surroundings.  They can connect to these ecosystems personally. 

The field trip will be divided into three rotations: wetland aquatic life study, water quality testing of Meteer Lake, and a prairie hike.  Students will get to use dip nets and look for macroinvertebrates as a sign of the healthiness of our wetland, test Meteer Lake for turbidity, and dissolved oxygen to determine what can or cannot live in the water, and learn about restoration and conservation by visiting the prairies.  They will learn about endangered species living in the special fen and test the water for pH to compare with Meteer Lake.  This will be a hands-on, adventuresome field trip offered in the spring or fall school year, with the initial start-up costs being funded through this grant. 

Students will gain an appreciation for the natural resources in LaGrange County, and gain a desire to care for them.

Leslie Arnold, LaGrange County Naturalist

The grant enables the Friends to purchase water quality testing equipment, eight canoes, paddles, and life jackets for use by students, assisted by their teachers and the Park Naturalist when visiting Pine Knob Park. 

Thank you also to Trading Post Outfitters of Mongo for assistance in purchasing the canoes.

For more information on NISource Foundation click here.

Mongo UMC Food Pantry

With the help from the community and United Way of Elkhart & LaGrange Counties, the LaGrange County Community Foundation was able to award $5,000 to the Mongo UMC Food Pantry.

Mongo UMC Food Pantry applied through the COVID-19 Rapid Response Grants online system. Their award was granted within a week and they will now be able to continue to serve over 75 families on a weekly basis. As many of you are aware, Mongo is one of our smaller eastern communities with about 200 residents.

It was clear to the Grants Committee that they were in need.

We understand these times are difficult and the uncertainty in the air is thick.

We are certain of one thing – our Commitment to Serving YOU and our community remains steadfast.

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McMillen Health serves 310 LaGrange County Students

McMillen Health provided 10 preventative health education program sessions at Lakeland High School and Westview High School. The focus for 2019 was opioid use and vaping.

McMillen Health was awarded a grant from the Community Foundation in 2019 to support their efforts. McMillen Health’s greatest strength in this effort includes providing fact-based health education that promotes positive health decisions youth carry into adulthood.

Serving 310 LaGrange County youth in grades 6-12 and 15 teachers and staff for a total of 325 lives touched through LaGrange County Community Foundation funding.

They liked identifying which was candy or vape juice. Every time I have a program come in I am impressed and have never had a bad experience. Speakers are engaging and energetic and knowledgeable.

Ms. Duff at Westview High School

McMillen Health is continually expanding its programs and funding sources. Receiving support from the LaGrange County Community Foundation, the Council for Drug-Free LaGrange County, the Cole Foundation, and the Dekko Foundation has enabled opportunities to meet the everchanging needs of LaGrange County students.

Click Here for Community Impact Grants

We can all give back.

Most of us, given the chance, want to leave a lasting reminder of the gratitude we feel for the institutions we love and support. It is a privilege to make a difference—to show, in some way, that we have contributed to important work or played a part in a cause that benefits LaGrange County, perhaps for generations to come. A Community Foundation is a vehicle for people of all means to make a lasting difference in their community.

We can all give back.

By serving the needs and generosity of donors who wish to better their community now and in the future, the community foundation provides flexible, efficient and tax-effective ways to ensure the greatest possible impact.

The concept of a community foundation is simple: build over time substantial endowment funds through contributions large and small.

What is an endowment? Assets invested for endurance to generate a permanent source of income.

The LaGrange County Community Foundation invests for total return, spend what is really earned, reinvest for inflation, and NEVER invades the principle.

Income from unrestricted funds is awarded through the Community Impact Grant program. Unrestricted funds are flexible and can support the most pressing needs in the community.

Want to learn more about endowments and your foundation, Octavia would love to meet you. Call 260.463.4363 or click here for more details.

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WE DID IT!

National Standards Accreditation Affirms Our Commitment to Excellence

LaGrange County Community Foundation is pleased to announce that we have recently received accreditation with National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations®. This accreditation, signified by the Seal shown here, indicates that LaGrange County Community Foundation meets the highest standards for philanthropic excellence.

This is a significant accomplishment. When people trust LaGrange County Community Foundation with a charitable bequest, to establish a fund, or set up an annuity, they do it knowing that we have met rigorous standards for donor services, investment management, grantmaking and administration.

Octavia Yoder, Executive Director

We’ve always worked hard to do good, right here in LaGrange County. And we’ll continue to work with you to achieve your charitable goals. National Standards ensures that we have policies in place for financial stability and longevity, affirming our continued commitment to our donors, grantees, and community.

In short: We are a proven place to give.

The process of earning National Standards accreditation is arduous. The program requires community foundations to document our policies for donor services, investments, grantmaking, and administration. Our documentation was reviewed by a community foundation expert from a panel appointed by the Community Foundations National Standards Board, a supporting organization of the Council on Foundations in Washington, D.C.

The National Standards accreditation says this house is in order. It is excellent validation of the work we do on behalf of our donors and our community.

Octavia Yoder, Executive Director

With your help, LaGrange County Community Foundation has become a more effective partner for impacting the causes you care about. Thanks for working with us.

LaGrange County Community Foundation was accredited with National Standards in January of 2020.

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We are Moving!

The LaGrange County Community Foundation acquired property on December 30 which, by the end of 2020, will become the new headquarters for the Foundation. 

We are thrilled to be able to increase the visibility and accessibility of the Community Foundation. We had been setting aside funds for several years, which allowed us to purchase the property using available cash – no mortgage was required.

Neal Wolheter, Board President

A portion of the cost of the building was funded using a gift the Foundation received at the beginning of 2019.  The remainder of the cost was funded using cash that had been set aside several years for this purpose.

The property, located at the intersection of US 20 and 250 W, contains over 4,000 square feet of space along with a parking lot of 6,000 square feet.  The Community Foundation expects to move into the new property sometime in the second half of 2020.

In addition to reduced operating costs, the new building will be more accessible to elderly and disabled patrons.  While the current Community Foundation headquarters is on the third floor of a building, at the new location all of the office space is on the same level and easily accessible using a ramp.

Greater visibility, lower costs and enhanced accessibility were the deciding factors, plus, the fact that we could finance the purchase without debt meant that this will be a great step forward and help the Community Foundation grow and prosper in the coming years.”

Octavia Yoder, Executive Director of the LaGrange County Community Foundation

The Community Foundation plans to sell their existing property, located at 109 E. Central Avenue. They hope that the sale of that property could be part of larger downtown development efforts in LaGrange.

Top 10 Reasons to Create an Endowment Fund

  1. Endowments are FOREVER
  2. The principle is never used, your fund will continue to grow
  3. Investments earn higher rates, which results in more money for grantmaking
  4. A lasting relationship with you and the LaGrange County community
  5. Positive impact now and forever
  6. You choose to be active or inactive in the grantmaking of your fund
  7. You can create a family tradition, working together to make recommendations for the use of your charitable fund
  8. Everyone wins when creating a fund at the LaGrange County Community Foundation, a greater need is met
  9. You provide guaranteed ongoing support for grant programs and the fees generated from endowed funds aide in planning, budgeting and general operations of the Community Foundation
  10. Great Investment and a Postive Force in our community

Contact Octavia today to create your endowded family legacy!

Kurtis Davis named 2020 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar

Kurtis Davis, a senior at Westview Jr.-Sr. High School, has been named the recipient of the LaGrange County Community Foundation’s 2020 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship.

Davis will receive a four-year, full-tuition scholarship to the accredited public or private college or university in Indiana of his choice, along with an annual $900 stipend for books and required equipment.

Davis is the son of Kenneth and Sherrie Davis of LaGrange. A two-sport student athlete in tennis and baseball, Davis maintains a 4.06 grade-point average. He plans to pursue a chemistry or chemical engineering degree at Bethel University or Indiana Wesleyan University.

Davis serves on National Honor Society, Student Council, Yearbook and the Junior Plus mentoring program. He has participated in a Tech Fest Competition.

This year, 16 applicants participated in LaGrange County’s Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship selection process. The foundation’s Lilly Scholarship Advisory Committee narrowed the field to five finalists based upon criteria that included scholastic profile, leadership, school activities, community service, work history, essays and interview performance.

The committee’s recommendations were forwarded to Independent Colleges of Indiana, the statewide administrator of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program, for final review and selection of the recipient.

Other finalists included: Ana Wahll and Ryker Bond of Lakeland High School and Chelsea Weaver and Skyler Hawk of Westview Jr.-Sr. High School. Each of the finalists will receive a $1,000 four-year renewable scholarship from the Lambright Leadership Scholarship Fund established by Kevin and Carrie Lambright in 2013.

Since 1998, a total of 39 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships, including Davis’s have been awarded in LaGrange County. The total amount awarded to local LaGrange County students through this opportunity exceeds $3 million.

The scholarships are a result of a statewide Lilly Endowment initiative whose primary purposes are to help raise the level of educational attainment in Indiana; increase awareness of the beneficial roles Indiana community foundations can play in their communities; and encourage and support the efforts of current and past Lilly Endowment Community Scholars to engage with each other and with Indiana business, governmental, educational, and nonprofit and civic leaders to improve the quality of life in Indiana generally and in local communities throughout the state.

ICI is a nonprofit corporation that represents 30 regionally accredited degree granting, nonprofit, private colleges and universities in the state. This year, 143 scholarships were awarded statewide; the number awarded is based on the number of full-time residents. LaGrange County was offered one award in 2019. There have been more than 4,769 scholarships awarded statewide since the beginning of the program.