Tag Archives: community foundation

2023 Annual Celebration: A Success!

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:  

  • LaGrange County Arts will receive $5,000 for the second annual LaGrange County Arts Festival. The June 24 event will showcase artists specializing in theatrical, literary, visual and musical arts. 
  • St. Martin’s Healthcare will receive $25,000 for its mobile health clinic. The organization provides healthcare to uninsured and underinsured people in LaGrange, Noble, Steuben and DeKalb counties. Their mobile clinic will visit LaGrange County at least once a week to see patients.
  • Community Dental Clinic in Topeka will receive $20,000 to help purchase an oral scanner helping their organization provide more effective dental care. 
  • Rainbow Years Learning Ministry will receive $21,736 to help purchase materials, furniture, equipment, toys/activities for the childcare’s upgraded facilities. Rainbow Years Expansion Project will be adding 25 more childcare seats.

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!

  • George’s Taco Shack for the dinner.
  • Shawna Rae’s for the cupcake spread.
  • Braden Rogers for the music.
  • MY Events LLC, Megan Yoder for the photo backdrop.
  • Kari Lipscomb for photography.
  • Farmstead Inn & Conference Center, Andrea Boval for the facility.
  • Mariah at SRMA for the tablecloths.
  • Judy at Country Garden Center for the table flower pots.
  • Isaac Rogers at Irog Media for the Heart of Gold Nominee video.
  • Lavern at Teaberry Wood Products for donating the engraved basket given to the Heart of Gold Award recipient.
  • Action Quick Print for the printed material.
  • Carrie at Extreme Graphics LLC for the volunteer T-shirts
  • Our panel of speakers: Jared Beasley from Community Health Clinic; Portia Amstutz from Rainbow Years Learning Ministry; and Kathy Dunafin from Elijah Haven Crisis Intervention Center.
  • Our guest speaker: Jason Schackow, Lakeland Jr/Sr High School principal.
  • Speakers and presenters for the evening: Octavia Yoder, Executive Director at the Foundation; Leanna Martin, Program Director for the Foundation; and Tony Bontrager, President, LCCF Board of Directors & Renea Boots, Vice President, LCCF Board of Directors.
  • Trevor Thain and Renea Boots, LCCF Board of Directors, for helping at the registration tables.
  • Tony & Lauren Bontrager and the staff’s husbands for helping with cleanup afterward.
  • The LaGrange County Community Foundation staff for all of the behind the scenes decisions that helped make this a great event.

Written by: Sarah Hostetler, Marketing & Community Engagement Manager

$90,000 in Community Scholarships awarded

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:

  • Allread-Rife Family Scholarship – Mallory Mynhier
  • Brian Evans Memorial Scholarship – Aurora Yoder
  • Bruce Brown Memorial Scholarship – Ezekiel Wachtman
  • Bulldog Spirit Scholarship – Jeremiah Combs
  • Chase Scott Memorial Football Scholarship – Owen Troyer
  • Holly Petersen Memorial Science Scholarship – Ezekiel Wachtman
  • HOPE Nursing Scholarship – Peyton Hartsough and Alivia Rasler
  • Joseph Willard Memorial Scholarship – Ezekiel Wachtman
  • Judy Gage-Keenan Scholarship – Alivia Rasler
  • Lakeland Scholarship – Ezekiel Wachtman
  • Melvin and Marjorie Bricker Memorial Scholarship – Mallory Mynhier
  • Olivia Bay Lemings Memorial Scholarship – Alivia Rasler
  • Paul and Marian Krebs Memorial Scholarship – Gabrielle Hartman
  • Ray and Ruth Culp Memorial Scholarship – Alivia Rasler
  • Terry Schmidt Memorial Basketball Scholarship – Ezekiel Wachtman
  • Schlemmer Scholarship – Jeremiah Comb
  • Virgil and Florence Hardin Memorial Scholarship – Alivia Rasler
  • Waddell Memorial Scholarship – Mallory Mynhier

Prairie Heights High School scholarship recipients:

  • Amanda Lou Crotts Memorial Scholarship – Abigail Myers
  • Beverly Todd Memorial Scholarship – Conner Keeslar
  • Craig D. and Ronda S. Neff Memorial Scholarship – Caylee James.
  • Ellsworth Fanning Memorial Scholarship – Caylee James
  • Kevin Lewis Purdue Agriculture Memorial Scholarship – Caylee James
  • J.O. Mory Company Scholarship – Alyssa Burger
  • LaGrange County Farm Bureau Co-op Scholarship – Caylee James
  • Ned Stump Memorial Scholarship – Conner Keeslar
  • Melvin and Marjorie Bricker Memorial Scholarship – Phillip Sheets
  • Mory Family Scholarship – Phillip Sheets
  • Perkins Family Scholarship – Trevyn Terry
  • Prairie Heights Student Council Scholarship – Abigail Myers
  • Prairie Heights High School Scholarship – Caylee James, Emma Wylie, Phillip Sheets and Trevyn Terry

Westview High School scholarship recipients:

  • Allread-Rife Family Scholarship – Paige Riegsecker
  • Craig D. and Ronda S. Neff Memorial Scholarship – Skye Growcock
  • Farmwald Scholarship – Ella Yoder
  • James F. Kalb Memorial Scholarship – Ella Yoder
  • Keith and Arline Davis Memorial Scholarship – Ella Yoder
  • Kerry Wilt-Spradlin Memorial Scholarship – Paige Riegsecker
  • LIFE Scholarship – Ella Yoder
  • Lyle Smith Scholarship – Ella Yoder
  • Morgan Hunter Memorial Scholarship – Skye Growcock
  • Rheinheimer Scholarship – Emily Stutzman and Skye Growcock

Congratulations to these young men and women!

LIFE youth program recap for the 2022-23 school year

LIFE is a youth philanthropy group supported by the LaGrange County Community Foundation. LIFE members gain experiences in community service and charitable giving. The students also provide oversight to youth grant making funds at the Community Foundation. 

During the 2022 – 2023 school year LIFE offered two grant cycles, awarding $19,676 to youth-serving organizations and school projects. We focused on after school programming and was able to award $4,000 in this area supporting LCYC after school photography program and Prairie Heights new e-sports program.

Our meetings were packed full of grant making decisions and LEAP planning. We broke into event committees to conquer and divide. LEAP is a one-day event for youth, grades 9 -12, from all three public high schools to learn about philanthropy, community service and leadership. We have guest speakers, breakout sessions, and some serious fun planned!

We began our community service projects in November with leaf pick up. We worked with LaGrange County Council and Aging to pick up leaves from local homes. In March we connected with LaGrange County Parks & Recreation to help them prepare for Maple Syrup Days. Cleaning, organizing, and setting up table and chairs for the event proved to be a very productive afternoon. 

Jamelle Godlewski from Lead and Impact shared about leadership and what type of leaders there are. Rustin Krapfl of Agape Missions of LaGrange County shared the six lessons in leadership. Both guest speakers provided great insight on necessary skills for leadership. 

And the last LIFE event took place at The Trading Post Outfitters. We completed one last community service project, trash pickup along the river.

As we plan for next school year, we hope to continue encouraging philanthropy in our community and peers.

Leanna Martin, Program Director | LIFE Navigator

Heart of Gold Nominees Named

The Heart of Gold Award honors everyday LaGrange County residents who go above and beyond and embrace the call to volunteer service. We are excited to announce that we received 10 nominations for the award during the month of April.

The 2023 Heart of Gold nominees include:

  • Alexis Grossman of Wolcottville. Alexis is the president of Tri Kappa Mu and a member of the LaGrange County 4-H Fair Board.
  • Alice Bremer of LaGrange. Alice runs the Boomerang Backpacks program at Prairie Heights Schools. She volunteers with the Mongo Lions Club and serves as a Leo Club sponsor.
  • Amy Whited of LaGrange. Amy has been a member of Tri Kappa Mu for the past 25 years and volunteers in several art programs. She volunteers with LaGrange County Arts, Night to Shine, and serves on the board of LaGrange Communities Youth Centers.
  • Heather Evenson of Wolcottville. Heather donates her time and is an active board member with LaGrange County Miracle Tree.
  • John Schmidt of LaGrange. John donates his time and energy to helping people in his neighborhood, and serves at his church, Brighton Chapel.
  • Keith James of Howe. Keith is an active board member of The Farm Place, helping raise funds and create awareness. He uses his photography to help promote LaGrange County. Keith, along with another individual, launched the Hometown Heroes banner project in LaGrange County, honoring military and first responders from LaGrange County. Keith is a LaGrange County Chamber board member. He also serves as an Elder at his church, Brighton Chapel.
  • Kevin Myers of LaGrange. Kevin serves on the LaGrange County 4-H Fair Board, LaGrange County Farm Bureau, and he is an active member on the board for the LaGrange County Council on Aging.
  • Mike Brudney of LaGrange. Mike donates his time to running the LaGrange Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, taking every Saturday night away from his family and his own interests to help people in LaGrange County.
  • Randy Merrifield of LaGrange. Randy is a mentor through the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) program, spending quality time with troubled kids, and getting them involved in activities to keep them out of trouble. He also volunteers with Agape Missions of LaGrange.
  • Samantha Davis-Kania of LaGrange. Samantha donates her time to LaGrange County Habitat for Humanity, serving on the board for the last 8 years. She also serves on the LaGrange United Methodist Church Outreach Committee.

In selecting the award recipient, the award committee considers nominees who share their time for the sake for others, render a service that changes lives, work to create positive change, inspire others to volunteer and more.

All nominees are eligible to make a $500 grant to the LaGrange County nonprofit of their choice in their name; the award recipient is eligible to make a $1,000 grant.

We will be announcing the recipient of the 2023 Heart of Gold Award at our Annual Celebration on Monday, June 12. The deadline to register for our celebration is Monday, May 29. If you are interested in attending, please go HERE.

Image by Irog Media

LaGrange Partners Meeting Coming Up!

LaGrange Partners is an interagency meeting for nonprofit organizations and entities providing services to LaGrange County residents. Partners provides a forum for learning about resources, discussing current issues, networking, and keeping up to date on existing services.

The meeting is open to nonprofit staff, board members, volunteers and interested community members who want to connect and learn more about the nonprofit sector in LaGrange County.

LaGrange Partners meets every other month in various locations, from 11:30am-1pm. The meeting format includes time for lunch, agency announcements, networking, and a featured presentation on a focus topic. Each of the focus topics are scheduled for the year. You can find that schedule HERE.

LaGrange Partners is facilitated by the LaGrange County Community Foundation.

If you’d like to find out more information, or to sign up for the next meeting on Tuesday, June 13, go HERE. You can also see past minutes, resources, and agendas at that link as well.

April 2023 Partners Meeting

Natalie Kauffman Memorial Nursing Scholarship Accepting Applications

The Natalie Kauffman Memorial Nursing Scholarship honors the life and legacy of Natalie Kauffman, a lifetime resident of Wolcottville.

Natalie graduated from Lakeland High School in 2010 and attended the nursing program at IPFW. She had 14 months left in her education when she passed away on October 18, 2013.

Natalie demonstrated love, respect, and compassion for others, and carried the belief that people are on earth to help each other. The Kauffman family established the scholarship to promote those ideals and support aspiring nurses and continue Natalie’s legacy of helping others.

This is a $1,000 scholarship that supports college students and non-traditional students pursuing a degree in nursing. And is available to students who have graduated from a LaGrange County high school or adults currently working in the healthcare field in LaGrange County.

This is a great opportunity to get some extra financial help. Be sure to share this information with someone who would have the above qualifications and would be able to use this scholarship money for their degree.

Applications will be accepted until June 15, 2023.

GO HERE to find out more!

Stay Connected

To get the latest information about the LaGrange County Community Foundation, sign up for our
e-Newsletter.

We publish our newsletter once a month with the latest things happening at LCCF: new scholarships, grants, events, awards, community happenings, volunteer information, and more.

You can sign up here.

Back to Basics: What is a Community Foundation?

When I started working for the LaGrange County Community Foundation, I heard a familiar question: “What is a Community Foundation?” 

In my many years in the workforce, I have had a variety of jobs. Many that I do today as the Marketing & Community Engagement Manager. But working for a nonprofit in this capacity was new for me. So, this was a great question to answer for myself as well.  

A community foundation is a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization composed, primarily, of permanent funds created by many separate donors for the long-term benefit of the residents of a specific geographic area. Our geographic focus is LaGrange County, Indiana. 

Three things set us apart from other charities:  

  • Permanent Endowment Building 
  • Broad, Flexible Grantmaking; and  
  • Community Leadership.  

Through Permanent Endowment Building we develop and maintain relationships with our donors, investing and protecting the principal of our donor’s gifts, and distributing the earnings from these gifts based on the charitable intent of the donor. 

Broad and Flexible Grantmaking is understanding our community’s needs, re-directing charitable dollars over time and as community needs change. We offer grant opportunities to local nonprofits and make investments in community needs.   

Community Leadership can encompass many things. Our organization seeks to be proactive, connecting people and ideas for the purpose of solving problems, to educate, and to find ways to better serve our community. 

We are led by a volunteer Board of Directors, who represent the communities of LaGrange County. They direct our strategic vision and make decisions regarding investment of assets, charitable distributions, donor relationships, new donor funds and growing assets.  

The LaGrange County Community Foundation manages more than 140 unique funds, each created for a specific charitable purpose. The Community Foundation works with each donor to identify the purpose and goal of their fund and manages the fund long-term on behalf of the donor. Some funds provide annual grant support to local nonprofits, while others provide scholarships for graduating seniors. 

There are several ways to give and support community needs through the Community Foundation. You can add money to an existing fund or create a new fund, your choice! You can donate to an organization or give to a specific cause or interest.  

Click here to see a list of the Foundation’s charitable funds. 

I hope this helps clarify things a little more! If you have ANY questions about the Community Foundation, how to give, about grants or scholarships, or even how you can volunteer, contact us HERE. We would love to assist you! 

The writer of this post, Sarah Hostetler, starting working for the LaGrange County Community Foundation at the end of March 2023.

We are Now Taking Applications for Nonprofit Assistance Grants!

Nonprofit Assistance Grants help LaGrange County nonprofits with needs in technology, training, operations, emergency, and awareness events. Last year (2023) was our first year of opening this grant program.

Nonprofit Assistance Grants are available to LaGrange County nonprofit organizations. These grants are made possible through the generosity of donors who have supported the unrestricted and field of interest charitable funds at the Foundation.

LaGrange County nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply for up to $2,500 in assistance in the following categories, but not limited to:

  • awareness events
  • emergency needs
  • operations
  • technology (includes software)
  • training/development

Fundraising projects, utilities, general operating expenses, or your organization’s regular programing are NOT eligible for Nonprofit Assistance Grants. Government agencies, public schools, and churches are not eligible for Nonprofit Assistance grants. 


If you are unsure if your assistance project qualifies, please contact Program Director, Leanna Martin at lmartin@lccf.net or by calling 260-463-4363.
 

Grant Deadlines: Applications accepted on a rolling basis

Award notification will be made within 30 days of the application submission. Grants are awarded as funds are available. One grant award per organization. Applications will be accepted until October 31, 2023.

Want to Find Out More?

Go HERE to the Nonprofit Assistance Grants Page, for more information. To apply, scroll to the bottom of the page, and click “APPLY NOW“.

2023 Heart of Gold Award Nominations are Now Being Accepted!

Heart of Gold Awards 2023, LaGrange County, Indiana

The importance of volunteerism cannot be overestimated. Volunteers are what keeps non-profits ticking. They are the hands, feet and hearts.

Starting April 1st through May 1st, 2023, we are accepting nominations for outstanding volunteers in our community. The Heart of Gold award was created to recognize these outstanding volunteers whose unselfish and dedicated service has made significant contributions to LaGrange County.

2022 Heart of Gold Nominees
2022 Heart of Gold Nominees: Carolyn Hostetler, Allisa Brown and Kailie Snyder-Farnsworth (Not pictured: Chad Miller)

Some of the hard work and service in our county may go unnoticed, but we would love to encourage you to look around and see what others are doing around you!

If you know of anyone who deserves to be recognized, please let us know by filling out the nomination form on our website. It’s an easy form, and not only will the volunteers be recognized, but they also have a chance at getting a donation to the non-profit of their choice! Well worth it!

Check out the nomination form HERE!