Posted on December 13, 2019
Author Michael Gallenberger, WKVI
Constellation of Starke executive committee members shared their insights on the outcome of their Stellar Community application with the Starke County Park Board Tuesday. The region lost out on this year’s designation to Marshall County Crossroads.
Rik Ritzler is a member of both the executive committee and the park board. He said they’ll find out more between now and February, but it appears that the fact that Marshall County Crossroads was a finalist last year was a big advantage to them this year. “Some of the comments made when we were told we did not win made us feel like we were probably the second choice and that they were very impressed by the effort that we put in,” Ritzler told the rest of the park board. “But one of the ground rules for this Stellar designation was to take poor communities and help them do things they normally couldn’t do. I’m not entirely sure Marshall County fits in those parameters because they have more resources than we do, but I don’t know if that was anything to do with it or not.”
While it was noted that Constellation of Starke gave state officials a very good presentation, executive committee member Marty Lucas said that Marshall County Crossroad’s regional development plan was excellent. “There’s a reason they have classes in football, right?” Lucas added. “I would say we punched outside our weight group, but we were, like, seriously outweighed by that opponent.”
The Stellar designation would have made Starke County and its individual communities eligible for millions of dollars in state and federal grant funding. Park improvements would have been a big part of that.
Constellation of Starke will receive about $333,000 just for being a finalist. Ritzler said the committee is still discussing what to do with that money. “In February, they’re going to be detailing more on what we can and cannot spend the money on,” he explained. “There’s some restrictions under OCRA of what we can do. I think you can use some of that for planning for next year for the Stellar, if that’s what we want to do.”
Constellation of Starke may also use some of that money to start some of the smaller projects in the plan.
Showing posts with label Constellation of Starke Executive Committee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Constellation of Starke Executive Committee. Show all posts
Friday, December 13, 2019
Monday, December 9, 2019
SCCF Giving Tuesday Event Results in $50,000 of Donations!
Posted on December 7, 2019
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI
More than $50,000 was donated to the Starke County Community Foundation as a result of this week’s Giving Tuesday event!
Giving Tuesday, the global generosity movement that was first launched in 2012, helps provide local people and organizations with the power to transform their communities. It was started with the simple idea of creating a day that encourages people to do good.
Many of the contributions that were provided on Giving Tuesday were specifically donated to Community Funds, which are eligible for the Lilly Endowment Inc. Matching Opportunity. That opportunity matches $2 to every $1 donated, with a total of $250,000 of matching funds available.
Throughout the span of this opportunity $246,000 of the matching money has been utilized, with only $4,000 remaining following the Giving Tuesday event.
SCCF Community Funds allow the organization to provide grants to various community resources. This year alone, more than $55,000 grant dollars have been funneled into the community for a variety of reasons.
Those funding opportunities range from larger amounts such as the $10,100 that was provided to Community Services of Starke County for a transportation van to smaller, but still impactful ones, such as the $600 grant that was awarded to Starke County WIC for a lactation station.
In addition to collecting donations and providing community members with an opportunity to gather in their North Judson office on Giving Tuesday, the Community Foundation also recognized the Constellation of Starke Executive Committee as the winners of the 2019 James R. Hardesty Leadership in Philanthropy Award.
The award honors of the achievements of an outstanding individual philanthropist or an effective and worthwhile organization that makes an impact on the community. The COS Exec Committee was selected for the work they’ve done to unify the region this year.
It was established to honor James “Jim” Hardesty’s legacy of giving back to the community. A resident of Hamlet who genuinely loved Starke County, Hardesty stated his philosophy of giving simply and poignantly, he would say “If you can’t do a lot, do what you can do.”
To learn more about a number of different ways you can play a role in assisting the community, visit nicf.org and click on the Starke County tab.
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI
More than $50,000 was donated to the Starke County Community Foundation as a result of this week’s Giving Tuesday event!
Giving Tuesday, the global generosity movement that was first launched in 2012, helps provide local people and organizations with the power to transform their communities. It was started with the simple idea of creating a day that encourages people to do good.
Many of the contributions that were provided on Giving Tuesday were specifically donated to Community Funds, which are eligible for the Lilly Endowment Inc. Matching Opportunity. That opportunity matches $2 to every $1 donated, with a total of $250,000 of matching funds available.
Throughout the span of this opportunity $246,000 of the matching money has been utilized, with only $4,000 remaining following the Giving Tuesday event.
SCCF Community Funds allow the organization to provide grants to various community resources. This year alone, more than $55,000 grant dollars have been funneled into the community for a variety of reasons.
Those funding opportunities range from larger amounts such as the $10,100 that was provided to Community Services of Starke County for a transportation van to smaller, but still impactful ones, such as the $600 grant that was awarded to Starke County WIC for a lactation station.
In addition to collecting donations and providing community members with an opportunity to gather in their North Judson office on Giving Tuesday, the Community Foundation also recognized the Constellation of Starke Executive Committee as the winners of the 2019 James R. Hardesty Leadership in Philanthropy Award.
The award honors of the achievements of an outstanding individual philanthropist or an effective and worthwhile organization that makes an impact on the community. The COS Exec Committee was selected for the work they’ve done to unify the region this year.
It was established to honor James “Jim” Hardesty’s legacy of giving back to the community. A resident of Hamlet who genuinely loved Starke County, Hardesty stated his philosophy of giving simply and poignantly, he would say “If you can’t do a lot, do what you can do.”
To learn more about a number of different ways you can play a role in assisting the community, visit nicf.org and click on the Starke County tab.
Thursday, December 5, 2019
Constellation of Starke Exec Committee Plans Next Steps after Stellar Designation is Awarded to Marshall County Crossroads
Posted on December 5, 2019
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI
The Office of Community and Rural Affairs announced this year’s Regional Stellar Community Thursday morning and Marshall County Crossroads received the distinction.
A Stellar-bration will be held in the region on Thursday, December 19 to celebrate this accomplishment.
While the Constellation of Starke did not get this year’s designation, as a finalist region about $333,000 will come into the County to support community development.
The other finalists, Jay! County and Henry County’s Safe and Welcome Region, will also receive the same amount of funding for that purpose.
OCRA officials commended the Constellation of Starke Executive Committee and the community for all the hard work that was apparent in the Letter of Intent turned in April, the Regional Development Plan that was submitted in September and the presentation that was provided in November.
Stellar Communities Program Manager Michael Sinnet noted that the region reps should be proud. He commented that the community support has been evident and noticeable improvements have been made since initial meetings were held with him back in 2018.
The COS Executive Committee met after the announcement and already started to strategize about how to utilize the available grant dollars and secure additional funding to start supporting some of projects identified in the RDP.
Officials are making plans to apply again in the next round and identified the importance of continuing community engagement efforts and using the momentum from this process to further progress the region.
As was highlighted in November’s presentation, a plethora of progress has been made in the COS region in this year alone and there is a refreshed sense of identity for local residents.
Another takeaway from this is that strong bonds have been formed, connecting and strengthening the region.
Representatives from Knox, North Judson, Hamlet, Koontz Lake, San Pierre, Bass Lake and other unincorporated areas of Starke County have joined together behind this effort and the regional mind set will remain in place despite the lack of a designation this year.
When an initial public meeting was held back in May, nearly 100 people from all across the County turned up to provide feedback and play a part in the Stellar process.
Throughout the summer months, individuals of all ages stopped by the Constellation of Starke booths at various fairs and festivals to share their stories about what they like about Starke County and what they’d like to see.
Since establishing a presence on social media back in May, Constellation of Starke has received more than 660 likes and followers. The special video that was created by Mirth and Whimsy for the final presentation has reached over 15,000 people after being up for less than month.
These are just some of the examples of the impact that the Stellar process has had on community members and the amount of support that has been gathered so far.
Stellar feedback meetings will be held in 2020 on February 10th, 12th and 13th.
During these meetings non-designated finalists will receive input from program officials and will be informed about projects that would be eligible for Community Development Block Grant funding to allow the communities to move forward with funds available.
Prior to that, the Constellation of Starke Executive Committee plans to meet in January to start outlining how to keep the community engaged and move forward with goals identified in the Regional Development Plan.
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI
The Office of Community and Rural Affairs announced this year’s Regional Stellar Community Thursday morning and Marshall County Crossroads received the distinction.
A Stellar-bration will be held in the region on Thursday, December 19 to celebrate this accomplishment.
While the Constellation of Starke did not get this year’s designation, as a finalist region about $333,000 will come into the County to support community development.
The other finalists, Jay! County and Henry County’s Safe and Welcome Region, will also receive the same amount of funding for that purpose.
OCRA officials commended the Constellation of Starke Executive Committee and the community for all the hard work that was apparent in the Letter of Intent turned in April, the Regional Development Plan that was submitted in September and the presentation that was provided in November.
Stellar Communities Program Manager Michael Sinnet noted that the region reps should be proud. He commented that the community support has been evident and noticeable improvements have been made since initial meetings were held with him back in 2018.
The COS Executive Committee met after the announcement and already started to strategize about how to utilize the available grant dollars and secure additional funding to start supporting some of projects identified in the RDP.
Officials are making plans to apply again in the next round and identified the importance of continuing community engagement efforts and using the momentum from this process to further progress the region.
As was highlighted in November’s presentation, a plethora of progress has been made in the COS region in this year alone and there is a refreshed sense of identity for local residents.
Another takeaway from this is that strong bonds have been formed, connecting and strengthening the region.
Representatives from Knox, North Judson, Hamlet, Koontz Lake, San Pierre, Bass Lake and other unincorporated areas of Starke County have joined together behind this effort and the regional mind set will remain in place despite the lack of a designation this year.
When an initial public meeting was held back in May, nearly 100 people from all across the County turned up to provide feedback and play a part in the Stellar process.
Throughout the summer months, individuals of all ages stopped by the Constellation of Starke booths at various fairs and festivals to share their stories about what they like about Starke County and what they’d like to see.
Since establishing a presence on social media back in May, Constellation of Starke has received more than 660 likes and followers. The special video that was created by Mirth and Whimsy for the final presentation has reached over 15,000 people after being up for less than month.
These are just some of the examples of the impact that the Stellar process has had on community members and the amount of support that has been gathered so far.
Stellar feedback meetings will be held in 2020 on February 10th, 12th and 13th.
During these meetings non-designated finalists will receive input from program officials and will be informed about projects that would be eligible for Community Development Block Grant funding to allow the communities to move forward with funds available.
Prior to that, the Constellation of Starke Executive Committee plans to meet in January to start outlining how to keep the community engaged and move forward with goals identified in the Regional Development Plan.
Monday, October 7, 2019
Constellation of Starke Exec Committee Selected as Recipient of Leadership in Philanthropy Award
Posted on October 5, 2019
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI
For the work they’ve done to unify the region behind the common goal of being designated a Stellar Community, the Constellation of Starke Executive Committee has been selected by the Starke County Community Foundation as the recipient of the 2019 James R. Hardesty Leadership in Philanthropy Award.
According to SCCF officials, the award was established to honor James “Jim” Hardesty’s legacy of giving back to the community. Jim lived in Hamlet and genuinely loved Starke County. He stated his philosophy of giving simply and poignantly, he would say “If you can’t do a lot, do what you can do.”
Hardesty passed away in May of 2014 at 92-years-old. His contributions to the SCCF make up the largest gift to-date from a single donor in any of the three counties served by the Northern Indiana Community Foundation.
The Leadership in Philanthropy Award honors of the achievements of an outstanding individual philanthropist or an effective and worthwhile organization that makes an impact on the community.
In past years, recipients have been Marilyn and Mathew Swanson, Tri Kappa, Cherry Gumz, and Barbara McLaughlin.
The Constellation of Starke Executive Committee members will be honored during the Community Foundation’s Giving Tuesday Open House event on December 3rd. The award also comes with $500 that can be donated to any Foundation fund that the Stellar group chooses.
Click the following link to view Constellation of Starke’s Regional Development Plan that the committee submitted to Stellar Program officials for consideration back in September.
In addition to highlighting various projects, programs, and plans for the future, it includes details about each member of the COS Executive Committee.
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI
For the work they’ve done to unify the region behind the common goal of being designated a Stellar Community, the Constellation of Starke Executive Committee has been selected by the Starke County Community Foundation as the recipient of the 2019 James R. Hardesty Leadership in Philanthropy Award.
According to SCCF officials, the award was established to honor James “Jim” Hardesty’s legacy of giving back to the community. Jim lived in Hamlet and genuinely loved Starke County. He stated his philosophy of giving simply and poignantly, he would say “If you can’t do a lot, do what you can do.”
Hardesty passed away in May of 2014 at 92-years-old. His contributions to the SCCF make up the largest gift to-date from a single donor in any of the three counties served by the Northern Indiana Community Foundation.
The Leadership in Philanthropy Award honors of the achievements of an outstanding individual philanthropist or an effective and worthwhile organization that makes an impact on the community.
In past years, recipients have been Marilyn and Mathew Swanson, Tri Kappa, Cherry Gumz, and Barbara McLaughlin.
The Constellation of Starke Executive Committee members will be honored during the Community Foundation’s Giving Tuesday Open House event on December 3rd. The award also comes with $500 that can be donated to any Foundation fund that the Stellar group chooses.
Click the following link to view Constellation of Starke’s Regional Development Plan that the committee submitted to Stellar Program officials for consideration back in September.
In addition to highlighting various projects, programs, and plans for the future, it includes details about each member of the COS Executive Committee.
Monday, September 16, 2019
Constellation of Starke Executive Committee Finalizes RDP Details Prior to Deadline
Posted on September 13, 2019
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI
With the Stellar Communities Designation Program deadline coming up next week, the Constellation of Starke Executive Committee has been putting the final touches on the Regional Development Plan (RDP).
After coordinating with local leaders and receiving feedback from the public by hosting input sessions, distributing surveys, and attending festivals throughout the region, there are multiple projects that have been worked into the RDP that will help accomplish the ultimate goal of being a vibrant, engaged, and growing community.
Some of the priority projects include bringing new housing options into the three major incorporated areas, enhancing the existing parks in Knox, North Judson, San Pierre, and Hamlet with proposed improvements, in addition to a new community center in Koontz Lake and upgraded facilities at the Bass Lake Beach.
Additionally, a county-wide connectivity project that would involve installing lanes for bicycles and golf carts on existing roadways to help link the communities together and a placemaking project that would bring a scale model of the Solar System to the Erie Trail will be submitted for consideration.
A portion of the Constellation of Starke RDP also includes a Health and Wellness plan that identifies existing resources and organizations within the region that are providing access to mental health care and addressing the local impact of the opioid crisis and overdose epidemic.
Looking ahead, the RDPs of Constellation of Starke and other Stellar finalists will be reviewed by program officials during the month of October. The designee will be announced in December.
To view a video about the regional collaboration and to stay informed about what’s happening with the Stellar process, follow the Constellation of Starke Facebook page.
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI
With the Stellar Communities Designation Program deadline coming up next week, the Constellation of Starke Executive Committee has been putting the final touches on the Regional Development Plan (RDP).
After coordinating with local leaders and receiving feedback from the public by hosting input sessions, distributing surveys, and attending festivals throughout the region, there are multiple projects that have been worked into the RDP that will help accomplish the ultimate goal of being a vibrant, engaged, and growing community.
Some of the priority projects include bringing new housing options into the three major incorporated areas, enhancing the existing parks in Knox, North Judson, San Pierre, and Hamlet with proposed improvements, in addition to a new community center in Koontz Lake and upgraded facilities at the Bass Lake Beach.
Additionally, a county-wide connectivity project that would involve installing lanes for bicycles and golf carts on existing roadways to help link the communities together and a placemaking project that would bring a scale model of the Solar System to the Erie Trail will be submitted for consideration.
A portion of the Constellation of Starke RDP also includes a Health and Wellness plan that identifies existing resources and organizations within the region that are providing access to mental health care and addressing the local impact of the opioid crisis and overdose epidemic.
Looking ahead, the RDPs of Constellation of Starke and other Stellar finalists will be reviewed by program officials during the month of October. The designee will be announced in December.
To view a video about the regional collaboration and to stay informed about what’s happening with the Stellar process, follow the Constellation of Starke Facebook page.
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