Constellation of Starke Establishes Pass-Through Fund with NICF

Posted on May 13, 2019
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI

The Constellation of Starke Stellar Executive Team is receiving some assistance from the Northern Indiana Community Foundation.

When members met last Thursday, there was a unanimous vote to enter into an agreement with the NICF that establishes a non-permanent pass through fund with the organization. NICF offered to contribute $2,500 to get the account started.

Members authorized a portion of that money to be used to pay the invoice for Mirth and Whimsy’s marketing campaign.

In addition to taking care of that financial business, the executive team also welcomed a couple of new members. A few more North Judson officials, some representatives from Koontz Lake and Bass Lake and a local community wellness coordinator have now joined the group.

The two main things the team is focused on right now are selecting a consultant to assist with the regional development plan process and preparing for a public meeting scheduled for Thursday, May 23rd.

Members are expected to review a few different consultant proposals and reach a decision when they meet later this week.

Next week’s public meeting will be held at the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center in Knox starting at 1 p.m.

A creative video, an informative power point presentation and panel discussion will be utilized to answer the questions: Why Stellar, Why now?

The meeting will also include a process overview presented by OCRA representatives and officials from Ball State’s Indiana Communities Institute will be there to engage with the community.

Everyone in the community is welcome to attend. The more perspectives that are included in this conversation, the more Constellation of Starke’s regional development plan will truly represent the region’s strengths and needs.

Starke County Community Foundation Presents $20,000 in Grants to Starke County Park Board

Posted on March 14, 2018
Author Michael Gallenberger, WKVI

The Starke County Forest will get $15,000 worth of improvements this spring, thanks to a grant from the Hardesty Memorial Endowment Fund. The funding was formally presented to the Starke County Park Board Tuesday by Starke County Community Foundation Director of Development Sarah Origer and Northern Indiana Community Foundation Executive Director Jay Albright.

The goal of the project is to improve access and signage at the forest. That will include upgrading the existing access trail into a gravel road, ending at a 10-to-12-car parking lot.

County Attorney Marty Lucas said the Starke County Highway Department is still working on the specific plans. “Actually, I was kind of hoping we’d be a little further along, but I think they’ve been pretty busy with all the flooding,” he said. “The time-frame that was being discussed was kind of dependent on weather, which has not been good so far, but assuming that we don’t have any more giant floods, the time-frame was to have it done by June at the latest but hopefully earlier than that.”

During Tuesday’s meeting, the community foundation representatives also presented the park board with a $5,000 grant for improvements to the Bass Lake Beach. The Community Support Grant will help with efforts to prevent and repair sand erosion.

Origer told board members that grants like these are a result of years of donations at the Starke County Community Foundation. “The community foundation is a true endowment,” she said. “The dollars that are donated are invested, and it’s a portion of the earnings that have come back year after year after year, that are making these two grants possible.”

Since $5,000 won’t cover the whole cost of the Bass Lake Beach project, the Starke County Park Board is also exploring other grant opportunities. Board President Roger Chaffins said the county is still waiting for the results of its application for $2,500 from Kankakee Valley REMC’s Operation Round Up program. But the park board’s request for $5,000 from Arrowhead Country Resource Conservation and Development has been denied.

NJSP Memorial Monument

CORRECTION: The phone number should be 574-772-3665.

N.J.-S.P. Kindergarten Countdown Gets a Financial Boost

May 21, 2016AuthorMary Perren, WKVI 

 

North Judson-San Pierre Elementary School’s Kindergarten Countdown program got a boost recently. The Northern Indiana Community Foundation donated $6,000 to the corporation for the program.

It will run July 18-29 and will offer up to 20 incoming kindergarten students a chance to get familiar with the school and its structure. Slots are typically offered to youngsters who have not had exposure to preschool. N.J.-S.P. will base registration on a parent survey taken during last month’s kindergarten pre-registration.

Pioneer Cemetery Transformation Fund

Donations to the Pioneer Cemetery Transformation Fund can be made through the Northern Indiana Community Foundation.

Their website is www.nicf.org.  Information is available there or through their contact information below:

Starke County Community FoundationP.O. Box 563Knox, Indiana  46534 
Office location:
North Judson Town Hall310 Lane StreetNorth Judson, Indiana  46366Phone:  574-772-3665

Starke United Fund Launches Capital Campaign

Published: August 7, 2015 By: Jacque Ryan, WKVI

The Starke United Fund supports initiatives that promote financial stability and independence, programs that help children and youth succeed and projects that strengthen and support families and improve the health of our community. Each year, members with the Starke United Fund work to create long-lasting change by addressing the underlying issues in our community and empowering citizens.

Starke United works in collaboration with various other agencies and members of the community. Last year thanks to generous donations, nearly $30,000 was granted to many of Starke County’s non-profit organizations. Starke United works very hard to assist as many people as possible, but they can’t do it alone. As the 2015 Starke United Fund Campaign kicks off, you are asked to join in and lend a hand.

You can donate in a few different ways. You can either give by payroll deduction at your workplace, online, or by mail. You can donate just once or at an interval that is convenient and affordable for you. Starke United fund is offering a unique opportunity now through March 31, 2016.

Corinne Becknell Lucas, program communications director with the Northern Indiana Community Foundation explained how you can double your donation, “Right now those dollars will be matched dollar for dollar through a campaign that’s going through the Lilly Endowment to build up community funds. So that’s really exciting so if you want your dollars to double then you want to do the Starke United Fund match.”

If you would like your gift matched be sure to specify by either writing ‘SUF Match’ in the memo of your check or by notifying your workplace. With your help and generosity Starke United can continue to impact lives for the better in Starke County. Contact 877-432-6423 with any questions.

7/10/2015 Deadline in Early July for Northern Indiana Community Foundation Scholarships

Published: June 24, 2015
By: Jacque Ryan, WKVI

Starke County individuals looking to obtain further education can apply for funding assistance through two Northern Indiana Community Foundation scholarships.

The Megan Elytha Jean Sahlhoff Music Scholarship is available to applicants who are recent graduates of North Judson-San Pierre High School looking to pursue a major or minor in the field of music.

The second scholarship being offered is aimed at non-traditional students. Northern Indiana Community Foundation Program Officer Corinne Lucas shared what they consider to be a ‘non-traditional student’, “A non-traditional student is a student that didn’t go directly into college from high school, maybe they took some time off…” Lucas shared.

The Back Home Again in Indiana scholarship encourages all non-traditional students who are pursuing a college degree as well those who wish to further their education or training as a way of enhancing their employment skills to apply.

Lucas considers this scholarship to be quite unique because of the broad spectrum of people it applies to, “The really neat thing about that is that scholarship is also for someone who maybe needs to get some advanced training for a job they already have.” she explained.

The deadline for all scholarships is July 10. Applications are available online at the nicf.org. If you have any question contact NICF Scholarship Coordinator, Alison Heyde at 574-223-2227.

LaVergne M. Brown & Lois L. Spenner Educational Scholarship

From the Northern Indiana Community Foundation:

The Brown family has had ties to Starke County since the Civil war, and the family is passionate about the community and education. LaVergne Brown and her daughter, Lois Spenner, matriarchs of the Brown Family, both had a passion for education, pursued degrees and become teachers. On March 16, 2004, Phil Brown and Leta Chaney started the LaVergne M. Brown and Lois L. Spenner Educational Scholarship in memory of their beloved grandmother and aunt. Read more about the history of these great women! http://nicf.org/starke/documents/BrownSpennerSchol.pdf

LaVergne M. Brown

Lois L. Spenner