Evansville Business October/November 2024

EMPTY ICONS

A Publication of Tucker Publishing Group

PUBLISHER

Todd A. Tucker

EDITORIAL

Kristen K. Tucker Editor

Jodi Keen Managing Editor

John Martin Senior Writer

Maggie Valenti Staff Writer

DESIGN

Laura Mathis Creative Director

Chanda Ramsey Art Director

Hadley Mitchell Digital Marketing Coordinator

ADVERTISING

Jessica Hoffman Senior Account Executive

Jennifer Rhoades Senior Account Executive

Logen Sitzman Sales and Marketing Coordinator

CIRCULATION

Gregg Martin

Distribution and Circulation Manager

CONTRIBUTORS

Kelley Coures, Katie Henrichs, Nick Shelton, Zach Straw

Todd A. Tucker, President

Kristen K. Tucker, Vice President

Tucker Publishing Group

25 N.W. Riverside Drive, Ste. 200 Evansville, IN 47708 812-426-2115

evansvillebusiness.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Subscriptions are $18 for one year; $24 for two years; or $30 for three years. To start a new subscription, renew an existing subscription, or change your address, visit evansvilleliving.com/subscribe; call 812-641-5919 or 818-286-3122 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or send an email to elbcs@magserv.com.

IN THE NEWS

Evansville Business welcomes submissions for our business social page and corporate news. Please mail or email these items eight weeks in advance of the magazine cover date to the address above or events@evansvilleliving.com.

LETTERS TO THE PUBLISHER

Letters to the publisher may be sent to letters@evansvilleliving.com or to ttucker@evansvilleliving.com.

ADVERTISING INFORMATION

Take advantage of Evansville Business’ prime advertising space. Please call us at 812-426-2115 or visit evansvilleliving.com.

CONNECT WITH US

Evansville Business is published bimonthly by Tucker Publishing Group, 25 N.W. Riverside Drive, Ste. 200, Evansville, IN 47708, and printed at KODI Collective, Lebanon Junction, KY. Any views expressed in any advertisement, signed letter, article, or photograph are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Evansville Business Copyright © 2024 Tucker Publishing Group. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission from Tucker Publishing Group.

Drake’s

Rapp Granary

Engelbrecht Carousel

Deaconess Aquatic Center

24 EVANSVILLE’S EMPTY ICONS

What can be done to save Evansville’s vacant historic sites? Many have potential but also lack the vision and financing to carry them forward. From Mesker Amphitheatre and Veterans Memorial Coliseum to the Alhambra and more, learn about the condition of these wellloved properties and the plans that investors are exploring for their futures.

Getting Answers

One of the most basic tenets of Tucker Publishing Group’s mission statement is to inform our readership. And I am never surprised, even 25 years into reading, editing, and sometimes living vicariously through the magazines, at how little I know.

One thing I often am asked based on what I do for a living is the state of different projects, initiatives, and potential development. So, I read with great interest Senior Writer John Martin’s roundup of at-risk buildings and properties, “Empty Icons,” which begins on page 24. All the properties are well known, and all seem to have their fan bases who want to see their project moving forward. After reading John’s story, I feel much better equipped to answer often-asked questions about the status of different properties.

I was sorry to hear of the loss of Charlie Loyal Oswald, beloved dog and Director of Client Happiness — a role he embraced for 14 years at Oswald Marketing. Charlie’s obituary noted he had a special talent for brightening everyone’s day with a wagging tail, head nuzzles, and treat snacking. Oswald Marketing was like a second home to him, and his absence is felt deeply by his teammates (and visitors, too). When at work, he always would hang out in the office of his owner Tammy Shaw, as the two were inseparable. Of course, he had a bed by the window. Charlie spent his final days soaking up the sun on his cherished wraparound porch surrounded by family. Visits to Oswald won’t be the same.

A few weeks ago, I had a surprise visit from a lifelong friend who has lived out of state for some time now. In our advancing years, as it often does with others, the subject of retirement and the potential of retirement came up. My friend and I talked to one another about what would we do if we weren’t well into our career trajectory and could do it all over again. I was surprised that my very successful friend said he’d “probably be a high school basketball coach.” I am reminded of this by our Back Talk profile on Erika Taylor, written by Staff Writer Maggie Valenti and featured on page 136. Erika initially started a law career but took a different path after being told there was an executive CEO position that she needed to apply for and interviewing in a room with 10 people who felt she could do the job. I admire those who feel called to serve in a capacity where they can add value. And 14 years later, Erika has tremendously impacted so many lives in a positive manner. I can’t imagine a career more fulfilling than that.

As always, I look forward to hearing from most of you.

Todd A. Tucker, President

Alhambra Theatre

Charlie Loyal Oswald

Erika Taylor

Sandra Morales Executive Housekeeper Hilton Garden Inn Evansville

Christy Gibson Owner Sassy Sweets Confection

LOCAL LEADERS

Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry is truly an amazing leader. I feel fortunate to learn and work alongside her every day. Discover more about key leaders in the new administration in the latest issue of Evansville Business (“A Look at Who Runs the City,” August/September 2024).

Lindsay Locasto via LinkedIn

ON BOARD

I am grateful for the opportunity to be highlighted in this month’s Evansville Business (“Driven to Serve,” August/September 2024).

Courtney Johnson via Facebook

TOP READ

Great articles (August/September 2024)!

Sherrianne Standley via Facebook

FIRED UP

Hey, that’s our chief (“Igniting Change,” August/September 2024)!

Evansville Fire Department via Facebook

HANDS ON

Can’t wait to get my copy (August/ September 2024)!

Melody Vezzoso via Facebook

FORCE FOR GOOD

(Danielle Crook is a) wonderful woman to work with! Super professional and she has a great heart for our community and our parks (“Challenges and Opportunities,” August/ September 2024)!

Abraham Brown via Facebook

MOONLIGHT SONATA

I just love this photo (“Day in the Sun,” August/September 2024)!

Tim Black via Facebook

Send your notes to letters@evansvilleliving.com.

Letters to the Editor may be sent to Letters, Evansville Living, 25 N.W. Riverside Drive, Ste. 200, Evansville, IN 47708.

Visit us at evansvilleliving.com, click on “Contact Us” at the top of the page, and fill out the form with your feedback.

facebook.com/evansvilleliving twitter.com/evansville linkedin.com/company-tucker-publishing-group instagram.com/evansvilleliving

Core Services

SALES • LEASING

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

TENANT REPRESENTATION

CORPORATE SERVICES

BUSINESS BROKERAGE

ACCELERATED SALES

DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVE PROCUREMENT

Specialty Practices

HOSPITALITY

INDUSTRIAL

LAND & DEVELOPMENT

MULTIFAMILY

OFFICE

RETAIL

SPECIAL PURPOSE

Economic Development Team

Senior Advisor Greg Wathen, APR leads our Economic Development Team. Wathen provides economic development services to corporate and governmental clients, especially local companies that are expanding or looking for opportunities throughout Indiana, Kentucky, and across the country.

ALEX MARTIN , VICE PRESIDENT OF PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

STEVE MARTIN , PRESIDENT & CEO

A New Route North

Highly anticipated I-69 extension to Indianapolis opens

BY MAGGIE VALENTI

It’s been decades in the making, but the Interstate 69 extension between Evansville and Indianapolis is complete, opening to traffic on Aug. 6.

Former Mayor and Evansville Regional Economic Partnership CEO Lloyd Winnecke attended the ribbon cutting. He described it as “a phenomenal experience … to know that the work of so many people – over decades – culminated in that ribbon cutting was a very gratifying moment that I will always cherish.”

Dubbed “The Hoosier Link to the World,” the Indiana Department of Transportation predicts the project will generate a $4.1 billion economic impact over the next 20 years. Construction of the interstate — part of a larger network of roads from Mexico to Canada — started in 2019 in Martinsville, Indiana, and cost $2 billion.

When Evansville Business profiled the coming changes in the August/September 2018 issue, construction in Martinsville was on the horizon, with many eying the benefits of a northbound connection, including reduced travel time, prevention of accidents, and a tourism boost. Indiana Department of Transportation also lauded the access to jobs, education, and health care that the project will bring. Winnecke noted the benefits for business supply chains as well.

Mere weeks after cutting the ribbon on the I-69 extension, officials were breaking ground in Evansville for work leading up to the future I-69 Ohio River Crossing, which will replace the southbound Bi-State Vietnam Gold Star Twin Bridges between Evansville and Henderson, Kentucky. Bridge construction is slated to begin in 2027 and finish by 2031.

“Once the bridge is complete, that will be the true completion of I-69 for this region,” Winnecke says.

Creative Connectivity

Clean lines and custom coffee elevate Blackstrap Media’s workspace

BY JODI KEEN

In the early days of Blackstrap Media, the full-service marketing agency operated out of the first floor of founder Kevin Chenault’s Jacobsville neighborhood home. Each morning, Chenault cleared away his children’s toys before Blackstrap’s employees arrived.

Perhaps that explains the clean lines and uncluttered, minimalist look of Blackstrap’s new office. Drawn by recessed lighting, soothing blues, and natural elements, the North Main Street workspace balances casual with precision.

“The office culture I wanted to instill in Blackstrap was one balancing a fun atmosphere that is focused on success,” says Chenault, who also serves as the company’s director of business development.

Chenault grew up nearby on Columbia Street, which factored into positioning his company in Jacobsville. All along, he’s sought a standalone office space with character.

Enter 417 N. Main St. The two-story brick structure was built in the 1950s as an office for IBM. When Randy Brown bought it in 2018 for his company CGM Technologies, he did a full remodel, leaving Suite D move-in ready for Blackstrap Media in 2023. The 500-square-foot second-floor landing, with its distinctive protruding glass façade, doubles as Blackstrap’s lobby.

Blackstrap occupies a nearly 2,000-square-foot office that once housed marketing firm KFS & Associates. Despite Blackstrap’s vividly colored branding, its office exudes calm. Eight employees, from account managers and graphic designers to digital marketing and social media strategists, settle into windowed cubicles offset by white walls and walnut trim, and outfitted with raised desks and copious houseplants. Here, they craft marketing solutions for accounts such as ECHO Community Healthcare, AmeriQual Foods, Building Blocks, Field & Main Bank, and Freedom Bank. 

The team at marketing agency Blackstrap Media has called this airy 1950s office building at North Main and East Virginia streets home since 2023. Blackstrap Media’s nearly 2,000-square-foot office has space for conference and meeting rooms, individual workspaces, and a kitchen. Employees including Jodie Coher, Molly Joines, Micah Braden, founder Kevin Chenault, David Jones, Chris Vinson, and Holly Crolley welcome clients at the second-floor atrium, which doubles as the company’s lobby. Other tenants at 417 N. Main St. include Parcil Safety, Apostolic World Christian Fellowship, and Gateway Residential Services, an affiliate of CARF International.

The company made a few tweaks to its space in the building’s atrium, raising a bar affixed to the wall to create elevated seating by the windows overlooking East Virginia Street. Employees, laptops in hand, have the option to utilize this space for a change of scenery, which includes a large world map based on Capt. James Cook’s 18th-century global expeditions.

Chenault’s wife, Emily, designed the built-out kitchen located in an old server room. Therein lies perhaps arguably the office’s most popular feature: a Rocket espresso machine in Cronometro R exterior with a Mozzafiato body style and Faustino coffee grinder.

Chenault and director of operations David Jones share a love of coffee — in fact, Jones previously owned Planters Café & Coffee Bar, which moved to Burkhardt Road in 2018 after operating for more than 20 years in Henderson, Kentucky. New Blackstrap Media employees learn to whip up custom drinks using beans from New Harmony’s Black Lodge Coffee Roasters as a way to engage with clients and each other.

“The espresso machine is not only a great icebreaker with clients, but it’s also a team building exercise, to get your brain thinking about things that are not just your job all the time,” Chenault says.

Blackstrap, which converted its prior office space on Maryland Street into a studio, feels more at home on North Main.

“This was the perfect mix of some privacy and the ability to engage with each other. Connectivity is really important. We’re trying to instill that more in this office than we had at the old office.”

Goodbye, With Pride

Chuck Whobrey retires after 32 years as Teamsters president BY

MAGGIE VALENTI

Chuck Whobrey grew up around labor union organizing. Still, serving as the fourth president of Teamsters Local 215 for 32 years — the longest in the union’s history — was not the path he thought he would take. After transitioning into the role in his 30s – and now 67 – Whobrey has stepped down and been replaced by former Secretary-Treasurer Earl Brown.

“I’m looking forward to not quite having such a stressful life,” he says.

Unions have been in Whobrey’s blood since he was young. He remembers joining his father — a business representative with Local 215 who died in 1975 — on the picket line with employees of Alexander Funeral Home as an 11-year-old.

The Benjamin Bosse High School graduate joined the union in 1974 as a seasonal worker for the Department of Parks and Recreation. With his sister’s encouragement, he graduated from Indiana University with a degree in general studies — and a concentration in labor studies — in 1980. After interning at Local 215 in summer 1979, he briefly worked in construction before following in his father’s footsteps as the union’s business representative in 1981. He then became

its president in 1993. He also served as the vice president of Teamsters’ Joint Council 94. He still is the union chair of both the Teamsters’ Central States Pension Fund and Health and Welfare Fund.

He’s served the local union for more than 43 years, and it’s kept him busy: The union has 2,800 members and is the largest in the Tri-State. The job has changed a lot in that time, Whobrey says, as larger corporations and their additional negotiation players replace more family-owned businesses.

“It takes the humanity out of people when all they are looking at is a bottom line,” Whobrey says.

Looking back, he says he’s “really proudest of the honesty and integrity” of the union. Another of his fondest accomplishments is the post-secondary education scholarship Whobrey established in 1997. The annual award is given to children of union members and has awarded $4.5 million.

“I believed in the cause,” he says. “I believe when people join together, they are stronger.”

David Jones

Positive Identity

Rachel Wambach brings business brands to life

BY MAGGIE VALENTI, WITH JODI KEEN

If you’ve sipped suds at Myriad Brewing Company, tucked into a bubble waffle at Honey Moon Coffee Co, or visited Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden, you’ve come across Rachel Wambach’s work.

For 13 years, Wambach has been a self-described independent designer. She has found a niche in helping Evansville-area businesses build or evolve their brand identity by crafting custom logos, color schemes, social media skins, business cards, and more through her company, Sprout Design.

“I try to inject a lot of intention so it’s a custom design,” Wambach says.

This intent is evident in the sleek “S” of Shannon Alexandr’s redesigned logo, which mimics the salon’s refreshed interior look. Zac and Jessica Parsons, owners of Honey Moon, expanded their eight-year-old company by acquiring Evansville Coffee Co. in 2023. Wambach refreshed their logo by shaving down sharp edges and softening typography.

Earlier this year, Patsy Hartigan’s Irish Pub co-owners Josh Pietrowski, Scott Schymik, and Alan “A.C.” Braun enlisted Wambach to create the character seen in their branding and logos. The group brainstormed how an early Irish immigrant to Evansville might have looked; the resulting figure sports a collared shirt and tie, an overgrown chevron mustache, and a black eye, no doubt from an evening at a local pub.

An initial consultation grows into many conversations to understand a client’s needs and get a feel for their entire brand. Wambach then creates mood boards and works with colors and existing designs, fine-tuning the bones before starting design work. Her designs are personal to each client but recognizable enough to see her style: clean and monoline, with playful colors.

“I believe branding work should be fluid and mesh with the organization you’re working for,” she says. “It can be tricky … when you’re designing locally.”

Her designs are on everything from posters to T-shirts to Christmas cards to beer cans. In addition to clients like the Koch Family Children’s Museum of Evansville, Sixth and Zero, Forefront Therapy, and the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science, Wambach long has shaped the branding for Haynie’s Corner Arts District — designing posters for the neighborhood’s annual Front Porch Fest.

Wambach’s widespread community presence, she says, can be attributed to word of mouth, especially in a place where “everybody kind of knows each other.”

“It’s all really fun, getting to translate folks’ ideas and bring them to life,” she says. “I really love rooting for people starting their business from the ground up.”

It’s Your Bet

Bally’s Evansville rolls out new sports wagering amenities

With sports betting on the rise, Bally’s Evansville is getting in on the action.

Bally Bet Sportsbook & Bar, open since July in the space formerly occupied by Tap House, offers daily lunch, dinner, and drinks, as well as sports betting kiosks and windows and large TV screens.

When sports betting was legalized in Indiana in 2019, Evansville’s casino was owned by Tropicana, and sports betting was licensed through British gambling company William Hill. Betting windows, kiosks, and screens were placed in what had opened as 421 Lounge, a live music and entertainment venue inside Bally’s Evansville.

Bally Bet Sportsbook & Bar prepared for an influx of bettors by adding a restaurant featuring truffle tots, cheesesteaks, breaded pork tenderloins, smash burgers, braised short ribs, and more, plus 18 beers on tap and rotating seasonal brews and more brands in bottles and cans. 421 Lounge has brought back live music on Friday and Saturday nights.

Bally Bet raked in more than $2.2 million in sports wagering in July, according to the Indiana Gaming Commission, and it won “Friendliest Sportsbook” among Southern Indiana casinos in Casino Player Magazine’s 2024 Best of Gaming awards. The changes are bringing more energy to the casino property, says Ali Hashemy, executive director of non-gaming operations at Bally’s Evansville.

PRIME PROPERTY

BY JOHN MARTIN

“When Bally’s started initiating their Bally Bet sports in Indiana, we decided, why not offer something that had a much better experience for people who might like to place a bet, have something to eat, and have a beverage of choice, and bring entertainment back to where we used to have it,” Hashemy says.

Growth Opportunity

UE says upperclassmen will thrive at Lincoln Commons

At the University of Evansville, young people will learn the ins and outs of being adults within the newly constructed walls of Lincoln Commons.

Dedicated Aug. 7 at Lincoln and Weinbach avenues, the four-story building has room for 123 UE juniors, seniors, and

graduate students. The apartments contain one, two, or four bedrooms plus a kitchen, washer and dryer hookups, full-size beds, and living room furniture.

Upperclassmen will “begin to understand what independent living is like,” University President Christopher Pietruszkiewicz said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Mayor Stephanie Terry, who holds a Master of Science in Health Science Administration from UE, told the audience that Lincoln Commons’ completion “contributes to a vibrant community and city.”

The building’s ground level will host Mexican-inspired chain restaurant QDOBA and Orange Leaf, a frozen yogurt chain, to fill about 3,500 feet of retail space. Patio dining is planned.

BY JOHN MARTIN

Derek Ungethiem, president and CEO of Ungethiem Properties and the franchisee for QDOBA, says the goal “is to provide students and residents with a convenient and delicious dining option.”

In November 2022, Lincoln Commons’ construction required demolishing University Apartments, Ramona Apartments, a Hazeart Apartment building, and the former Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity house, which moved elsewhere on campus. Pre-construction activities at Lincoln Commons started in March 2023 before breaking ground that August.

Dean of Students and Vice President for Student Affairs Rachel Carpenter says the new housing allows UE upperclassmen to “feel at home, make lasting connections, and fully immerse themselves in their academic and personal growth.”

EVANSVILLE.EDU

CASINOS.BALLYS.COM/EVANSVILLE

Right Man for the Job

Gary Shetler’s legacy lives on at Evansville Country Club

BY NICK SHELTON

Some connections defy explanation, and one such relationship is the bond Gary Shetler shares with the green. Look no further than the 40-plus years he worked for Evansville Country Club before his retirement June 28.

The now-former general manager made it his goal to consistently raise the bar at ECC during his tenure. He oversaw major

“Gary is the definition of a true leader,” Brown says. “He would never ask you to do something that he would not do himself.”

It takes a certain type of person to commit themselves to something in the way that Shetler devoted himself to ECC, but he says he knows that man well.

“I think it’s internal,” Shetler says. “I have always had high standards, so my goal was always to make everything the best I could.”

Shetler notes that the position of general manager did require some sacrifice, with many “12-hour days and 60-hour weeks,” but he says he always knew he belonged on the putting green or, at least, in close proximity to it.

“I have always had high standards, so my goal was always to make everything the best I could.”

— Gary Shetler, retired general manager at Evansville Country Club

Following his graduation from Purdue University in 1978 with a specialty in turf management, he spent six years at Fendrich Golf Course before receiving a call from ECC in 1984. He would spend the remainder of his career there, first as a golf course superintendent for 25 years and later as general manager for his final 15.

Af ter four decades, if anyone has earned a weekend off, it’s Shetler, and yet, as his wife Mary Ann says, he hasn’t exactly gotten around to that yet. In the month following his retirement, Shelter says he undertook rebuilding and repainting his entire deck.

“Retirement has meant less work for him and more work for me, helping him with all of his projects,” Mary Ann jokes.

renovations to the club’s golf course in 202122, calling those changes the “best thing we ever did.” And while they were attentiongrabbing, equally striking was the way he refurbished what it meant to be a boss.

ECC Membership & Marketing Director Rachel Brown says it was all the little things that he did every day on the job that left a lasting impression.

Now returning to his old stomping grounds at ECC as an honorary lifetime member, Shelter says when he looks out across the sprawling hills of the club’s golf course and sees the clubhouse that served as a second home for the past 40 years, he sees “a place where you can create memories that last a lifetime.”

Home Innovation

Gale Bradford’s post-war assembly line-style home construction drew national accolades

BY KELLEY COURES

Few neighborhoods in Evansville are as instantly recognized as Iroquois Gardens. Tucked in an area south of the Lloyd Expressway to Lincoln Avenue, just west of the Green River Road shopping district, the homes are small by modern standards, mostly brick and built on slab. For many thousands of homebuyers, they have served as what real estate agents call “starter homes.” Few are aware of the area’s significance: the history of its development, and the creative genius who built it.

Born in 1910, Gale Bradford was a noted homebuilder in Evansville for many years. At the same time his competitor Guthrie May was developing small homes on the North Side, Bradford, like May, was trying to build homes in the late 1940s and early 1950s for returning military service members and their families who precipitated what we call the “baby boom.”

World War II left homebuilders with limited resources, including labor. The need for new housing was intense, with thousands of men coming back to the area from the war anxious to start families.

An Evansville native, Bradford was the son of a homebuilder, A. A. Bradford, and served in the military during the war. Coming home, he jumped into the building of war housing. He built the Columbia Apartments, which have since been retitled Bradford Pointe Apartments and still stand in the 1600 block of East Franklin Street, just east of U.S. 41.

Prior to his military service, he had worked at Briggs Indiana Corporation, an assembly line plant in Evansville, and learned the science of multi-line assembly, which in a stroke of genius he

decided to apply to home construction in his proposed Iroquois Gardens subdivision in 1946-47. He convinced the local Congress of Industrial Organizations to allow an influx of apprentice labor to join journeymen, and his “assembly line” was underway. (The national CIO merged with the American Federation of Labor in 1955.)

The speed and quality of his homes drew national attention in LIFE magazine, a weekly publication very popular at the time. It included photos and his work in the June 9, 1947, issue in a story about post-war housing construction in the U.S. LIFE described Bradford as “the biggest builder in the state of Indiana” and lauded his collaboration with the CIO to allow 10 apprentices to work under one journeyman.

The LIFE article said this method meant all laborers could do almost every job, which was radical in 1947. Bradford built nearly 3,000 homes in the 10-year period following the war.

The Department of Metropolitan Development began consideration of a National Register of Historic Places nomination for Iroquois Gardens in 2020 after an application for the mid-century Hebron Meadows neighborhood — bordered by Bellemeade and Washington Avenues and Colony and Blue Ridge Roads — was successful. It is believed that the significance of both the developer and his methods, the national recognition they received, and

Iroquois Gardens under construction in the 1940s

Present-day Iroquois Gardens

“It is testimony to his legacy that properties in Iroquois Gardens are still viable in the current marketplace.”

— Carol McClintock, real estate broker at F.C. Tucker Emge

the intact nature of the 261 homes that stand relatively unchanged, will qualify Iroquois Gardens for recognition.

Iroquois Gardens was indeed intended for returning servicemen, but only white families could buy homes there. Black families were excluded, as they were from all the other burgeoning housing subdivisions sprouting in Evansville on the East and North sides at the time. It wasn’t until 1968 with the passage of the national Fair Housing Act that Black families could purchase homes in Iroquois Gardens and elsewhere.

Bradford’s innovation wasn’t limited to Iroquois Gardens. His work with Bradford Homes Inc. is evident in the slightly larger single-family homes on Greencove and Cass Avenues near the intersection where Covert Avenue and South Green River Road meet. One Bradford new build on Cass, listed for sale in the Jan. 25, 1972, issue of The Evansville Press was highlighted for its “disposal with serving bar, electric fireplace, [and] fine neighborhood” and priced at $23,800.

The homes built by Bradford in Iroquois Gardens nearly 80 years ago still contribute to Evansville’s real estate economy. One home sold in 2021 for more than $120,000, well over the original $7,500 average price tag in the late 1940s. It is likely that Bradford — who died at age 66 in 1976 and had retired the year prior — would be pleased but not surprised. He built these homes of brick to make sure they stood the test of time.

“It is testimony to his legacy that properties in Iroquois Gardens are still viable in the current marketplace,” says Carol McClintock, a leading real estate broker at F.C. Tucker Emge. “They are especially important in providing young families with their first home just as they were for returning servicemen at the time.”

Sharing Goodwill

New Excel Center and store invigorate former Sears space

BY JOHN MARTIN

Nearly 90 years into its mission in the Tri-State, Evansville Goodwill Industries is getting a major boost in the form of a new base of operations.

Four years after obtaining the former Sears store in Washington Square Mall, Evansville Goodwill Industries has breathed new life into the space.

The ground-level Goodwill Store offers 14,000 square feet of bargain shopping. On the second floor, adults take classes in the free Excel Center to complete their high school education. Evansville Goodwill Industries

The regional arm of the national charitable organization opened for business in Evans ville on May 12, 1935 on Northwest First Street. In the time since, it has grown to include a flagship store at 500 S. Green River Road and expanded services in a 28-county area of Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois.

With community needs growing, Goodwill responded by purchasing the 180,000-square-foot former Sears at Washington Square Mall in 2020 and renovating it into a new headquarters, education center, and retail space.

As young as 18 and as old as 72, students come to Evansville Goodwill Industries’ Excel Center for the same reason – to complete an education. The second-floor space of what once was a Sears store now is being used to change lives. Students arrive to take math, language arts, or other courses needed to finish their Core 40 high school diploma.

The Excel Center currently has 135 students enrolled, and hundreds more are in the application stage. Five teachers are on the staff. There are plenty of other supports onsite, such as a spacious childcare center and life coaching.

Perhaps best of all, it’s free. That’s critical – many students in the program earn less than $25,000 and have multiple people in their household, according to David Blaize, Director of Excel Center Evansville Southeast.

officials note that sales in the store help make the Excel Center’s work possible.

Lead Locally...

Act Globally

NAI Prime Commercial is a market-leading, full-service commercial real estate brokerage company providing exceptional service and expertise. As an NAI Global member, we give our clients local-market leading insights combined with access to the single largest, most powerful network of owner-operated commercial real estate firms all actively managed to perform for you.

We value the long-term relationships shared with our clients and strive to be a relationship-oriented firm. This approach differs significantly from the transaction-oriented philosophy of most real estate firms in the industry. NAI Prime Commercial’s first and foremost responsibility is to the clients we represent in the many facets of commercial real estate.

Scott Edmond, CCIM Managing Director scottedmond@naiprime.com 812-453-3102

Carrie Figueroa Property Services 812-204-3357

Scott Hyatt, CCIM Senior Advisor scotthyatt@naiprime.com 812-430-4989

Natalie Bueltel Advisor nataliebueltel@naiprime.com 812-900-7661

Holly Edmond Marketing & Operations Manager hollyedmond@naiprime.com 812-306-1544

Stephanie Barnett Accounting 812-900-7661

Susan Hyatt Marketing Consultant 812-473-0566

“They’re not just coming out with a diploma, they’re coming out with a life plan.”

—

David Blaize, director of Excel Center Evansville Southeast

“We’re getting stories from the students all of the time,” Blaize says. “We’ve got people with prison backgrounds, who had to drop out of high school for whatever reason, family issues, people with all sorts of barriers to be removed, and we have folks on staff who are here just for that.”

Any prior high school credits a student obtained are transferrable to the Excel Center. Blaize says there are students who are many credits short of graduating, while others lack just a few.

Graduations will happen twice a year, and 10 students are on track to graduate by the end of December. Departing Excel Center students earn either an industry-recognized certification or dual college credits.

“They’re not just coming out with a diploma, they’re coming out with a life plan,” Blaize says.

The renovated wing of Washington Square Mall has the Excel Center on its top floor, while down below, visitors can rekindle their Sears shopping memories in Goodwill’s new store.

Those who donate and buy goods in the store are helping the Excel Center and other Goodwill programs, such as job placement services for people with disabilities who are referred by Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors in Indiana and Kentucky; the Senior Community Service Employment Program; and GoodSkills Academy, which offers computer instruction to individuals with barriers.

“Every time you come and donate and shop, you are helping your neighbors to thrive,” Evansville Goodwill Industries President and CEO Connie Ralph told the crowd assembled for the store’s Aug. 22 grand opening.

The store covers 14,000 square feet, much larger than Goodwill’s former East Side store a few blocks north of Washington Square Mall. Ralph says the renovated space offers “a huge array of one-of-a-kind merchandise,” and donations of clothes and other goods are always accepted.

“The only thing we would prefer not to have is mattresses, because we actually can’t resell mattresses,” Ralph says. “We prefer no chemicals or paint, because things like that will cost us money to dispose of. But otherwise, we will take pretty well anything.”

Evansville residents were excited to see the new store – about 2,000 came through the doors on opening day, and similar crowds shopped there for its first few days. They can discover donated pants, tops, jackets, and shoes, plus furniture, home decor, books, and more.

Fall decor sold well in the store’s first month, and with Halloween coming up, many shoppers realize that “you can DIY just about any costume at Goodwill,” says Morgan McCray, senior director of mission advancement.

Goodwill is next door to the Evansville Rescue Mission, which operates its own Thrift Store at Washington Square Mall, which Evansville Living readers wrote in as the winner for Best Thrift Store in the 2024 Best of Evansville awards.

McCray says the two nonprofit agencies are partners, and “we’re excited to be working next to them.”

E-REP Leads the Evansville Region with IMPACT work.

QUALITY OF PLACE

E-REP advocates to improve and expand infrastructure, housing and amenities.

TALENT ATTRACTION & RETENTION

E-REP provides resources for regional employers to attract the workforce they need.

BUSINESS GROWTH & RETENTION

E-REP offers effective, on-the-ground support and data-driven guidance on targeted growth opportunities.

REGIONAL PLANNING

E-REP is advancing transformational projects through READI.

EMPTY ICONs

What’s to become of these at-risk landmarks?

BY JOHN MARTIN PHOTOS BY ZACH STRAW

A drive through the city reminds us of structures and places that time seems to have left behind. Once houses of entertainment, commerce, or sports, these properties have been rendered irrelevant by newer, shinier buildings. Yet, they still stand, with their public or private owners seeking new uses that fit with modern times. Let’s take a look at a few of these properties.

A WAITING GAME

After 68 years vacant, a new use still is sought for the Alhambra Theatre

Visit the Haynie’s Corner Arts District for any event, and the Alhambra Theatre catches the eye with its striking Moorish façade and neon lights.

Its inside, however, remains a different story — cavernous, dank, and unusable.

Evansville real estate agents Ken Haynie III and Aaron Kendall own the property — Haynie’s Corner is named for Ken’s great-grandfather, the late drug

store owner George Haynie. Kendall says finding a contemporary purpose for the theater has proved to be an expensive and complicated proposition.

The current owners had earlier discussed plans for an events venue, but the pandemic of 2020 threw that plan off track. “I think it would have been up and running if not for COVID,” Kendall says.

Beloved by its neighborhood, the road to restore Alhambra Theatre has been long and bumpy.

The venue opened in 1913 as a 350-seat, neighborhood movie theater. That usage ended in 1956, and the Alhambra now has been devoid of purpose for 68 years — longer than it was in business.

In hopes that a facelift would bring new business, its exterior was renovated from 2003 to 2013. Haynie’s and Kendall’s company, Alhambra Events LLC, obtained ownership in December 2017 from the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana.

But as for when an interior restoration might occur, or what such a project would look like, there are no clear answers.

Kelley Coures, former head of the Evansville Department of Metropolitan Development, says that while serving on the Arts Council board in 2017, “we had a study done on rehabbing the interior, and to create a 120-seat theater with accessible restrooms, it would take about $1.5 to $2 million.” Kendall and Haynie bought the building soon after.

Kendall told Evansville Business in early 2018 that he and Haynie would not “move forward with anything until we have the right end product in mind.”

Six years later, that still appears to be the case. Kendall told the magazine in September that grant funding is being pursued, “but as far as having a use that we’re moving forward with, we’re still not there.”

ALHAMBRA THEATRE

ADDRESS: 50 Adams Ave.

YEAR BUILT: 1913

DESIGNER: Frank J. Schlotter

STYLE: Moorish Revival

HISTORICAL FOOTNOTE: Alhambra Theatre was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

WORKING OUT?

Housing is the most likely scenario for the old YMCA gym

Five years after the $18.1 million Ascension St. Vincent YMCA opened across the street, the historic former YMCA gymnasium in Downtown Evansville sits empty, with apartment housing seen as its most likely future use.

The gym is temporarily owned by Indiana Landmarks, which saves historic buildings across the state. Restoration of the Owen Block and the former Greyhound bus terminal (now BRU Burger Bar) are among its Evansville success stories.

Indiana Landmarks’ goal for the gym is to “assist in finding a developer for the building that would be sensitive to the historic nature of it, the architectural features and such,” says Stephanie Richard, the group’s new Southwest Field Office director.

The Southwest Indiana Regional Economic Development Authority is seeking a $4.85 million Lilly Endowment Fund grant on behalf of AP Development LLC of the Indianapolis, Indiana, area. If awarded, the grant would support 38 apartment units in the old gym, as well as another 40 units in a newly constructed building at Northwest Sixth and Vine streets.

AP Development LLC, an Indianapolis-based development company owned by Jon Anderson, in 2022 opened 62 housing units in the Clifford Shopbell & Company section of the former YMCA property, which faces Vine Street and dates to 1913. Richard noted AP Development LLC’s work in historic preservation and the company’s involvement with another project in Evansville — converting the former Karges Furniture factory on Maryland Street into 150 housing units. That project is to receive $3.745

FORMER YMCA GYMNASIUM

ADDRESS: 220 N.W. Sixth St.

YEAR BUILT: 1927

ARCHITECT: Frank J. Schlotter

STYLE: Gothic Revival

HISTORICAL FOOTNOTE: The gym was built to be fireproof and features maple flooring and ornamental metal marquees.

million from the State of Indiana’s READI (Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative) program.

She says she’s cautiously optimistic a housing plan for the former YMCA gymnasium will move forward, too, but any timeline depends on when financing is available. Anderson did not return a phone message from Evansville Business

The gym at Sixth and Court streets was designed in 1927 for Central High School and features a Gothic Revival exterior of red brick and Indiana limestone. Before Central moved to First Avenue in the early 1970s, the gym hosted college basketball, too — Indiana State University-Evansville (now the University of Southern Indiana) once played home games there.

The gym was integrated into the Y in 1979 and was used by the agency through 2019.

Richard says Indiana Landmarks will make sure that any construction work inside the building will not change how it looks from the street.

Covenants would be in place with any developer, she explains, to “protect the character and historic nature of the exterior.”

‘CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC’

Mayor’s speech gave Mesker Amphitheatre fans a glimmer of hope

Shuttered in 2012 – a year after the Ford Center opened less than five miles away in Downtown Evansville – Mesker Amphitheatre still sits vacant with its condition worsening by the day. The outdoor venue that hosted a who’s who of entertainers for decades is a wasteland of empty concrete, overgrown weeds, and memories.

For longtime Evansville residents, the West Side venue remains a source of nostalgia, curiosity, and social media angst. A Facebook page with 7,500 followers is dedicated to sharing Mesker memories and goading local officials to restore the amphitheater.

In response, those officials have cited challenges such as the proximity of Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden animal habitats, Americans with Disabilities Act compliance, and jaw-dropping, multi-million dollar cost estimates.

There hasn’t been much hope for fans of the venue — that is, until Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry tossed them a lifeline during her first State of the City address in April.

MESKER AMPHITHEATRE

ADDRESS: 1545 Mesker Park Drive

YEAR OPENED: 1951

OWNER: City of Evansville

HISTORICAL FOOTNOTE: During its heyday, KISS, Bob Dylan, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Journey, Def Leppard, and Iron Maiden all graced the stage.

“We are in the early stages of conversation with a private developer, discussing the feasibility and extent of what could be done to revitalize Mesker Amphitheatre,” Terry said in prepared remarks. “I know for many, this is a crown jewel of Evansville, and while I don’t want to over-promise, I’m cautiously ... and I do mean cautiously ... optimistic that we will have news in the coming months.”

Terry didn’t elaborate, but she told reporters after her speech that other venues in Indiana have been restored, “and there’s a possibility we could potentially do that right here.”

Evansville Business asked the mayor’s

office for an update on her State of the City remarks. Terry’s office released a statement from her in response.

“First and foremost, any future plans for Mesker Amphitheatre would have to fit with both the changes that have occurred at Mesker Park Zoo, and with the zoo’s plans moving forward,” the statement reads. “I would see that as a multi-use venue — one that could host music events, though they might not be as large as what people saw there in past decades; but one that also could host zoo events and other types of entertainment.”

Mesker Amphitheatre was built after the 1936 death of local philanthropist George Mesker. It could hold 8,500 people for a show — 5,500 in seats and another 3,000 on the lawn.

It housed big-name touring performers for decades, with the Doobie Brothers and Bob Dylan being its last guests before being shut down because of its deterioration and the availability of modern, disabled-accessible concert venues.

As for when or if there will be a next act for Mesker Amphitheatre, the best anyone can do for now is stay tuned.

ON THE COMEBACK TRAIL

County hopes Coliseum updates will spark renovation momentum

Fixes won’t be fast or cheap, but Jill Hahn says the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Downtown Evansville is too important not to be preserved as a “state of the art facility with the beauty of yesteryear but new technology.”

The mission is personal for the Vanderburgh County Council president.

VETERANS MEMORIAL COLISEUM

ADDRESS: 300 Court St.

YEAR BUILT: 1917

DESIGNER: Clifford Shopbell & Company

STYLE: Neoclassical

HISTORICAL FOOTNOTE: The monuments flanking the entrance represent the Union victor y in 1865 on the left and elderly Civil War veterans on the right.

“I have promised too many vets that this is going to honor our past, present, and future military,” Hahn says. “I lost my father-in-law, a Korean War vet, at age 90 in April 2023. He knew the dream I was working on with many others.”

The Coliseum is closed this year as its electrical, heating, and air systems are renovated in a $6 million project, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act. Vanderburgh County officials want the Coliseum to reopen in 2025 and host some events, but Hahn says that depends on whether the building is deemed compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The current work would bring the Coliseum up to current building codes, and with ADA clearance, “we will hopefully be opening for rental agreements for proms, dances and weddings,” Hahn says.

In the long term, goals are much bigger. Full restoration as a modern venue and potential future home of Evansville Civic Theatre would take $20-$25 million.

A fundraising event to raise awareness of that campaign is planned Nov. 22 at Old National Events Plaza. The benefit will be patriotic themed — “USO style,” Hahn says — and will pay tribute to veterans, as the Coliseum has done throughout its 107 years. The Coliseum has military-themed mementos and rooms — one room is a salute to the Grand Army of the Republic (a fraternal organization of Union veterans from the Civil War), and another spotlights the Spanish-American War.

Hahn says the Coliseum’s full restoration could take 5-10 years. However, the current project will stabilize the building, and Hahn sees excitement in the community to make the Coliseum a vibrant piece of Downtown Evansville for generations to come.

“I have not met anyone in recent months — since spending the $6 million — that doesn’t want this better than ever,” she says. “However, it is going to take a lot of help, and hopefully we will see some in-kind work and major donations.”

DOORS CLOSED?

Future use of Crawford Door building faces obstacles

The Crawford Door Sales warehouse on North Heidelbach Avenue — an iconic backdrop to Evansville’s historic Bosse Field baseball park — faces an uncertain future after a series of previous plans fell through.

Data from the Vanderburgh County Assessor’s Office show the Crawford Door Sales warehouse was sold in December 2022 for $1.15 million. Its current owner is Paul Saunders, doing business as Jimtown Holdings LLC.

The prior owner, Affordable Housing Services Corporation, obtained it in October 2021 for $1.05 million.

In recent years, the more than 88,000-square-foot industrial building has been eyed for storage, an entertainment complex, and housing for senior citizens. Some of those plans involved tearing down all or a portion of the massive structure.

Nothing has come to fruition, with

financing appearing to be the biggest roadblock.

“We’re open to ideas,” Ted O’Connell, director of Jacobsville Development for Jacobsville Area Community Corp., told Evansville Business in an email.

O’Connell did not respond to additional questions, and Saunders could not be reached.

Evansville Otters owner Bill Bussing says an entertainment district is an intriguing possibility for the site, and he notes that in addition to Otters baseball at Bosse Field, the neighborhood features the Deaconess Aquatic Center indoor swimming facility, as well as Garvin Park.

Bussing suggests the environment could be a smaller-scale version of Ballpark Village outside of Busch Stadium, home of the Cardinals in St. Louis, Missouri. The 150,000-square-foot entertainment district opened in 2014 and offers multiple dining and event

venues as well as residences and office space to supplement revenue during Major League Baseball’s five-month off-season.

Bosse Field opened in 1915, and the door factory behind its outfield wall followed four years later. It’s been a fixture at Heidelbach and Morgan avenues ever since.

Bussing would like to see the Crawford Door building preserved in some manner.

“I’d just hate to see the building torn down. It does fit well with the North Side, but that’s up to Paul,” Bussing says of Saunders.

CRAWFORD DOOR SALES

ADDRESS: 1701 N. Heidelbach Ave.

YEAR BUILT: 1919

HISTORICAL FOOTNOTE: Before serving as a warehouse for Crawford Door, the building housed the Never-Split Seat Co.

ON ThE rIsE?

Investors assess the potential of four Downtown properties

ARAZU ON MAIN • 415 MAIN ST.

Hungry diners once enjoyed Mediterranean fare at Arazu on Main, but the restaurant has been empty since 2021. The ornate property was bought that year for $650,000 by For His Glory Management 3 LLC, owned by Evansville restaurateur Josh Tudela, who maintains an ownership stake in Comfort by the Cross-Eyed Cricket, The Collective, and Parlor Doughnuts nearby on Main Street. When might the former Arazu on Main property join that restaurant family? Tudela was noncommittal, telling Evansville Business: “At some point, we’re looking to do something with it, but we’re not sure when.”

STRATMAN’S PHARMACY • 401 MAIN ST.

The former Stratman’s Pharmacy space at Fourth and Main streets – empty since 2011 – is being eyed for more apartments

and a restaurant, according to John Stratman, whose family owns the space. An architect and engineering company was at the property in mid-September, Stratman says, and the current concept involves residences and the restaurant on the ground floor, with additional residences in the basement. Five condos occupy the second story.

Arazu on Main

Stratman’s Pharmacy

“We’ve had one inquiry as far as the restaurant part, but we haven’t pushed it until we get our design a little farther down the road,” Stratman says. “I know there are a number of grant and incentive programs available, and once we get something shovel-ready, we will be going to some of the agencies and try to get some help on the finance part of it.”

HULMAN BUILDING • 24 N.W. FOURTH ST.

After back-to-back mentions on Indiana Landmarks’ 10 Most Endangered list in 2022 and 2023, the 10-story Hulman Building is eyed for a mixed-use project — 76 apartment units, with an event venue on its bottom two floors. The Southwest Indiana Regional Development Authority is seeking a $4 million Lilly Endowment Grant to advance the project on behalf of developer Toby Potter of Texas-based Global Integrity Finance. Constructed in 1929, the Art Deco building originally housed Central Union Bank and then the headquarters of SIGECO before it became Vectren Corp. The building is vacant except for two sidewalk-level small businesses, and it is under temporary ownership as Indiana Landmarks pursues financing for new uses.

SIEGEL’S • 101-105 S.E. FOURTH ST.

The Romanesque Revival home of the former Siegel’s Department Store (most recently Siegel’s Uniforms) offers a glassy storefront space covering much of the 100 block of Southeast Fourth Street. Vacant since 2016, when the uniform company moved to North Congress Avenue, the building long has been eyed for redevelopment. Evansville architect Adam Green has renderings of restaurant concepts on his website, but nothing has come to fruition. The 15,000-square-foot building dates to the 1880s and is notable for being a part of the only intact Victorian-era commercial block left Downtown. Warren Investment Group has owned the property since Siegel’s Uniforms relocated, and its assessed value is $223,900, according to the Vanderburgh County Assessor’s office.

Hulman Building

Siegel’s Building

Edward Jones

Five common misconceptions about wealth transfer

One of the most important steps for recent retirees is planning your estate. However, coordinating a wealth transfer is easier said than done, as the process comes with many financial and legal considerations. We’ve outlined five common misconceptions about transferring wealth that you may want to consider as you define your legacy.

Misconception 1: “Equal distribution is always fair”

If you have multiple beneficiaries in mind for your estate, you may think the only fair thing to do is to divide all assets among them equally. While this is certainly an option, it may not always be the best one, as each beneficiary is a unique person with their own needs and circumstances.

For example, if one child works at the family business and is ready to take the reins, while the other works elsewhere, it may make sense to give your company to the former while providing the latter with other assets. Or, if one child moves in with you to take care of your medical needs, you may compensate them with a larger inheritance. You should work with your estate-planning attorney to develop a plan that best meets your goals for your beneficiaries.

Misconception 2: “My will is all that matters”

Another common misconception is assuming that your assets will be divided based on your will. This is only partially true.

Many assets, such as 401(k)s, IRAs, life insurance benefits and annuities, follow your beneficiary designation rather than the provisions of your will. And some assets that are owned jointly might transfer automatically to your joint owner(s) when you pass away. Aligning your will, your beneficiaries and the ownership of your assets can help ensure your wishes are carried out.

Misconception 3: “I don’t need to update my estate documents”

Deciding who receives your assets may seem clear right now, but relationships change and so does your situation. If you experience a significant life event, such as the death of a loved one, a move, a divorce or remarriage, it’s important to update your documents. If you don’t update your will, your asset ownership and your beneficiaries, then a deceased family member or ex-spouse (depending on state law) may be in line to inherit your assets instead of who you intend.

As such, it’s important to regularly review your estate-planning documents with a legal professional to account for any personal or legal changes. An Edward Jones financial advisor can assist you in reviewing your situation, and a corporate fiduciary (such as Edward Jones Trust Company) can help you

Misconception 4: “I can plan without talking to my beneficiaries”

While you don’t legally need input from others to construct your will, having a conversation with your beneficiaries about what they can expect to receive may eliminate resentment or disagreements after you’ve passed. It may also help your beneficiaries better plan for their own financial futures.

Based on your conversation, you may decide to modify your distribution provisions. For instance, you may have assumed one individual wanted a particular asset when, in fact, they didn’t.

Of course, the decision to receive input from your beneficiaries is completely up to you. An Edward Jones financial advisor can provide advice on how to talk to beneficiaries about this potentially sensitive subject.

Misconception 5: “There’s nothing I can do about taxes”

Transferring assets to beneficiaries can come with a complex array of estate and inheritance taxes. It’s important to review the size and type of assets transferred and the possible federal and state tax consequences of your actions. Plus, these tax laws change over time, meaning an estate plan optimized to current laws may need adjusting at some point.

Fifth Third Private Bank has been serving the Tri-State area since 2000, and over the years our commitment remains the same: to provide best-in-class service so you and your family can find financial freedom. We have a few new faces to the team: Marshall Byers recently joined the bank and will serve as the Evansville City President, alongside two relocations, Andrea Braun, Associate Wealth Management Advisor, and Miranda Schultheis, Trust Administrator. Pictured front row, left to right: Andrea Braun, Miranda Schultheis, Gabrielle Jones, Private Banker, Derek Bitters, Sr. Portfolio Manager. Pictured back row, left to right: Joshua Wichman, Sr. Portfolio Manager, Adam Stevens, Wealth Management Advisor, Ryan Davis, Private Bank Managing Director, and Marshall Byers, City President. Not pictured: Mark Cannon, Sr. Trust Advisor.

Fifth Third Bank is excited to announce that Marshall Byers has been named the new Evansville City President! With an impressive 25+ years of experience in the financial industry, Marshall is set to oversee operations in the Tri-State area, driving strategy and setting overarching goals to ensure the Bank’s continued success and unwavering commitment to its community and clients.

Marshall Byers, a proud military veteran, holds both his undergraduate and MBA degrees from the University of Southern Indiana. He enjoys spending quality time with his family and is excited to be returning home to Evansville.

Cottage Wealth Advisors

7 Financial Tips I’d Tell My Younger Self

By Nancy Bach, MBA Founder & Wealth Advisor

It’s never too early to start thinking about your financial goals. Below are seven simple financial tips to consider that often are overlooked but can make the difference between financial freedom or hardship.

1. Start Your Roth IRA Early

Roth IRAs provide tax-free growth and withdrawals in retirement, making them a no-brainer for your long-term financial health. Compound interest is a powerful ally, and the earlier you start, the more your money can grow.

2. Learn to Cook

While the allure of eating out or using food delivery services is tempting, cooking at home not only saves money but also often results in healthier choices. Choosing dining out as a “life treat” rather than a “lifestyle” is hugely beneficial to both your financial and physical health.

3. Credit Scores Matter

Treat your credit score like a financial report card. Paying attention to it early can help secure lower interest rates and better loans when it comes to big-ticket purchases. Regularly check your credit report, correct any errors, and maintain healthy financial habits to keep it in tip-top shape.

4. Pay Off Your Monthly Credit Card Balance

Credit cards are a useful financial tool – but only when used responsibly! Make a habit of paying off your balance every month to avoid interest charges and build a strong credit history. Living within your means and following this golden rule can help ensure you avoid paralyzing credit card debt.

5. Overdraft Fees Are Bank Account Killers

Paying attention to your bank account balance is critical to proper budgeting and avoiding overdraft fees. Set up alerts and notifications to avoid accidental overdrafts. Remember the concept of “death by a thousand cuts” – a few small mistakes can quickly add up to significant fees.

6. Pay Off Debt, But Remember to Save

Balancing debt repayment with active saving is a delicate tango. Paying off debt is essential, but so is saving for retirement and building a “rainy day” fund. The saying “it takes money to make money” is true. Allocating a portion of your monthly income to both endeavors can be key to your long-term financial stability.

7. Don’t Try to Time the Market

Time in the market can be far more important than timing the market. Predicting market movements is a risky gamble. Instead, focus on long-term investments and let the power of compound growth potential work in your favor.

Nancy Bach

First Bank

First Bank Earns SBA

Preferred Lender Status

First Bank has recently been granted Preferred Lender Status by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the highest bank designation reserved for top-tier lenders.

The Preferred Lender status provides our business lending team with the authority to process, close, service, and liquidate most SBA-guaranteed loans without prior review to provide faster financing to businesses in Southwest Indiana and Southeast Illinois.

“First Bank is honored to be named an SBA Preferred Lender,” said Nikki Roser, First Bank President and CEO. “With a mission to be the best bank for business in the Tri-State, this achievement allows us to extend our lending power, removing significant timing and documentation hurdles that can add multiple weeks of closing time onto a transaction. Providing our clients with the ability to achieve their funding goals sooner allows us to also boost business development and economic growth throughout our footprint.”

The Preferred Lenders Program (PLP) was created by the SBA to streamline lending procedures and the approval process needed to provide financial assistance to the business community. To earn the designation, lenders must demonstrate proficiency in processing and servicing SBAguaranteed loans and a thorough understanding of SBA lending procedures and policies.

First Bank is one of the few banks in the area recognized as a Preferred Lender.

SBA loans have many key benefits that make them an attractive option for businesses compared to conventional loans, such as:

• Loan amounts from $250,000 to $5 million

• As little as 10 percent down on commercial real estate

• Flexible disbursement schedules

• Financing for loan closing costs

Business owners can utilize SBA funding for a variety of needs, including:

• Purchasing owner-occupied commercial real estate

• Business expansion or acquisition

• Franchise financing

• Partner or management buyout

• Financing new businesses

• Inventory purchases

• Debt refinancing

• Working capital

• Cover start-up costs

• Equipment, machinery, furniture, etc.

Connect with First Bank

Scan the QR code in our ad to the left to explore our SBA lending options. While you’re there, go ahead and start a conversation with one of our business lending experts. Tap into their 125 years of collective experience making great things happen for local businesses.

Bryce Taylor | Chris Pfister | Kyle Anslinger | Elliott Kavanaugh | Eric Reed | Matt Whetstone

Our dedicated team, deeply rooted in the Evansville and tri-state community, has proudly served for over 35 years. We remain committed to this region in our philanthropy, community service, and deliverance of exceptional business and employer focused solutions.

EPIC Insurance Midwest takes an enterprise-wide approach, consulting closely with you to identify, analyze and manage the broadest possible range of variables that impact your entity. We perform with quantifiable deliverables that secure the objectives and outcomes you wish to achieve.

COMPREHENSIVE RISK MANAGEMENT & EMPLOYEE BENEFITS SOLUTIONS

PROPERTY & CASUALTY INSURANCE

We provide the reach, resources, expertise, advocacy and value of one of the largest, fastest-growing brokerage firms in the United States. As your advisor and advocate, our industry-focused teams and product experts will work closely with you to identify and reduce your overall cost of risk.

RISK CONTROL SERVICES

Risk Control Services help businesses understand and minimize their cost of risk. It helps them determine best methods for minimizing their cost of insurance, avoid/ control the cost of accidents and injuries, and minimize the lost productivity that accidents cause.

IMPACT RISK PARTNERS

Whether you’re looking for a training program to increase safety and decrease claims, or ways to more efficiently handle claims that do occur, Impact does it all. We even offer managed care and profitability protection for a holistic approach to risk management.

FINANCIAL SERVICES & EXECUTIVE PROTECTION

Our team brings together expertise in all aspects of management liability to provide a holistic approach to identifying, understanding and managing these exposures to risk.

BENEFITS STRATEGY

EPIC’s Employee Benefits team starts by listening to client needs to establish health and welfare program objectives as well as long-term benefits strategy. By setting meaningful goals, our experts align management philosophy with talent strategy to increase organizational value.

PROGRAM DESIGN/MANAGEMENT

Consultants analyze and benchmark data, evaluate insurer financial ratings and validate plan pricing to ensure the most comprehensive and competitive benefits program. Working closely with service providers, the team advises on the best plan options and negotiates for maximum value. Voluntary benefits, absence management and global strategies are also part of the conversation.

ONGOING ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES

Benefits specialists help resolve routine issues, review contracts for accuracy, develop and manage annual service calendars and lead program management meetings to ensure smooth program delivery and communication between clients and insurers. The team provides proactive notification of carrier plan updates and financial positions throughout the plan year.

EMPLOYEE SUPPORT/ADVOCACY

The EPIC service team is available to resolve benefits and claims issues via email and telephone. Specialists track and monitor support issues confidentially until they are resolved. Trend analysis is used to target employee education opportunities.

Left: Brian Hancock, Market President & Senior Risk Advisor

Right: Ben Schmitt, Senior Employee Benefits Advisor

EPIC Insurance Midwest

THE AI REVOLUTION BALANCING INNOVATION, EFFICIENCY, AND ETHICS

The insurance industry is undergoing a significant transformation driven by the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). From claims processing and underwriting to fraud detection, marketing, and customer service, AI is revolutionizing how insurance companies operate. As the number of connected devices worldwide is projected to reach one trillion, the potential for the use of AI to augment insurance operations continues to increase.

Current Applications of AI in Insurance

AI’s integration into the insurance sector has led to several advancements in these areas:

Claims Management and Fraud Detection: AI is enhancing claims estimation. Through pattern and image analysis, AI algorithms are beginning to detect fraudulent activities more accurately and provide more precise claims estimations by matching details against policy coverage.

Underwriting: AI is streamlining the underwriting process by analyzing vast amounts of data quickly and more accurately. This reduces the reliance on manual processes and increases the likelihood of precise risk mitigation and forecasting.

Marketing and Customer Service: AIenabled marketing optimizes affordability and suitability assessments, ensuring that insurance products align with customer financial capabilities and preferences. Additionally, chatbots improve the customer experience by providing immediate assistance and information.

Policy Administration: AI automates repetitive tasks, such as extracting information from application forms, validating data, and generating policy documents. It also customizes policies by analyzing real-time data to offer optimal costs and coverage.

Product Development: AI drives innovation in product development by identifying market gaps and suggesting new product concepts. It analyzes market trends, customer feedback, and other data sources to develop agile and relevant insurance.

Governance and Oversight

The adoption of AI can absolutely result in benefits such as increased efficiency, capacity, and cost savings. However, the rush to realize benefits may supersede the management of risks associated with fast adoption and venturing into the unknown with untested, innovative technologies. The importance of knowledge in an era of overwhelming uncertainty, and the constant demand to embrace the new, challenges executives and board members to keep up with the pace of change.

New Face of AI in Insurance

The return on investment (ROI) for AI implementation varies, with a significant portion of insurers expecting ROI within three to five years. As organizations continue to navigate the complexities of AI implementation, the focus must remain on balancing the rewards with the associated risks and ethical considerations. The journey towards AI-driven insurance is not without its challenges, but the potential benefits make it worthwhile.

An excerpt from EPIC MARKET PERSPECTIVE

First Federal Savings Bank

History of First Federal Savings Bank

On Oct. 20, 1904, the West Side Building and Loan Association, later to become First Federal Savings Bank, was founded by a group of prominent businessmen under the leadership of the company’s first president, August Rosenberger. The bank’s mission was to provide safe and profitable investment of savings, make loans for its members, and otherwise carry out the objects of a building and loan association. Even after 120 years, its customers’ financial welfare remains its guiding principle. With 10 convenient locations across Posey, Vanderburgh, Warrick, Henderson, Daviess, and Pike County, First Federal Savings Bank provides accessibility to each of their customers.

Explain the slogan, Banking Friend Forever #BFF.

Having a solid banking relationship with not only your financial institution but your banker is crucial to building transparency and trust. Customers need a banker who understands their financial goals and can make recommendations for their

success. When managing a business, a banker who understands your industry, financial history, and cash flow needs is critical to running a successful operation. First Federal Savings Bank’s mission is to serve YOU and provide banking services tailored to fit your needs.

Why choose First Federal Savings Bank?

First Federal Savings Bank is a community bank that prides itself in delivering innovative and personalized banking solutions and building better communities by prioritizing and investing in the customers and neighborhoods it serves. Its customers benefit from the enhanced technology offered by larger banks together with the consistent and personal service only a small-town community bank can offer.

Whether you are a first-time homebuyer, business owner, medical professional, or veteran, or are looking to build your dream home, First Federal Savings Bank has options fit for you. It offers competitive interest rates and closing costs, and with in-house servicing, its closing process is quick

and efficient. Its loan servicing team is on hand to answer any questions throughout the lifetime of your loan. When you call, you will speak to a bank representative, not an automated recording. If you are a business owner looking for small equipment financing, business expansions, large commercial construction, or anything in between, First Federal Savings Bank’s experienced Commercial Relationship Bankers can help. They offer a variety of business loan and account offerings to fit your business, regardless of size. First Federal Savings Bank’s Treasury Management products are designed to bring convenience and efficiency to your business.

Liberty Wealth Services

Whether you’re just beginning to establish long-term financial objectives or already nearing retirement, Liberty Wealth Services is here to assist you in constructing a plan tailored to your future. Our team of 17 is dedicated to providing guidance for crucial fiscal decisions. We can assist in establishing purposeful financial benchmarks, offer dynamic strategies in pursuit of financial independence, or provide a collaborative opinion regarding your current circumstances.

What

distinguishes Liberty Wealth Services from others?

Our operational structure and leadership composition present striking distinctions from the normative industry landscape, especially within the financial institution space. Our leadership team is comprised of two accomplished professionals under 50: SVP of Wealth Services Nikki Moore and Regional Director Joe Kiefer II. Our relative youth allows us to bring innovative perspectives to both our organizational culture and advisory methodology. For example, Liberty Wealth Services employs a teaming structure. This multi-advisor approach allows us to provide a broader range of expertise while affording access to a team with diverse areas of individual expertise and a multi-generational lens for assessing the unique needs of our clients. This specialization ensures a more current, comprehensive financial strategy compared to a singular advisor with a more generalized skill set. We recognize the different financial goals and resource needs across generations, and our extensive industry experience aptly positions us to help clients pursue their objectives.

What does the Liberty Wealth Services motto, “With you every step of the way,” mean?

Our motto reflects our mission to treat clients as family, not just portfolios. We are dedicated to providing a personalized experience built on trust and mutual care. With more than a century of combined experience among our nine financial professionals, we offer not only expertise but also responsive and collaborative support throughout your financial journey.

Securities and advisory services are offered through LPL Financial (LPL), a registered investment advisor and broker-dealer (member FINRA/SIPC).

Insurance products are offered through LPL or its licensed affiliates. Liberty Federal Credit Union [Liberty FCU] and Liberty Wealth Services are not registered as a broker-dealer or investment advisor. Registered representatives of LPL offer products and services using Liberty Wealth Services and may also be employees of Liberty FCU. These products and services are being offered through LPL or its affiliates, which are separate entities from, and not affiliates of, Liberty FCU or Liberty Wealth Services. Securities and insurance offered through LPL or its affiliates are:

Nikki Moore, Joe Kiefer II, and Halle Piper

Located at Liberty Federal Credit Union

New Horizons Financial Consultants

Discover Your Future with Personalized Financial Guidance

There’s no need to hope for the best. Let’s plan on it.

New Horizons Financial Consultants is a team of experienced financial professionals focused on developing thoughtful, productive relationships with our clients. Our role isn’t to sell you financial or insurance products. Instead, we work collaboratively with you to understand thoroughly your goals, wishes, concerns, and risk tolerance. We’re licensed and/or registered to share our knowledge, investment recommendations, and insurance coverages.

Individuals and Families

Since 2013, New Horizons Financial Consultants has provided financial planning and wealth management to individuals and families by focusing on life instead of money. While financial resources are important, we view them as a way to achieve more fulfilling lives. We’re here to guide you through the toughest turning points, sharing our expertise to help you pursue your goals and answer your most challenging questions.

Are you newly single?

Becoming suddenly single can be one of the most complex experiences, both emotionally and financially. You may be overwhelmed if you are facing divorce or widowhood, but we know it’s important to take restorative steps and protect your financial well-being. We will walk beside you on your journey, whether you are potentially or currently experiencing a transition.

Retirement Planning

Whether you’re five years or 20 years away from retirement, we’ll help guide you through the steps so that you can make the necessary decisions that will allow you to secure enough assets for your optimal retirement lifestyle. After evaluating your current financial situation, we’ll identify the income sources and opportunities that are most advantageous for you as you prepare for your life past employment.

Navigating the world of taxes

We can help you uncover potential tax deductions and credits that you might not be taking full advantage of, significantly enhancing your overall tax savings. By working together to create a tax-efficient financial strategy, we can guide you in making informed decisions that align with your long-term goals and help minimize your tax burden.

The financial professionals at New Horizons Financial Consultants are ready to help you address your financial goals at any stage of your life. Call 812-618-9050 so we can help plan the best possible strategy for you!

Heritage Investments

Where do you see yourself in the future?

Navigating the financial landscape can be daunting. Do your current financial plans align with your dreams and goals? The professional team of advisers at Heritage Investments understands that your needs, timeline, and budget are as unique as you are. That’s why they are dedicated to working closely with you to craft a financial strategy tailored specifically to your aspirations.

Meet Will Baumberger, a trusted financial advisor with more than 22 years of experience. Will’s approach is centered around developing a deep understanding of your individual needs. He invests the time to learn about your family, your business, and your future goals, ensuring that every financial decision supports your vision of tomorrow.

As a Registered Representative of LPL Financial and a licensed insurance agent, he has access to a diverse range of investment and insurance products, providing you with comprehensive strategies tailored to your needs.

Whether you’re exploring 401(k) options after leaving an employer, planning for significant expenses like college, or seeking guidance on longterm financial strategies, Will is here to help. He combines his expertise with a genuine commitment to understanding your personal circumstances to develop a financial plan that works for you.

Outside of his professional life, Will enjoys spending time with his wife and four children, indulging in fishing, and coaching basketball. His commitment to family and community reflects his holistic approach to financial planning — because he understands that true success goes beyond numbers.

Let’s start crafting your investment strategy today.

Heritage Investments’ team of professionals is ready to partner with you in shaping a future that reflects your goals and aspirations. Contact them to begin your journey toward a secure and fulfilling financial future.

German American Bank

Surprises Are Great, Except When They Impact Your Retirement

Written by: Logan Baumann, Wealth Advisor

Benjamin Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” There is no more appropriate mission statement when it comes to retirement and the potential surprises that might arise during this important life stage. Proactive prevention establishes financial awareness that will help mitigate these surprises and create retirement longevity for your investment portfolio.

Surprise #1: Retiring too soon

Many individuals set a self-defined retirement date without seeking advice or professional counsel. This may seem like an easy surprise to avoid, but there is often a lack of proper awareness of medical benefits, insurance needs, or financial projections.

Solution: Be open minded about defining a retirement age and seek a financial professional or team with proper expertise who can develop a plan for your success. Social Security benefits, Medicare, and individual or employer sponsored retirement accounts all have age triggering events that can and will significantly impact your financial future. For further direction, seek counsel from a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® .

Surprise #2:

First year retirement spending is out of control

This is common for many retirees early in retirement. Increased travel, out of pocket medical expenses, and simply adjusting to a new lifestyle create opportunities to spend more initially than what you may have budgeted.

Solution: It is certainly easier said than done, but budgeting without discipline is like a waffle without syrup! Our Team of Advisors encourages pre-retirement planning for an adjustment period to help offset this sudden spike in expenses. In addition to an emergency fund, preparing to have an adequate

level of cash accessible to help prevent the early depletion of your portfolio assets is an appropriate goal to have.

Surprise #3: Forgetting or underestimating inflation

A more complex retirement surprise to consider is the impact of inflation. Many individuals have an increased level of risk aversion as they near retirement. Hence, one can become too conservative in their asset allocation relative to their situation and simply not be able to meet the increase in living expenses later in life.

Solution: With the assistance of a financial professional or team, develop a long-term portfolio approach that factors in an appropriate amount of inflation. Not only should this be a consideration for portfolio construction, but many individuals fail to plan for the cumulative impact of inflation on expenses in the retirement stage.

You have the power to own your financial freedom! Plan today with a German American Wealth Advisory Group Advisor and begin to develop an “ounce of prevention” against these common surprises.

Banterra Bank

Five Evansville-Area Locations | 866-226-8377 |

What services does your business provide?

Banterra’s business lending includes commercial loans, equipment financing, and agricultural lending. We combine our lending with competitive treasury management services, digital banking conveniences, and smart deposit products. We also provide private banking services, specialized banking products for the healthcare industry, and mortgage services.

What is the process for a commercial loan?

Banterra offers the lending strength of a mega-bank with the benefits of quick decisions and local direct service. Start with making an appointment online at Banterra.bank. From there, your lender will start with questions to get to know you and your business, so we can properly support your needs. A site visit to your business may be scheduled, depending on your loan needs. Often, your loan could be approved within 48 hours and closed within 72 hours.

Why work with Banterra?

With five Evansville-area locations, including a commercial lending office in Downtown Evansville, you will work directly with experienced local loan and treasury management teams. We offer competitive rates, strong lending capacities, exceptional business products, and quick decisions. This combination is hard to find with area competitors. We’re also a regional bank that supports our communities with ongoing charity promotion, contributions, and volunteer time.

Field & Main Bank

Cash management is essential for businesses, ensuring they have the liquidity to meet obligations while optimizing fund usage. Effective cash management involves monitoring cash flow, managing receivables and payables, and investing surplus cash wisely. This helps businesses maintain financial stability, reduce costs, and improve profitability.

At Field & Main Bank, Allison Carter serves as the Director of Treasury Management and First Vice President. With extensive experience in cash management, Allison leads the bank’s efforts to provide innovative solutions tailored to businesses’ needs. Allison helps clients efficiently manage cash flow, control payments, and protect against fraud.

Allison’s approach emphasizes building strong client relationships, understanding their unique financial needs, and offering personalized advice. Under her leadership, Field & Main Bank’s Treasury Management division delivers various services, including cash flow forecasting, payment processing, and fraud prevention. These services help businesses streamline operations and achieve their financial goals.

Discover Treasury Management at Field & Main Bank, where your financial success is our top priority.

Forvis Mazars Private Client

Estate & Gift Tax Exemption Sunsets After 2025

Unless Congress intervenes, many significant provisions of the historic Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) will not apply for tax years beginning after Dec. 31, 2025, including the increased estate and gift tax exemption threshold. The estate tax and gift tax apply to transfers of money or property a taxpayer makes, whether while alive (gift tax) or at death (estate tax).

Next Steps to Consider

The historically high lifetime estate and gift tax exemption might provide a once-ina-lifetime opportunity to transfer hard-earned wealth at a reduced or eliminated tax burden. Certainly, as the sunsetting date approaches, financial advisors, CPAs, and attorneys will be hard at work reviewing and adjusting estate plans to take advantage of this potential use-it-or-lose-it opportunity. This type of planning does not happen quickly, and getting an early start may be crucial for preparing an executable strategy. Strategies may include gifting to family and friends, charitable gifting, use of trusts, family business succession planning, and other means to utilize the exemption while it is still available.

Please reach out to Sid Dill, CPA, Partner, at 812-428-6500 or Sid.dill@us.forvismazars.com for assistance in evaluating whether the use of this exemption would be prudent and for further assistance with wealth preservation and estate and gift tax strategies.

Sid Dill

First Financial Bank

12600 US-41 | First-online.bank

Imagine the future where your hard work secures your success and empowers future generations. As a business owner, you understand the importance of long-term planning and the need to build a lasting legacy. At First Financial Bank, our Trust and Asset Management services do more than just safeguard wealth — we help you create a roadmap to generational prosperity, offering strategies that protect your business and personal assets while positioning you for long-term success.

Your business is your legacy, and First Financial is here to help you protect and grow it. Whether you’re planning for retirement, managing your estate, or ensuring your family’s financial security, our dedicated team of professionals works with you to design customized solutions that align with your vision. With more than 190 years of expertise, we take pride in being one of the nation’s oldest and most trusted financial institutions, built on a foundation of putting our clients first.

Empowering Your Financial Future

Our role as a fiduciary means we are fully committed to serving your best interests. We take the time to understand your unique goals, whether they involve growing your business, protecting assets, or ensuring a smooth transition to the next generation. At First Financial, we offer comprehensive trust services, investment management, and estate planning, all crafted to provide the security and flexibility you need.

Are you preparing for retirement and uncertain about how to manage your investments? Our team of experts offers tailored solutions, from Traditional and Roth IRAs to more advanced investment strategies, ensuring that your retirement is as rewarding as your career. With regular portfolio reviews and personalized management, you can rest assured knowing that your assets are being strategically managed to maximize growth and minimize risk.

Building a Legacy of Generational Prosperity

Beyond retirement and investment strategies, we also specialize in estate planning and trust services that enable you to shape your family’s financial future. By creating a trust, you ensure the responsible transfer of wealth while safeguarding your assets for the next generation. We help business owners and families establish charitable trusts, manage inheritance distribution, and protect beneficiaries, all while maintaining privacy and avoiding court-administered processes.

Empower yourself and the next generation today. Schedule a free financial review with First Financial Bank and let us guide you toward a future that sustains both your business and your family for years to come. Together, we’ll help you build a legacy of strength, security, and prosperity that endures for generations.

Hentrup Financial Group

Retirement Planning and Wealth Management

Wayne J. Hentrup, Founder & Wealth Manager

Wayne coordinates the financial planning process and helps identify your goals, recognizing some of those goals will change as your life unfolds and your needs evolve. His economics and previous business ownership background add a unique perspective as he develops comprehensive retirement plans for his clients.

Matthew T. Effinger, Wealth Manager

Matthew assists clients as they plan for retirement with knowledgeable investment management advice and strategic insight on portfolios.

Our Process

We have developed and refined a proprietary process called The Fairway FORMula. This process integrates wealth management with risk and debt management, tax planning, and philanthropy. Our goal is to take all the pieces of your financial puzzle and put them in place. Each plan and puzzle are unique. As your life unfolds and your needs evolve, Hentrup Financial Group and The Fairway FORMula follow a process that helps you pursue your financial independence. See if you’re on the right course, and give us a call for a no-obligation consultation.

Matthew Effinger and Wayne Hentrup

Riney Hancock CPAs

Since 1973, Riney Hancock CPAs has successfully served the accounting and consulting needs of individuals and businesses in Southern Indiana and Western Kentucky with one goal: to be our clients’ most trusted and valued financial advisors. Beyond our traditional CPA services, Riney Hancock CPAs provides financial consultation, comprehensive tax planning, litigation support, valuations, and medical/dental practice management, among many other professional services.

History of Riney Hancock

51 years ago, our founding shareholders decided to leave national accounting firms and start a new firm focused on:

• Building client relationships based on mutual trust and providing timely, quality services focused on solutions

• Building client service teams who care deeply about one another, their clients, and their community

• Building a successful culture based on giving back to the community, as well as professional and charitable organizations

As a firm, we are proud to have evolved into an experienced team of highly specialized CPAs and financial advisors who have helped our clients earn success, grow their wealth, and increase their profitability.

Personalized Service

Because our firm is relatively small, our clients benefit by getting personalized, quality service that is beyond comparison. Our range of services include asset management, assurance, business management and planning, cost segregation, estate and trust planning, fraud prevention and detection, litigation support, operations review, payroll services, retirement plan administration, tax services, and valuations.

Specializations

At Riney Hancock CPAs, expertise meets excellence in financial management across diverse industries. With a proven track record of success and a team of seasoned professionals, we specialize in providing tailored accounting solutions to help businesses thrive in today’s dynamic market landscape.

Our proactive approach, combined with industry-specific knowledge, enables us to identify opportunities, mitigate risks, and drive sustainable growth.

Whether you’re a small business, a mid-sized company, or a large corporation, we are committed to delivering results that exceed your expectations. Partner with us to unlock your business’ full potential and achieve new heights of success in your industry.

Vineyard Financial

What Sets Us Apart

Many of our clients who came to us saved for retirement but never planned for retirement. The difference is distinct. Accumulating wealth is just the first step to achieving your dream retirement. We help you answer the question, “Am I able to retire?” by providing the path to comfortably retire and stay retired. At Vineyard Financial, our advisors use a specialized in-house software to build crafted financial plans tailored to each person’s unique retirement goals. Our mission is to be your one-stop shop for developing comprehensive plans encompassing investment strategies, income planning, tax considerations, estate planning, and much more.

What if I’m not ready to retire yet?

Even if you aren’t retiring yet, it’s never too early to plan. We pride ourselves on our services in Retirement Planning, but also provide 401(k) management for businesses and individuals, aligning solutions with both employer objectives and employee retirement goals. We offer extensive education and support to optimize retirement plans to prepare you for the day you’re ready to retire.

What does a plan entail?

We offer a range of asset protection strategies, including investment diversification, life insurance, long-term care insurance, and estate planning techniques designed to safeguard assets from unforeseen events. Our Legacy Planning helps minimize taxes and secure your family’s financial future. We also provide frequent check-ins to ensure your plan stays aligned with your retirement goals and we are always available to advise you on any financial questions you may have.

ARC of Evansville .

Ascension St . Vincent Foundation

. 64, 65

. 102

Azzip Pizza 103

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwestern Indiana

. 66, 67

Buddy’s Promise/Missy Mosby/ F C Tucker Emge 104

Catholic Charities of Evansville

CenterPoint Energy Foundation

Children’s Museum of Evansville (cMoe) .

Deaconess Foundation .

105

. 68, 69

70, 71

106

Easterseals Rehabilitation Center 72, 73

ECHO Housing & Community Development . . .74, 75

Evansville African American Museum

Evansville Christian Life Center

Evansville Goodwill Industries, Inc

Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science

Evansville Rescue Mission

107

76, 77

108

109

78, 79

Evansville Trails Coalition 110

Foster Care in the U .S

Friends of Mental Health

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

E vansville Gives

111

. 112 Grow 80, 81 Heritage

HOLA Evansville

1:17 Project, The

Right to Life of Southwest Indiana

113

Evansville Gives spotlights area nonprofits, organizations, and businesses that dedicate their time and resources to elevating our community. Read on to learn how you can help make a positive impact.

120

. 82, 83

Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Ohio Valley 121

Schmidt Foundation

Seton

84, 85

Turpen’s

United

United

United

Vanderburgh

Warrick

Welborn

Youth

98, 99

The Arc of Evansville

615 W. Virginia St. • 812-428-4500 • arcofevansville.org

How We Make An Impact

For 70 years, The Arc of Evansville has provided the local area with innovative programs and services that support people with disabilities through discovery and evolution. Whether we assist children with social skills, prepare teens for adulthood, provide on-the-job training, or find new volunteer opportunities, our commitment to providing the highest level of care is unwavering. We focus on offering the best support possible so the people we serve have opportunities to discover the vocations and activities that will lead them toward living meaningful lives. Our agency serves approximately 450 people with disabilities through eight high-quality programs providing opportunities for development, employment, and community connections. When people with disabilities are included in the community, the entire community benefits. The skills, stories, and potential they bring enrich the community, leading to a more equitable, innovative, and harmonious society.

Giving Opportunities

The Arc of Evansville depends on the generosity of individuals, foundations, and corporations to fund vital programs and services for people with disabilities. Your funding helps us to promote the welfare of those we serve and address their physical, emotional, social, and vocational needs. Each gift you provide has a meaningful impact on the life of another in need and can be personally fulfilling for you as a donor. Scan the QR code today and experience the joy of helping people with disabilities overcome obstacles and achieve their dreams.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteering is a powerful way to impact the life of a person with disabilities. When you volunteer, you give back to your community, learn new things, and become part of positive change. If you are interested in sharing your skills and talents with people with disabilities, you can go online and complete the Volunteer Application or contact Kayla McCay at kayla.mccay@arcofevansville.org or (812) 428-4500, ext. 309.

Events

• October 2024 - Disability Employment Awareness Month

• Nov. 9 - Perfect Arc Cornhole Tournament at the CK Newsome Center

• March 2025 - Disability Awareness Month

Our Mission

The mission of The Arc of Evansville is to connect people with opportunities and purpose.

Our Core Values

• Innovation - Evolving through continuous discovery to create impactful improvements

• Dignity - Recognizing and advocating for the value of all

• Equity - Promoting inclusion by celebrating uniqueness

• Accountability - Taking responsibility for ac tions, behaviors, and performance

• Leadership - Influencing and supporting others to be their best selves

Scan the QR code to donate today!

@arcofevansville

@arcofevansville

@thearcofevansville

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwestern Indiana

320 S.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Ste. C 812-425-6076 • mentoringkids.org

How We Make An Impact

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwestern Indiana is a one-to-one mentoring program dedicated to improving the lives of children in our community. Established in 1969, we currently serve children in Vanderburgh, Warrick, Posey, Spencer, and Gibson counties in Southwest Indiana, and Henderson County in Kentucky. Local outcomes show we are making an impact on children, who grow up to be successful in school and in life. Children maintain improved scholastic competence and maintained or improved their attitude toward risky behaviors such as illegal drug and alcohol use. Volunteers agree their Littles have made improvements since they started meeting.

Giving Opportunities

Your investment can make an immediate impact to ensure our Littles — the most vulnerable in our communities — aren’t forgotten. It’s not just a donation; it’s an investment in a child’s future. When you donate online to Big Brothers Big Sisters, you join our cause and directly support children in your community. No matter how Little or Big the amount, donating can help us find a mentor for a new child or provide support for one of our existing matches. As a Partner for Potential, your monthly gift creates meaningful matches for each of our Littles.

Volunteer Opportunities

We have different mentoring programs available.

• Community-Based  Many of our matches are considered community-based. That means they can go out in the community together and enjoy activities they both enjoy.

• (Couples Match) Community-Based — Couples can go out in the community together and enjoy activities.

• Site-Based — These matches meet only in the school during the school year or at a specific site. They often spend time working on homework, playing games, or just catching up.

• High School Bigs — Part of our programs in Spencer and Posey Counties include a mentoring program specifically designed for high school juniors and seniors. They meet with local elementary and middle school students.

• Bigs with Badges — This program connects our youth with law enforcement and first responders in our community who care most about kids in our community.

Our Mission Big Brothers Big Sisters’ mission is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of the youth in our community.

Annual Fundraisers & Events

• Spring: 43rd Annual Bowl for Kids Sake Stay tuned for more information

• Aug. 11: 13th Annual Golf for Kids Sake Oak Meadow Country Club

• Fall: 5th Annual Big Night Out Stay tuned for more information

Scan the QR code to visit our website!

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwestern Indiana

@mentoringkids

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwestern Indiana

@bigbrothersbigsisters2350

CenterPoint Energy Foundation

centerpointenergy.com/foundation

What is one significant project CenterPoint Energy has invested in over the last year?

We partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of Evansville to expand their afterschool club programming to Rockport Elementary. Half of the students are registered Club members who attend regularly and receive homework help, healthy snacks, and mental and emotional support. Parents now have a safe place for their children to go after school, and it has been an overwhelming success. We are proud to support the Boys and Girls Club.

How does supporting the community lead to fulfillment and growth among employees?

Hector, who serves on the board of local organization Granted, has been part of CenterPoint for 20 years. For the last three years, CenterPoint Energy has hosted the Over the Edge fundraiser, which has been transformational for the organization.

“CenterPoint Energy has had a positive impact and increased the number of families served through its dedication and collaboration with Granted,” Hector says. He values volunteering, as it allows him to engage with individuals from diverse backgrounds and cultures, which fosters greater empathy.

What opportunities do CenterPoint employees have to participate in community initiatives?

Employees are always encouraged to give back to the community. Through Easy Match, a matching gift program, they can donate to qualifying charitable organizations that are important to them, and CenterPoint deepens the collective impact with dollar-for-dollar matches. We offer a program providing grants to nonprofits in recognition of CenterPoint employees who serve on their Boards. Volunteerism is at the heart of our company’s culture. Our employees, family members, and retirees contribute tens of thousands of hours to their communities each year.

Our Mission The CenterPoint Energy Foundation strives to be a catalyst in our communities by leveraging everyday opportunities and resources to achieve extraordinary outcomes. That’s why we invest in initiatives to improve our stakeholders’ lives today and build a strong foundation for tomorrow.

2025 Grants

Grant applications will be accepted again beginning in early 2025. Use the QR Code below to learn more.

Koch Family Children’s Museum of Evansville (cMoe)

22 S.E. Fifth St. • 812-643-cMoe(2663) • cmoekids.org

How We Make An Impact

We provide rich experiences to play, discover, and learn — in a place dedicated to the power of play and its importance to child development. The Children’s Museum benefits the region economically, bringing people from near and far into the Downtown Evansville area to enjoy other aspects of our city and see the revitalization happening. cMoe also plays a key role in educating Evansville’s future workforce by building creative, social, and problem-solving skills as kids play together and with their families. From cMoe-To-Go (educational outreach), field trips with curriculum or informal learning, celebrating birthdays, unique team-building activities and facility rentals for companies and organizations, daily programming, and special performances, everyone belongs at cMoe.

Giving Opportunities

When you give to cMoe, your donation supports opportunities for kids and families to learn and grow together. As the region’s Children’s Museum since 2006, it is time to refresh our special place. Let’s face it, kids play hard. Equipment and materials experience wear and tear over time and need to be refreshed. You can ignite imaginations by sponsoring or donating to an educational program or an event and by funding new exhibit components and resources for maintaining our historic facility. We accept gifts via check, online, stock, trusts, in-kind, and estate plans. Visit cmoekids.org/support/donate.

Volunteer Opportunities

cMoe offers a wide range of volunteer opportunities for individuals, families, and groups. Opportunities include preparing and supporting crafts for daily programming, refreshing exhibits, guiding field trips, helping with summer camp, greeting visitors, engaging kids in playtime, general facilities maintenance, administrative tasks, outreach, and preparation for fundraising events. Visit cmoekids.org/volunteers to fill out information and a member of our team will get back to you soon!

@cmoekids

@cmoekids

Our Mission

Our mission is to create extraordinary experiences that ignite the imaginations of children and families through the power of play. At cMoe, we see the spark of curiosity daily and aim to create a passion for lifelong learning in the young children who will become our future leaders! cMoe is your place, the community’s place.

Annual Fundraisers & Events

• March: STEAM Break Camp

• June-July: 5th Street Beach & cMoe Summer Camps

• July: Kids Comic Con

• September: cMoe’s Birthday Celebration

• October: Fall Break Camp

• December: Winter Wonderland (Elf Academy and Sugar Plum Fairy)

Our Mission

Easterseals Rehabilitation Center

3701 Bellemeade Ave. • 812-479-1411 • eastersealsrehabcenter.com

How We Make An Impact

At the Easterseals Rehabilitation Center, we envision a community where all individuals and families are accepted, valued, and included, and have equal opportunity to achieve their goals, dreams, and aspirations. With that vision in mind, Easterseals offers a wide range of life-changing services for people of all ages with all types of disabilities and disabling conditions. With the community’s support, core services of physical, occupational and speech-language therapies, audiology, and psychology are provided regardless of clients’ financial means. Other transformative programs include inclusive early care and education, complex custom wheelchairs, home and worksite adaptations, high-tech driver’s rehab and training, residential services, augmentative and alternative communication, aquatic therapy, mental health outreach, and more. Each year, Easterseals empowers more than 5,600 individuals from throughout the Tri-State to pursue their goals for greater independence and enhanced well-being.

How You Can Support Our Mission

There are many ways you can make a difference! Have fun participating in Easterseals fundraising events, knowing that all funds raised locally stay local! You also can donate at eastersealsrehabcenter.com or mail a gift to Easterseals at 3701 Bellemeade Ave., Evansville, IN, 47714. We also appreciate friends who are willing to share their time and talent! Opportunities range from helping at fundraising events, preparing mailings, or cleaning vehicles to leading creative activities for kids and adults who receive our services. These are just a few possibilities! If you’re interested in volunteering individually or with a group, please contact us at info@evansvillerehab.com or 812-474-2348.

Our mission is to make profound, positive differences in the lives of local people with disabilities every day and change how our community defines and views disability.

Annual Fundraisers & Events

• Thanksgiving - New Year’s Day: Ritzy’s Fantasy of Lights

• Dec. 4: Bright Lights 5K Run/1 Mile Walk

• Jan. - March: Easterseals All Cash Raffle

• April (date TBD): Easterseals Telethon on ABC25/CW7

• May - July: Cool Car, Cold Cash Raffle

• Aug. 28: Easterseals Golfing Fore Kids

@EastersealsRehabCtr

@eastersealsrehabctr

@eastersealsrehabctr

ECHO Housing & Community Development

528 Main St., Ste. 202 • 812-423-8422 • echohousing.org

Strength, resilience, and unity are the cornerstones of our community that reflect the positive change we work to achieve at ECHO Housing and Community Development. This year, we have made tremendous progress toward our mission to serve the Evansville community and beyond.

We relocated our management offices to Downtown Evansville to accommodate our expanding team. We’ve welcomed key personnel to our team, including a Social Service Director, a Grants Manager, and a Community Development Director, whose expertise will help us meet the increasing needs of the community and our agency.

In keeping with our vision for growth, we announced an updated mission, vision, and agency logo. These changes reflect our commitment to community development as well as housing programs. We also took on the management of the House of Bread and Peace, an emergency shelter for women and children, which added another layer to our continuum of care. Our first-ever Casual for a Cause awareness day was a community-wide success. Themed “Ending Homelessness,” the event fostered greater public engagement in our mission and helped raise awareness of homelessness in our area. We also amplified the voices of those we serve by establishing the first-ever Agency Tenant Council, where program participants inform our services directly.

One of the most exciting accomplishments this year has been the completion and ribbon cutting of The Promise Home, a brand new 27-unit Permanent Supportive Housing project that will end homelessness for more than 27 individuals.

The initiation of The Community Collaborative, a forum that brings together community leaders and stakeholders for collective impact, was supported by a generous grant from CenterPoint Energy. The Prosperity Indiana Summit recognized ECHO’s spirit of collaboration with the Key Supportive Services Program of the Year award.

From collaborating with The Immigrant Welcome Center to build a Cultural Competency pilot program, to developing and implementing E3, an interdisciplinary approach to housing services with the Evansville Police Department and Southwestern Crisis Services, our work has significantly impacted our community this year.

Finally, our entire team developed several agency-based initiatives to strengthen our internal connectedness and rapport with one another, enhancing the work culture at ECHO Housing and Community Development. A positive, supportive work environment is top of mind in every corner of our agency.

With our recently developed five-year strategic plan, we look forward to continuing our mission with clear objectives, while promoting a supportive and inclusive work culture for our dedicated team. Together, we’re building a stronger, more resilient community.

Together we are bringing restoration to strengthen families with a stronger foundation.

SERVICES WE PROVIDE: GAIN Anti-Poverty Initiative • Accent on Christ 12-Step Addiction Recovery Program • Clothing Resource Department • Food Co-op • Family Care Services

Evansville Christian Health Clinic, a clinic that provides Medical, Dental, and Pregnancy Services Creating Positive Relationships (formerly known as Truth Talk) Free Education Classes on a variety of topics • Financial Potential

Evansville Christian Life Center

509 S. Kentucky Ave. • 812-423-9222 • restoringpeople.com

Evansville Christian Health Clinic

265 Bellemeade Ave. • 812-426-6152 • restoringpeople.com

How We Make An Impact

Evansville Christian Life Center empowers individuals facing financial, educational, relational, emotional, and spiritual barriers to reach their full potential and break free from limitations. At the core of our efforts is the GAIN Anti-Poverty Initiative, which serves as the hub, with our various supportive services acting as the spokes of the wheel. These services include our Evansville Christian Health Clinic, family care services, Creating Positive Relationships Program (formerly Truth Talk), clothing resource department, and more designed to support our neighbors on their journey. We also collaborate with community organizations like Habitat for Humanity, Lucas Place II, Salvation Army, Child Protective Services, St. Vincent De Paul, and many others to provide comprehensive support for whole families, addressing every aspect of their lives. Together, through this extensive, individualized work, we are transforming lives and helping our neighbors achieve lasting change.

Real Neighbors Real Stories

Michelle, a member of our GAIN Initiative through St. Vincent De Paul, faced tough financial challenges after months without a job. With only $100 left, our team encouraged her to create a spending plan and guided her through the Financial Potential Program. We helped her aim for a job paying at least $17 an hour to ease her financial burdens. In just a few days, Michelle secured an $18-an-hour position thanks to her determination and drive. This success renewed her hope, and she continues saving on groceries through our Food Co-op. We’re incredibly proud of her journey!

Volunteer Opportunities

We develop a long-term relationship with you and your family and help connect you to work that enables you to feel a part of significant community change. Volunteer opportunities exist in our family care services, Creating Positive Relationships (formerly known as Truth Talk), clothing resource department, GAIN Initiative, and more! We also have a crucial need for dentists and dental professionals to help with the rising demand for dental care in our community through our health clinic. We encourage you to explore and try different options to discover the best fit for your passions and schedule.

Our Mission

Since 1986, the Evansville Christian Life Center — in collaboration with our community — has empowered neighbors by restoring them from need to potential and built stronger families with a stronger foundation!

Exciting Ways To Get To Know Us

• Take A Tour!

• Look at how our Circle of Services is helping families in our community by watching a short film. vimeo.com/854501309

• Look for new short film we’ll be launching at the end of this year!

@evansvillechristianlifecenter

@restoringpeople

@restoringpeople

Evansville Rescue Mission

500 E. Walnut St. • 812-421-3800 • evansvillerescuemission.org

On any given night…

More than 200 women and children in the Tri-State area have nowhere to call home.

Forty percent of our county’s homeless population are women.

Thirty-three percent of those women are under the age of 18.

Reaching more in need…

With a more than 100-year history of rescuing thousands of men, the Evansville Rescue Mission (ERM) is determined to extend the same passion for services for women, including single mothers with children. To meet the needs of this growing population, we require a special space with high security and designed to accommodate women with children.

The ERM is renovating a 42,492-square-foot facility located in Evansville. The Susan H. Snyder Center for Women and Children will securely accommodate up to 125 women and children. Through a Christ-centered, collaborative, traumainformed, and holistic approach, this space will allow us to focus on long-term recovery and sustainable rehabilitation.

How you can help…

Share your time, talents, treasure, and prayers. Since the beginning of Evansville Rescue Mission, we have relied on the generosity of faithful friends and community partners to keep our ministry running. The Susan H. Snyder Center for Women and Children will depend on that help even more! Every gift, no matter how big or small, makes a tremendous impact on the lives of the people we serve. Your gift provides hope in the face of hopelessness. Visit our website or contact Victoria, victoria.flaherty@ermstaff.org, to learn more about how you can give monetarily, prayerfully, or materially. To volunteer your time, contact Madison at madison.black@ermstaff.org.

Empower real love, faith, and change for guests at Evansville Rescue Mission.

Our Mission We exist to glorify God by meeting the basic needs of those we serve and sharing with them the life-changing message that “Jesus Saves.”

Annual Fundraisers & Events

• Oct. 7-12: Fall Festival Booth 136

• Nov. 9: 13th Annual Drumstick Dash

• Nov. 26: Gobbler Gathering

Scan the QR code to donate today!

@EvansvilleRM @evvrescuemission @missiongrounds

What is Grow?

Grow is a platform designed for stakeholders from all sectors, generations, and experience levels. Grow provides trusted resources, training opportunities, as well as regional data for a 12-county region through a robust data engine called SAVI.

Why Grow?

In response to the pandemic in 2020, the COVID-19 Crisis Response Fund of the Greater Evansville Region was established. Having achieved the goal of raising more than $6 million to ensure relief and resilience across our nonprofit sector, the fund illuminated the desire our community has for collaboration, timely resources and training, and the availability of actionable data. Grow provides those valuable assets, aggregated and curated specifically for the unique needs of nonprofit leaders, donors and funders, and community stakeholders.

Who is Grow?

Grow is a collaboration of 47 individuals from 30 organizations actively working to surface and vet resources, training opportunities, and data that best serve our region’s unique needs.

Grow is provided through the funding partnership of these individuals and organizations:

• Community Foundation Alliance

• United Way of Southwestern Indiana

• Evansville Regional Economic Partnership

• United Way of Henderson County

• Old National Bank

• Welborn Baptist Foundation

• Koch Foundation

• The City of Evansville

• Carl & Kay Chapman

• Hamman Foundation

• Havens Family Foundation

@growcapacity

@growcapacity

What are my next steps?

• Visit growcapacity.info

• Check out training opportunities in our region

• Sign up for SAVI 101 to learn more about regional data

• Join the Grow Mailing List

• Schedule a demo of Grow and SAVI for your organization

Scan the QR code to learn more!

Right to Life of Southwest Indiana

20 N.W. Third St. • 812-474-3195 • rtlswin.org

Our History

In 1978, Right to Life of Vanderburgh County was born as Bill Butterfield and Guerin Bernadin identified the need to bring greater education and advocacy to the sanctity of human life in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Roe V. Wade decision just five years earlier. Forty-six years have passed since their inception, but through it all, this ministry maintains the same sacred mission. Right to Life of Southwest Indiana, as it is now called, exists to protect life through education, advocacy, and resources.

Earlier this summer, Right to Life of Southwest Indiana named their fourth Executive Director in forty-six years, Dr. Jeff Ferguson, who is passionate about advocating for the entire family.

A Leader with a Vision for the Family

Dr. Ferguson stated pointedly, “As a husband and a father of three daughters, I will do for others what I endeavor to do for my family. I will be a staunch defender of life, protecting those who cannot protect themselves. This is certainly a spiritual battle, and there is too much at stake for passive inactivity!”

Dr. Ferguson and his wife, Rochelle, have been married for nineteen years, and together they raise their three children. Jeff and Rochelle also co-founded a nonprofit organization, Not On My Watch, that resources and empowers parents of this next generation. The Fergusons’ passion for seeing the family thrive positions Right to Life of Southwest Indiana at the forefront of advocating for the protection of life at every age and every stage.

A Ministry Worth Your Investment

Right to Life of Southwest Indiana operates the Go Mobile Clinic, providing expectant mothers with up-to-date information equipping them to make informed decisions about their health care. They maintain a vital presence in local schools, empowering students to avoid peer pressure that will derail them from their future goals. They are a vital means of support to the many local Pregnancy Resource Centers in our area, and they recently began an adoption assistance fund, providing grants to families pursuing domestic or international adoption.

Dr. Ferguson recently stated, “Through the work of Right to Life of Southwest Indiana and our ministry and financial partners, we believe we can play a large role in ensuring that the voices of this next generation are silenced no longer.”

Our Mission Our mission at Right to Life Southwest Indiana is to protect life.

Annual Fundraisers & Events

• Sanctity of Human Life Sunday: Jan. 22

• March For Life: January

• 40 Days of Life (Spring and Fall Campaigns)

• Annual Banquet

• West Side Nut Club Fall Festival

• Life Chain: October @right2lifeswin @SWINforlife

Schmidt Foundation

Born in Irvine, Kentucky, in 1933, Bill Schmidt came from a family that loved music and believed in the power of education.

These interests continued when his family settled in Evansville, Indiana, where he spent most of his youth and adult life. His values and roots would influence his philanthropy — a commitment to family and the quality of life for people in Southern Indiana and Kentucky.

Bill received his Bachelor of Arts degree from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, and his master’s degree in business administration from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. After serving as an Air Force fighter pilot and instructor, Bill helped raise three children and launched numerous real estate and entrepreneurial projects. He also was a soccer coach, tenor in the choir, eager golfer, formidable card player, and board member of numerous local organizations.

A soft-spoken man with great listening skills, people knew Bill for his quick wit, business prowess, charitable nature, and wide-ranging talents. After the death of his mother, he became the patriarch of a large extended family that he continued to love and support.

He did so with support from his sister, Anna Lee Schmidt Hamilton, who was an accomplished singer. A 1950 graduate of DePauw University, Anna Lee did postgraduate study at Indiana University and Heidelberg Conservatory of Music in Germany. She worked as a voice instructor at Butler University, a vocal coach and assistant conductor of the Indianapolis Opera Company, a vocal coach, musical director, and performer with the Indiana Opera Theatre, and as a private vocal teacher. Anna Lee influenced Bill’s commitment to growing the Schmidt Vocal Competitions, which has since become a nationally renowned program, touching the lives of more than 5,000 students. With his meaningful support of scholarship programs at numerous universities, schools, and community organizations, Bill spawned a legacy of dedication to the arts and youth that continues today.

Bill later moved to Sarasota, Florida, where he became a substantial behind-the-scenes supporter of several key community projects, including the Sarasota Opera. He prioritized grassroots and need-based philanthropy programs in the Sarasota area.

Bill died in 2014 after a lengthy battle with Parkinson’s disease, but his family, friends, and colleagues continue to follow in his footsteps in support of the arts and the community. The William E. Schmidt Foundation captures Bill’s entrepreneurial and hard-working spirit — always grounded in innovation and led by those committed to a worthy mission.

Our Mission

William E. Schmidt believed that the Foundation’s investment in the arts, education, and youth programs could create true and lasting change in the community.

William E. Schmidt

At SIRS, our mission is to build relationships to support individuals with disabilities on their journey toward independence. We envision communities that provide equal opportunity for individuals to live their best life.

Southern Indiana Resource Solutions (SIRS), Inc. a leader in the state and local community, has established an outstanding reputation for providing quality support for adults and children with disabilities. SIRS makes a difference every single day in the communities in which we live and work. SIRS is more than a service provider, we are dedicated to those we service through advocacy efforts and an inclusion first attitude. Each day, an individual, a family, or group is changed because of SIRS' life-enhancing services.

Southern Indiana Resource

Solutions serves five Indiana counties: Dubois, Perry, Spencer, Warrick, and Vanderburgh County

1579 South Folsomville Road, Boonville, Indiana

812-897-4840 • sirs.org

How We Make An Impact

Southern Indiana Resource Solutions (SIRS), Inc. is a cornerstone of service in the community, known for its exceptional support for adults and children with disabilities. With a reputation for advocacy and an inclusion-first approach, SIRS makes a profound impact every day by significantly enhancing the lives of individuals with disabilities in the community. Our extensive services include Jobs + Employment Services, Youth Transition Services, Project Search at Deaconess Gateway, Home of My Own Residential Services, Respite Services, Link-N-Go Transportation Services, My Community Link, and First Steps Therapeutic Services. We also offer Work Incentives Planning and Assistance. Each program fosters independence and offers therapeutic support by contributing to the overall well-being of the community. SIRS isn’t just a service provider; we are a dedicated partner in the community, changing lives and empowering individuals with disabilities to reach their full potential.

Giving Opportunities

Every donation to SIRS profoundly impacts individuals with disabilities. Contributions directly support someone’s journey toward a fulfilling life, helping them achieve greater independence and personal growth. As a community, we become stronger when we empower people to reach their potential and positively affect one another’s lives. We envision a community where everyone involves a person with a disability in their network of friends, hires someone with a disability, or helps organize a fundraiser. Together, we can thrive, grow stronger, create avenues for persons with disabilities, and unite.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteering at SIRS offers a rewarding experience, with opportunities to contribute to significant events like our Golf Scramble and the Frog Follies dinner and dance. Due to the confidential nature of the services we provide, volunteer needs are less frequent but highly valued. Engaging in these key events allows you to support our mission while helping to create memorable experiences for our clients and the community.

Our Mission

We build relationships to support individuals with disabilities on their journey toward independence.

Annual Fundraisers & Events

• First Friday in May — Golf Scramble at Boonville Country Club

• Date to be determined: Poker Run in early summer of 2025

• Annual car washes in Dubois County and Warrick County — locations and dates are to be announced!

@SIRS.org

SWIRCA & More

16 W. Virginia St. • 812-464-7800 • swirca.org

How We Make An Impact

As an area agency specializing in aging, SWIRCA & More helps older adults and people with disabilities, at any age, live with independence and dignity in their homes and communities. We do this by providing comprehensive services, unbiased and free resources, and support as individuals. We also help older adults navigate the complexities of accessing in-home, community-based services, and long-term care. If you are seeking advice on aging or need assistance, one call will connect you to a vital lifeline of support.

In 2023, SWIRCA aided 17,538 individuals through its Care Management program, assisting individuals with long-term care and advocacy needs; served 131,544 nutritious meals to seniors in their homes and through neighborhood lunch sites; answered more than 1200 calls per month through the Aging and Disability Resource Center; provided 107,350 free bus rides to seniors through the Metropolitan Evansville Transport System; and provided exercise and wellness classes to 1,200 seniors each month in the Activity and Wellness Center.

Giving Opportunities

Gifts to SWIRCA help provide many needed resources and services for area seniors, including counseling, care coordination, senior advocacy, transportation, home modifications, wellness education, nutritious meals, fellowship, and so much more. Gifts of support remain local and provide the most vulnerable in our community with life-sustaining services for themselves and their caregivers. Visit swirca.org/give to learn how you can donate to SWIRCA, or text SWIRCA to 44321 and give online.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteering with SWIRCA is a great way to use your talents to enhance the lives of local seniors. We are always looking for caring individuals who may want to assist us in the following ways: teach an exercise class or arts and crafts, give a presentation on a topic that relates to aging or caregiving, help deliver meals, and volunteer at events such as Brewfest, our West Side Nut Club Fall Festival Cobbler Booth, and Super Bingo.

Our Mission

Enhancing opportunities for independent living and a better quality of life for those who are aging, people living with disabilities, and caregivers in Southwestern Indiana.

Annual Fundraisers & Events

• November 1: Veterans Day Celebration

• February: Super Bingo at SWIRCA

• June: Super Bingo at SWIRCA

• September: SWIRCA Brewfest

Scan the QR code to donate today!

SwircaAndMore

@SWIRCAandMore

SWIRCA & More

Team McClintock: Building Community through Real Estate

130 Main St. • 812-777-5220 • teammcclintock.com

Commitment to Community: Team McClintock’s Impact on Southwestern Indiana

Team McClintock’s dedication to enriching Southwestern Indiana is vividly demonstrated through our significant contributions to Wesselman Woods. This year, we contributed to a captivating educational mural and a newly installed playscape, creating vibrant spaces that foster community interaction and environmental education. Our team’s commitment extends beyond donations; our agents actively contribute their time and expertise to local causes. Members of Team McClintock actively serve a range of local organizations, including the Reitz Home Museum, Old Evansville Historic Association, St. Benedict Cathedral, Vogel Elementary PTA, Mater Dei High School’s Growing in Grace program, St. Joseph Catholic Church, Evansville Greenway, and Clean Evansville Committees, as well as initiatives like Golf Gives Back and Girl Scout Troop 519. This broad involvement underscores our team’s dedication to contributing positively to our community across multiple fronts. Additionally, our ‘Team McClintock Gives Back’ initiative supports the community by donating $1,000 monthly to a local charity nominated by our clients at each property closing.

Empowering Through Real Estate Transactions

With every real estate transaction, Team McClintock offers clients the opportunity to nominate a local not-for-profit to receive our monthly $1,000 donation. This not only empowers our clients but also amplifies our collective impact on the community, supporting a variety of causes from educational enhancements to public health and welfare. Contact our team of experienced REALTORS® today to learn how your next property transaction can contribute to meaningful community development. Join us in our mission to make a tangible difference in Southwestern Indiana.

Fostering Community Vitality with Team McClintock

Our Mission Team McClintock gives back through our client-driven giving program. At closing, clients are asked to nominate their favorite 501(c)(3) charity for a $1,000 donation. Each month, our team draws one organization to receive $1,000.

@TeamMcClintock

@TeamMcClintock

@teammcclintock

At Team McClintock, we believe that active participation in our community is crucial to sustaining the vibrancy and appeal of Southwestern Indiana as a great place to live and work. Our commitment is demonstrated through our sponsorship and support of pivotal projects, including local school fundraisers, neighborhood beautification initiatives, and cultural festivals. These efforts not only enhance educational opportunities but also revitalize public spaces, contributing to community pride and engagement. Our involvement is a core part of our mission to ensure that our region continues to thrive. We encourage everyone to join us in these endeavors.

We are committed to compassionately addressing homelessness, poverty, and addiction in our community, while providing safe and dignity-enhancing services to those in need.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

• VOLUNTEER

Give your time and make a difference! Contact Lakaiya in our day shelter, 812-426-9960, for info.

• ATTEND OUR EVENTS

Sponsor, participate, invite friends and family, and share our events!

• DONATE

Your donations directly impact the lives of those in need: Please donate by mail, P.O. Box 1071, Evansville, IN 47706 or for more information on how to donate, e-mail Ryan Rigg, Executive Director at: ryanrigg@UnitedCaringServices.org.

324 NW 6TH STREET EVANSVILLE, IN 47708

•

COMMENT, LIKE, SHARE

Follow us and keep up with our latest news and events on social media. Don’t forget to comment, like and share our posts!

To learn more, visit UnitedCaringServices.org 812-422-0297

United Caring Services

324 N.W. Sixth St. • 812-422-0297 • UnitedCaringServices.org

Day Shelter

United Caring Services provides shelter, food, hygiene products, laundry, showers, restrooms, and support services for basic needs. We also offer those in need a stable mailing address and access to community agency assistance to address barriers related to homelessness and “self-sufficiency.”

Men’s Emergency Night Shelter

UCS provides a safe emergency shelter for men that includes food, beds, showers, hygiene products, and supportive services for basic needs. We get people on their feet until more appropriate housing can be obtained.

Ruth’s House Emergency Women’s Shelter

Our safe emergency shelter for women also offers food, beds, showers, hygiene products, and supportive services until more appropriate housing is found. Located at 321 E. Walnut St. Evansville, Indiana.

Medical Respite

We provide a safe space for hospital discharge, recuperation, intense case management, and housing for positive health outcomes. Those in need also receive medication monitoring, transportation to appointments, and “follow up” care.

Permanent Housing

UCS Apartments help stabilize and assist individuals in leaving and/or preventing homelessness with regular tenant services and supportive services through other programs.

Red & White Flag

UCS provides an emergency shelter for men, women, and children during extreme weather with a mat, cooling station or blanket, water, restrooms, and food.

We accept donations of food, hygiene products, clothing, appliances, cleaning supplies, and monetary donations. All donations are eligible for a 501(c)3 tax receipt.

We would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to Mr. Courtney Johnson at Young & Established for donating a washer and dryer to the UCS Women’s Shelter — “Ruth’s House,” during a time of emergent need.

United Methodist Youth Home

2521 N. Burkhardt Rd. • 812-479-7535 • umyh.org

Helping at-risk youth become responsible and productive members of the community.

In 2023, United Methodist Youth Home (UMYH)’s services and programs touched over 150 lives. Eighteen youths graduated with their high-school equivalency, and 46 lived and rested in safe homes. These youths now have tools and opportunities to create their brighter futures. Every youth who passes through the doors of UMYH leaves knowing that an adult cares about them and their future is full of possibilities. What’s more, when youth formally leave our programs, 55 percent of them will remain under our guidance through our Aftercare program for up to six months.

But it doesn’t stop there. These young people now have UMYH staff and supporters as cheerleaders and friends long after they leave. We love celebrating our young people’s successes and sharing their good news stories with the community.

Giving Opportunities

We gladly accept gifts of time, talent, and treasure. Whether you give financially to one of our initiatives such as Education, Aftercare, or Healthy Eating Active Living, or donate ready-made meals to our Backpack Program, your support is integral to continuing our mission. Investing in our youth’s futures eliminates barriers to their success and shows just how much the community cares about them and their lived experiences.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteers play a vital role in helping us continue to provide a suitable environment for the young people we serve. With no janitorial or maintenance staff, we rely heavily on community service to keep our campus beautiful and safe. Projects vary year-round, ranging anywhere from wrapping gifts, to hosting a “howto” workshop for residents, to landscaping or repairing facilities. If you would like to become more involved in furthering the mission of UMYH, become an Ambassador! Visit our website or email Shelby Harder at sharder@umyh.com to learn more about how you can make a difference today.

Our Mission

Helping

at-risk youth become responsible and productive members of the community.

Annual Fundraisers & Events

• Sept. 20: Annual Block Party

• Dec. 3: Giving Tuesday Matching Opportunity

Scan the QR code to donate today!

@umyhevv

@umyhevv

Vanderburgh Humane Society

400 Millner Industrial Drive • 812-426-2563 • vhslifesaver.org

How We Make An Impact

VHS is, of course, an animal shelter that takes in and finds homes for about 4,000 homeless animals every year. The shelter also meets industry benchmarks as a “no-kill” organization. We also operate many other programs that help both pets and people in our community! The Davidson Rausch Low-Cost Spay & Neuter Clinic provides affordable spay/neuter surgeries, vaccinations, and other pet wellness services for the public, and has fixed more than 110,000 animals to date. Cardio for Canines is a free program where the public takes shelter dogs to the park (follow @cardioforcanines on social!). Our Humane Education Department serves 3,000 kids annually. The VHS also provides pet-assisted therapy at local nursing homes and a Safe Pets program reuniting domestic violence victims with their pets. We are working toward a pet-friendly community where the value of the human-animal bond is included in all important conversations: affordable housing, mental and physical health, and more!

Giving Opportunities

1. Shop at Happy Tails Resale Shop on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m.4 p.m., located at VHS. Our 10th anniversary is coming up in November! (Follow @happytailsresaleshop on social)

2. Grab a treat, visit the cats, or pick up some fun merchandise at River Kitty Cat Café in Downtown Evansville, owned and operated by VHS! (Follow @riverkittycatcafe on social)

3. Donate! VHS receives no funding from the city/county and is not a “chapter” of a larger organization like the Humane Society of the United States. We are an independent nonprofit, funded solely by donations from people like YOU! Give today at give.vhslifesaver.org.

Volunteer Opportunities

Our Mission

Since 1957, the Vanderburgh Humane Society has helped eliminate pet overpopulation through spay/neuter, adoption, and humane education. Alter. Adopt. Adore.

Annual Fundraisers & Events

• Oct. 7-12: West Side Nut Club Fall Festival Booth #75

• Nov. 2-3: Pet Pictures with Santa @ Washington Square Mall

• Nov. 8-9: Happy Tails Resale Shop 10th Anniversary + Adopt a Hoosier Pet Month “In Our Adoption Era” Weekend

• Feb. 14: Valentine’s Day Cuddlegrams

• May 10: Going, Going, Gone to the Dogs Benefit Dinner & Auction

VHS always needs volunteers! There are many ways to get involved, including animal cleaning and care; sorting and pricing items in the thrift store; laundry; working at special events such as the West Side Nut Club Fall Festival; and so much more. We have volunteers onsite 365 days a year, from Sunday morning to Christmas morning, with different shifts available. You can also foster a needy pet from the comfort of your home! Volunteers working in the shelter must be age 16 or older. Contact us at volunteer@vhslifesaver.org for details on any of these opportunities!

@Vanderburgh Humane Society

@vhslifesaver

MISSION

EVENTS

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 30

BINGO for the Parks - Halloween Edition!

4:30 - 8:30 PM | Games Start at 5:30 PM

Friedman Park | $30 - $350

SATURDAY, FEB. 22

The 4th Annual Parks & Trails Gala presented by Compass Financial Group 5 - 10 PM | Friedman Park | $200 - $1,500

WEDNESDAY, MAR. 19

BINGO for the Parks - Spring Edition! 4:30 - 8:30 PM | Games Start at 5:30 PM Friedman Park | $30 - $350

SATURDAY, APRIL 5

Race the Trails - Half Marathon, 5K, One-Mile & Kids Dash Details coming soon!

SATURDAY, APRIL 19

The 5th Annual Easter in the Park presented by ERA First Advantage Realty 11 AM - 1 PM | Friedman Park | $5/Car

WEDNESDAY, JULY 5

BINGO for the Parks - Summer Edition! 4:30 - 8:30 PM | Games Start at 5:30 PM Friedman Park | $30 - $350

Warrick Trails

P.O. Box 862, Newburgh, Indiana • warricktrails.org

How We Make An Impact

Warrick Trails has built more than 16 miles of scenic trails throughout Warrick County, providing safe and accessible pathways for walking, running, and biking. Still, our mission goes beyond creating trails; we aim to foster an active, healthy lifestyle for all community members by connecting neighborhoods, parks, and local businesses. The latest addition to our trail system is the newly opened path linking Amax Fields to our network, offering more opportunities for residents to get outdoors and explore. We also are proud to introduce the Nevins Trailhead at Amax Fields, a newly renovated building that serves as a central hub for trailgoers, offering convenient parking and amenities. Looking to the future, Warrick Trails plans to continue expanding, eventually connecting our trails to surrounding counties and creating a regional network that promotes outdoor activity and community engagement. Through our work, we are shaping Warrick County into a more vibrant, active, and connected community.

Giving and Volunteer Opportunities

Warrick Trails partners with our sister organization, the Warrick Parks Foundation, to host two major events: Party in Paradise and the brand-new Race the Trails, which will be a half marathon on our trails and will also include a 5K, 1-mile, and kid's dash. Volunteering at or participating in these events — or donating directly to Warrick Trails — makes a big impact on the future of our trail system. We also always need dedicated individuals to join our board and help shape our ongoing efforts. For more information on how you can get involved, email us at marketing@warricktrails.org.

Our Mission Warrick Trails builds safe, accessible trails connecting schools, neighborhoods, and parks. Our goal is to encourage walking, running, and cycling for recreation and transportation to enhance residents’ quality of life.

Annual Fundraisers & Events

• April 5: Race the Trails Half Marathon, 5K, 1-Mile, Kid’s Dash

• Sept. 27: Party in Paradise Best Party of the Year!

@WarrickTrails

@warricktrails

Welborn Baptist Foundation

20 N.W. Third St., Ste. 1500 • 812-437-8260 • welbornfdn.org

Our Vision

Communities flourishing with the well-being, abundance, and peace that God desires.

Our Approach

Welborn helps nonprofit organizations thrive and transform our community. We believe the most fundamental driver of change is a community with wellequipped, trained nonprofit leadership at all levels. This belief drives our focus on nonprofit excellence. We also focus on funding programs with high community impact, in critical focus areas. We’ve identified early learning, healthy eating and active living, and Christ-centered communities as priorities for strategic investments. Each represents opportunities for significant improvement in this place where we live, learn, work, play, and pray. Early learning gives kids the start they need for a lifetime of learning; healthy eating and active living promote a lifestyle of health; and Christ-centered communities reach all with the life-changing love of Christ.

How we work

Rich partner relationships – Our focused strategies allow us to have healthy and effective relationships with grantees so we can accelerate community change through growing, sustainable organizations.

Emphasis on collaboration – The magnitude and complexity of community issues exceed the capacity of any one organization to address them. We seek to foster collaboration among organizations, funders, and other community partners. Measuring and sharing impact – We are committed to evaluating the impact of our investments and fostering a commitment to measurement and improvement within the organizations we fund.

Who we serve

Welborn serves a 14-county area in the Tri-State, including Dubois, Gibson, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh, and Warrick counties in Indiana; Gallatin, Saline, Wabash, Wayne, and White counties in Illinois; and Henderson County in Kentucky.

Our Impact

Welborn has awarded more than  1,850 grants, totaling  $82 million in  14 counties over 24 years.

Ascension St. Vincent Evansville Foundation

3700 Washington Ave. • 812-485-4265 • give.stvincent.org/evansville

How We Make An Impact

At Ascension St. Vincent Evansville Foundation, we are dedicated to providing tailored support for those in need, focusing on the poor and vulnerable. The Foundation supports non-revenue-generating programs, such as healing arts therapy and the Mobile Dental Clinic. We inspire donors to creatively contribute to special funding opportunities, like themed rooms in the pediatric unit at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital.

We also invest in unique capital equipment that enhances patient experiences, like towel warmers for oncology patients and transport isolettes for newborns in the ICU. Our support for start-up programs and services allows the hospital to offer elevated care to our patients, associates, and the community. Our associate support initiatives allow us to provide continuing education, development opportunities, and hardship assistance for associates facing unexpected life challenges.

Giving Opportunities

With endless opportunities to support the Foundation, we invite you to explore supporting areas that resonate with you. Whether your passion lies in pediatrics, cancer care, heart services, our Mobile Dental Clinic for children, women’s services, associate scholarships, or continuing education, there are countless ways to make a meaningful impact on the lives of those who seek compassionate care.

To learn more about how you can contribute and be part of our Mission, please reach out to us. Our team is here to provide more information, answer your questions, and help you find the best way to align your support with our Mission.

@stvincentevansvillefoundation

Our Mission Since 1969, Ascension St. Vincent Evansville Foundation has been raising funds to financially assist our patients, associates, and the communities we serve to provide spiritually centered, holistic care.

Annual Fundraisers & Events

• June 9: Heritage Open Golf Tournament, Evansville Country Club

• Oct. 25: Cornette Ball, West Baden Springs Hotel

Scan the QR code to donate today!

Where Passion Meets Patients, A Heartwarming Success

Meet Malena:

A weekend trip turned into a three-month stay when Malena Zapata developed a life-threatening illness at 26 weeks pregnant. After an emergency C-section was required to save both lives, associates reflected on the training experience provided by simulation techniques, thanks to donor support.

Meet Zamir:

Hours after donors blessed the opening of the Championship themed patient room, young Zamir entered for care with enthusiasm and curiosity. His mother, Ca'Metria, noted how the child-friendly design and vibrant sports-themed art transformed his experience, making him feel comfortable and excited.

Azzip Pizza

810 W. Franklin St. • 812-909-4144 • azzippizza.com

How We Make An Impact

We know your organization does great work and we want to do our part to support you! Local non-profits and organizations within the school system, including sports, the arts, and clubs, deserve an easy way to raise some extra funds. Your supporters need to eat, so why not let them support you while doing so? Twenty percent of the sales you bring in go directly back to your organization.

Giving Opportunities

We realize a coordinated dining event or gift card sale may not be the best fit for your group, but we’re happy to help groups large and small with their upcoming raffles, silent auctions, and celebrations when they need some goodies headed their way. From a gift card to coupons and bag stuffers, let us know how we can help, and we’ll see what we can do!

Getting Involved

Are you part of your school’s PTA/PTO? Do you coach a basketball team? Are you your organization’s president or treasurer looking for a delicious way to raise funds? Sign up at azzippizza.com/we-give-azip, or scan the QR code to the right to learn more about how we can help your group raise money.

@AzzipPizzaEvansville @azzip_pizza

Our Mission Since 2014, Azzip Pizza has offered giveback opportunities and community support to help our local non-profits “raise some dough” to support their missions.

Year-Round Fundraisers & Opportunities

• Giveback Days

• Gift Card Fundraisers

• Scrip Card Program

• Sponsorships and Donations

Scan the QR code to donate today!

Missy Mosby & Buddy’s Promise

812-453-MISY (6479) • fctuckeremge.com/missy.mosby

Meet Missy Mosby

Born and raised in Evansville, Indiana, Missy Mosby graduated with honors from Mater Dei High School in 1986. Her parents instilled in her a strong sense of community service, a value she has passionately embraced. Currently in her fifth term on Evansville’s City Council, Missy also works as a committed Real Estate Agent for F.C. Tucker Emge, having received her license in 1998. Her career in real estate gives her the flexibility to both “Sell Evansville” and create positive changes for the community’s well-being.

Missy has been awarded more than 15 community service awards including the Good Neighbor Award from the Indiana Association of Realtors in 2018, Readers’ Choice Winner for Best Realtor in the Tri-State in 2021 and 2022 and Bronze Winner for 2023, Community Votes Evansville’s Best Realtor for 2023 and Bronze Winner for 2022, and Junior League of Evansville’s Top 20 Women Business Leaders for 2024. Missy also volunteers for more than 30 organizations. Missy currently has a Boxer (Lil Skipper), eight Yorkies (Minnow, MaryAnne, Luvie, Thurston Howl IV, Tucker Bud, Martin Evan, Mercedes, and Porsche Grace), a foster Yorkie (Baja), a rescue Cockatiel (Moscato), and a rescue parakeet (Stormy). Missy always says that if you have to fail at something, you might as well fail at fostering!

Giving Back

Our Mission

Buddy’s Promise – Furever Home was founded in 2018 after Missy’s beloved Yorkie, Buddy, passed away in 2014. Missy resolved to honor his memory by rescuing dogs, cats, and birds, raising awareness of animal rights issues, assisting local shelters in getting animals adopted, and working with families in need so they can keep their pets. Missy hopes Buddy’s memory will live on furever through her rescue efforts.

Through Missy’s “Give a Dog a Home” program, clients who buy or sell a house with Missy Mosby & Crew have the opportunity to adopt a dog or cat from the local shelter, with Missy covering the adoption fee. If her client is not ready to adopt a four-legged family member, Missy will sponsor an adoption fee at Evansville Animal Care & Control in their honor. Missy learned at a very young age that if you love your community, then you have to give back and help make a difference.

@facebook.com/fureverhomefursday

Missy and her team don’t just help humans find homes! With her commitment to helping four-legged friends in the Tri-State, Missy has been able to place hundreds of furry clients into loving foster homes and forever homes. fctuckeremge.com/missy.mosby • 812-453-MISY (6479) WE’RE

Catholic Charities of Evansville

2111 Stringtown Road • 812-423-5456 • ccevansville.org

How We Make An Impact

Catholic Charities makes an impact by providing services that enhance the mental health, as well as life and work skills, of those we serve so individuals can participate fully in family and community life. The goals of our programs are to reduce poverty, improve self-sufficiency, and improve the mental health of those served. Our services accompany individuals on their journey by supporting them through the challenges they face, giving them the tools they need to thrive, and instilling hope and confidence.

Giving Opportunities

You can donate to the Catholic Charities by mailing a donation to 2111 Stringtown Road, Evansville, IN 47711. Donors may call 812-423-5456 or donate online by visiting our website at ccevansville.org.

Volunteer Opportunities

• Neighbor to Neighbor facilitator — Guide participants as they set goals to move forward. Receive training and support from staff members.

• Committee Member — Engage with other volunteers to provide guidance and insight to enhance services, operations, and awareness.

• Facilities Volunteer — Use your skills to help with basic maintenance projects, such as painting, repairs, landscaping, and other tasks.

Contact us at catholiccharities@evdio.org

Our Mission As servants of Christ, Catholic Charities provides services to individuals, families, and communities in need and advocates for and empowers the human dignity of others.

Our Services

• Boots4Work

• Counseling Services

• Emergency Financial Assistance

• Immigration Legal Services

• Medical Travel Assistance

• Neighbor to Neighbor

Deaconess Foundation

600 Mary St. • 812-450-3359 • deaconess.com/give

How We Make An Impact

Deaconess Foundation is making a larger impact than ever before in transforming local healthcare. This year, more than $1.3 million has been given back to 51 Deaconess departments to assist Deaconess in providing patient care to our community. That is the Deaconess difference, reinforcing our commitment to be recognized as a top health system in the Midwest.

Gifts Making a Difference

As the demand for quality healthcare professionals increases, there are shortages across the nation. To get ahead of this obstacle, Deaconess Foundation has created a robust scholarship program to secure future healthcare workers at Deaconess.

So far this year, Deaconess Foundation has awarded 47 scholarships to local college students totaling over $303,000. With these scholarships, the recipients also commit to working at Deaconess upon graduation.

To make a gift and a difference in the lives of students seeking a healthcare career, visit deaconess.com/give. Know that you are making a difference!

Our Mission Providing dynamic philanthropic opportunities to transform healthcare for the Deaconess community.

the QR code to donate today!

Evansville African American Museum

579 Sondra Matthews Way • 812-423-5188 • evvaam.org

How We Make An Impact

The Evansville African American Museum is the last remaining building of Lincoln Gardens, the second Federal Housing Project created under the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal in 1938, and serves as a permanent exhibit. The surrounding community was known then as Baptisttown, an independent, thriving community with black entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers, and educators. The museum showcases local artists, traveling and permanent collections that tell the story of African American history in Evansville, book discussions, presentations, and cultural events. Youth-focused programs include a summer theater camp and the DNA lab with a focus on leadership.

Giving Opportunities

Individuals can donate to the Evansville African American Museum by visiting our website at evvaam.org and clicking the donate button. Our 2025 calendar is looking to expand to new depths and heights for African American history and culture and contributions from individuals, businesses, and foundations will help make this possible.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteers are an invaluable asset to our museum and there are plenty of opportunities available if people want to get involved. Volunteers are needed as tour guides, committee members, and board members. Committees assist with special events, marketing, development, and curatorial. To volunteer contact Coordinator of Guest Services Janice Hale at 812-423-5188 or jhale@evansvilleaamuseum.org.

Our Mission Continually develop a resource and cultural center to collect, preserve, and educate the public on the history and traditions of African American families, organizations, and communities.

Annual Fundraisers & Events

• Every Fall: Annual Colour of Humanity Gala

Evansville Goodwill Industries, Inc.

5001 Washington Ave. • 812-474-2222 • evvgoodwill.org

How We Make An Impact

At Evansville Goodwill, we’re committed to turning good into great through openness and honesty through a people- and planet-centered focus. With “The Cycle of Good,” we shift the narrative of poverty into empowerment and community enrichment. We provide job training, offer adults a second chance to earn their high school diplomas at The Excel Center® Evansville Southeast, and teach digital skills to help people overcome barriers to employment. Together, we’re building a future where individuals and families can thrive. Join us in this movement, and help transform the cycle of need into a cycle of opportunity and lasting change for generations to come.

Giving Opportunities

Your donations and purchases fuel “The Cycle of Good,” supporting programs that employ individuals with barriers to employment and students graduating at The Excel Center. Every act – whether making material donations at our stores or financial donations on our website – creates lasting change in our community.

Volunteer Opportunities

Join us on Thanksgiving Day for our 35th Annual Turkey Day 5K! We’re seeking volunteers to help make this event a success. Whether it’s handing out water, cheering on participants, or helping set up, your support will make a difference. Sign up to volunteer through our website!

@Evansville Goodwill @evvgoodwill

Our Mission

The mission of Evansville Goodwill Industries, Inc., a notfor-profit 501(c)(3) organization, is to help people, families, and communities thrive through the power of relationships, education, and work.

Annual Fundraisers & Events

• Nov. 28: Turkey Day 5K

Scan the QR Code to make a financial donation!

Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science

411 S.E. Riverside Drive • 812-425-2406 • emuseum.org

How We Make An Impact

The Evansville Museum brings arts, history, science, and educational experiences to the Tri-State and beyond. We are proud to cater to a wide range of age groups and want to continue to reach more community members. Featuring art from around the world, hands-on science experiences, a focus on local history, the train at EMTRAC, and our Koch Immersive Theater and Planetarium, we have something for everyone!

Giving Opportunities

The Evansville Museum draws from its permanent collection and resources to offer enriching and diverse educational experiences for the Tri-State region. Your monetary support brings exceptional art, history, and science programs to life, inspiring generations to explore, create, and discover in a place where innovation and culture thrive.

Getting Involved

The Evansville Museum Docents Association provides guided tours of the museum’s permanent collections, special exhibitions, and planetarium shows for school children, church groups, and other guests. These specially trained, volunteer museum ambassadors help visitors better understand and enjoy their visit.

Our Mission

The Evansville Museum utilizes its permanent collection and resources to offer diverse educational experiences for the Tri-State region.

Annual Fundraisers & Events

• Feb. 20-23: Art in Bloom

• July 4: 4th of July at the Evansville Museum

• Aug. 23: Geek Con

• First Weekend in November: Evansville Museum Ball

Scan the QR code to donate today!

Evansville-Area Trails Coalition (ETC)

How We Make An Impact

Our vision is to create a vibrant, active, and connected Evansville where multiuse trails are part of daily life. Through partnerships, we offer programs like Upgrade Bike Share, Bicycle Incentives, Urban Hikes, Group Rides, and events promoting trail use, construction, and sustainability. We address quality of life challenges with strategies that deliver lasting results. Our advocacy and planning efforts, such as the Region Trail Master Plan and trail grant writing, focus on expanding the Greenway trail system at local and regional levels. Our ultimate goal is a safe, walkable, wheelchair-accessible, and bike-friendly community that is inclusive and accessible to everyone.

Giving Opportunities

Your involvement and support are key to developing new trails in Southwest Indiana! Join the Trailblazer Member Coalition to advocate for accessible pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure. Be part of a passionate community working to create a seamless, connected trail system, closing gaps and linking our extensive trail network together.

Our Mission We connect people and places, promote active living, and advocate for the development of multi-use trails.

Ways to Participate

• Join ETC’s coalition of community donors: Just a $5 monthly donation!

• Mail a donation to P.O. Box 932, Evansville, Indiana, 47706, or give online.

• Give an in-kind or noncash gift.

• Consider a planned or legacy gift.

• Make a donation made in a friend’s or a family member’s honor.

Scan the QR code to donate today!

Foster Care In The U.S., Inc.

23 E. Columbia St. • 812-319-7507 • fostercareintheus.org

How We Make An Impact

Foster Care In The U.S. works to change the outcomes of marginalized populations of youth and young adults with the goal of ending youth homelessness. Through our collaborative partnerships — which strategically focus on empowerment, employment, leadership, development, and preparedness — the IATT (I Am Tomorrow Today) Project provides dedicated housing, needs-based financial resources, and the life skills youth need that directly address the socioeconomic barriers they have to self-sufficiency. Foster Care in the U.S., Inc., is proud to have achieved a Gold Transparency rating with Candid and the highest charity rating, 4 stars, from Charity Navigator.

Giving Opportunities

• Sign up for a volunteer opportunity on our website

• Mail a check to 23 E. Columbia St., Evansville, IN 47714

• Make an in-kind or non-cash donation

• Set up a legacy fund benefiting Foster Care in the U.S.

• Make Foster Care in the U.S. part of your annual holiday giving plan

Volunteer Opportunities

• Join our board of directors! Our volunteer board meets monthly and is strengthened by members with a wide variety of backgrounds and skills.

• Our youth need positive adult interactions in everything from mentorship to volunteer opportunities and parenting education.

Our Mission Improve the outcomes of homeless, foster care, and at-risk youth and young adults ages 16-24 through the IATT Project.

Upcoming Fundraisers & Events

• Nov. 17 - 21: Annual Online Auction

• Dec. 7: Hope 4 The Holidays Volunteer Day

• Dec. 14: Hope 4 The Holidays giveaway and Santa Workshop

Scan the QR code to donate today!

Evansville's first transitional supportive housing for homeless youth.

Friends of Mental Health

415 Mulberry St. • 812-436-4223 • friendsofmentalhealth.org

How We Make An Impact

Since 2004, our foundation has strived to advocate for those in our community who face mental health challenges. Friends of Mental Health is the only local non-profit that does an annual gala for supporting mental health. A hundred percent of funds raised stay within our community, thanks to Southwestern Healthcare, and have a direct impact on the citizens of Gibson, Posey, Warrick, and Vanderburgh counties. The foundation has helped more than 1,900 individuals, awarded $133,108 in grants, and provided more than $65,268 in assistance in the areas of transportation, medication, housing, and other vital needs.

Giving Opportunities

Monetary donations, supporting our Spring fundraiser, and hosting/selecting us as a fundraiser recipient are ways you can support our cause. All opportunities where others engage with us allows us to ensure that everyone can access the mental health and substance use services they need and deserve without barriers.

Volunteer Opportunities

Friends of Mental Health does not offer day-to-day volunteer opportunities throughout the year. However, volunteers are invited to join the annual Spring fundraiser planning committee in January each year. The committee helps with decorations, obtaining auction items, and the day of set up. If interested, please reach out via our website.

@Friends of Mental Health

Our Mission

Friends of Mental Health is the foundation for Southwestern Behavioral Healthcare and Hillcrest. Our mission is to support those struggling with mental health and substance use disorders in our community.

Annual Fundraisers & Events

• April 26: Boots & Bling Spring Fling at Bally’s Riverside Event Center

Scan the QR code to donate today!

Heritage Introduces Non-Profit Checking

812-519-8272 • heritagefederal.org

The Why Behind the Service

In 2023, Heritage Federal Credit Union supported more than 75 non-profit organizations in the greater Evansville area. As a not-for-profit financial institution, supporting non-profit organizations is a part of its purpose.

Heritage is a local credit union founded in Newburgh, Indiana, in 1965. Its mission is simple — Improve lives; Simplify banking. Unlike other financial institutions, credit unions are not for profit and exist only to serve the financial needs of their members.

This year, Heritage met with more than twenty local organizations to discover how they could best continue its service to local nonprofit organizations. Heritage listened and developed a new Non-Profit Checking account exclusively for nonprofit organizations.

Introducing Heritage Non-Profit Checking

Heritage’s Non-Profit Checking account offers benefits such as zero monthly fees, tiered annual percentage yield (APY), free debit card, access to pair with a business credit card, a designated banker, and more to organizations with a 501 classification.

Let Heritage Help You Help Others

Trust Heritage to empower your organization with financial solutions that truly make a difference, so you can focus on your mission. Open a Non-Profit Checking account online at heritagefederal.org

Minimum $50.00 to open account. 501 tax exempt form must be provided at account opening. Program rates, terms, and conditions are subject to change without notice. Membership restrictions may apply.

@heritagefcu @heritagefederal

@heritagefederal @heritage-federal-credit-union

HOLA Evansville

318 Main St. • 812-492-4474 • holaevansville.org

How We Make An Impact

HOLA, incorporated in 2004 in response to the rapidly growing Latino community in Evansville, initially served as a bridge between Latinos and existing organizations, addressing immediate needs such as access to healthcare and basic education. Over the years, as the Latino community has grown and matured, HOLA has evolved. Currently, its focus areas include the  Latino Professional Development Series. This partnership with USI, UE, and Ivy Tech equips participants with leadership and advocacy skills to shape organizational culture and foster professional growth.

Giving Opportunities

HOLA’s two main fundraising events are the  HOLA Festival and the  LPDS Gala. The annual HOLA Festival raises funds for the  Dream Big scholarship, and the  LPDS Gala raises funds for scholarships and community projects. Additionally, donations are accepted year-round through the “Giving” link at holaevans ville.org. Your generous contribution will help us continue our work and expand our impact within the community.

Volunteer Opportunities

HOLA offers volunteer opportunities, primarily during the  HOLA Festival at Bosse Field. However, throughout the year, we host various community events where volunteers are needed for the Leader in You Workshops for Latino parents to the LPDS Gala and many more. Visit our website holaevansville.org to register and get involved.

@holaevansville

Our Mission Enhance appreciation of cultural diversity and promote the successful inclusion of Latinos in the community.

Fundraising Events

• Gala: March 15, 2025 at the Evansville Country Club

• HOLA Festival: September 2025

Scan the QR code to donate today!

HOSPITALITY AND OUTREACH FOR LATIN AMERICANS - HOLA EVANSVILLE

Providing participants with the leadership and advocacy skills to shape organizational culture

The HOLA Latino Professional Development Series is a comprehensive, year-long program delivered by faculty members from three local higher education partners in combination with keynote speakers.

The Latino Professional Development Series is open to Latino professionals and business owners that have been identified as high growth potential within sponsoring organizations.

“The HOLA Dream Big Scholarship made a huge impact on me. It gave me just encouragement to move on, and to keep going, especially as a first-generation college student in my family. Getting to tell my mom, hey Mom I got a scholarship! She cried the whole day and she is so proud! Everything is for her!”

- Heidi Garcia, recipient of the Dream Scholarship 2023

Holly's House

750 N. Park Drive • 812-437-7233 • hollyshouse.org

How We Make An Impact

We empower victims of intimate crime and abuse by providing support, promoting justice, and preventing violence. We’re the neutral home of investigations in Southwestern Indiana bringing best practices to teams of law enforcement, prosecutors, child welfare, mental, and medical health workers. Through communitybased education, we increase knowledge about intimate crime and provide skills to our most vulnerable population. Our Child Abuse Prevention Program teaches elementary students body boundaries, online safety, and identifying trusted adults for reporting abuse. Last school year, more than 17,000 students received prevention education. Our newest service includes on-site mental health intervention for child clients who have experienced abuse with the goal of reducing PTSD.

Giving Opportunities

Supporting survivors throughout the disclosure process provides compassion and stability for victims and defendable information gathering for investigators and prosecutors, costing approximately $1,150 per client. Prevention education can be provided for $20 per student. Gifts of any amount can be made through our website or by mailed check.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteers assist in maintaining landscaping, hosting awareness and fundraising events, and providing welcome bags for the children visiting Holly’s House. Holly’s House also appreciates donations of bottled water and individually packaged snacks.

@hollyshouse @holly_house_evansville

Our Mission Holly’s House is a non-residential child and adult victims advocacy center. We provide support for victims of intimate abuse, promote justice, and prevent abuse before it begins.

Annual Fundraisers & Events

• Feb. 22 - Save the Date for a new event!

• May - Walking for Dreams

• October - Brian Turpin Service Awards

Scan the QR code to donate today!

The Isaiah 1:17 Project

117 N. Hart St., Princeton, Indiana • 812-386-0117

8114 Burch Park Dr., Evansville IN 47725 • theisaiah117project.org

How We Make An Impact

Our Fortifying Fostering Families (F3) program is an umbrella for the diverse resources and services we offer to those impacted by foster care in Southwest Indiana, including:

1. Family Care Connections: church-led ministries that serve children and families by creating a support system around fostering, adoption, and kinship between families and the children in their homes through relationshipbased care.

2. Awareness and Service Events to maximize resources and support for fostering families.

3. Food support, bonding experiences, and other resources via community par tners (restaurants and other businesses).

Giving Opportunities

A gift of $250 provides a Bag of Hope and Dream Cycle for one child; $1,000 provides annual resources; and $5,000 or more provides one-on-one support that will have a lifelong impact. Give on our website or by check to The Isaiah 1:17 Project, 117 N. Hart St., Princeton, Indiana.

Getting Involved

We have an easy and efficient way to volunteer. Visit our website and follow the link to learn how you can join us in our commitment to value every child and serve kinship and fostering families.

The Isaiah 1:17 Project @theisaiah_117Project

Our Mission

Every child and family impacted by foster care matters. We embody this belief by meeting the spiritual, physical, and emotional needs of families and children.

Annual Fundraisers & Events

• Annual Sold-Out Designer Purse Bingo (Sponsorship Opportunities available)

• Walking for Dreams Service Events

• Christmas Hopes and Dreams

• Easter Palooza

• Jockey Back to School Bash

Scan the QR code to donate today!

Our Mission

Meals on Wheels

3700 Bellemeade Ave., Ste. 113 • 812-476-6521 mealsonwheelsofevansville.org

How We Make An Impact

Meals on Wheels of Evansville is a program that delivers hot, nutritional noon meals daily to individuals who need assistance while homebound. We serve meals for any age, long or short-term. Rather, the individual is elderly wanting to keep their independence as long as possible or an individual recovering from a short–term disability. Meals on Wheels of Evansville makes sure the request is fulfilled. Unlike other meal services, Meals on Wheels of Evansville just requires an application to be filled out by the individual’s physician.

Giving Opportunities

The federal government does not fund Meals on Wheels of Evansville. Our organization is funded only by donations and special grants. Donations can be made by check or JustGive located at our website: mealsonwheelsofevansville.org. Help continue the mission!

Getting Involved

Volunteer with Meals on Wheels of Evansville for a few hours a day, weekly, or monthly. Give an individual the joy, smile, and communication that they need. Reward yourself in the same way.

@Meals On Wheels of Evansville

Since 1965, Meals on Wheels of Evansville’s mission has been to provide hot, nutritional meals to the homebound in our community who have a physical or mental disability.

3700 Bellemeade Ave., Ste. 113 • 812-476-6521 mealsonwheelsofevansville.org

Scan the QR code to donate today!

Missing Pieces Community Development Corporation

401 S.E. Sixth St., Ste. 102 • 812-773-7391 • missingpiecescdc.org

How We Make An Impact

Missing Pieces Community Development Corporation is a 501(c)(3) nationwide motor carrier that can transport 5 to 80 passengers. We offer wheelchairinclusive, fare-free fixed mass transit routes in North Vanderburgh, Warrick, and Gibson counties in Indiana to higher-paying worksites, essential healthcare locations, and grocery stores. MPCDC caters to seniors, individuals with disabilities, veterans, homeless, ex-offenders, sober-living residents, and refugees. Our organization also is seeking funds for a Henderson, Kentucky, route.

Giving Opportunities

Help fund our initiatives by referring new transportation contracts or sponsoring routes. Donations can be made by mailing or dropping off a check or giving to our Justice for Gamia / The Gamia Lechelle Stuart Memorial Scholarship at Old National Bank locations.

Partnership Opportunities:

We are partnered with United Way of Southwestern Indiana, Evansville Metropolitan Planning Organization (EMPO), Talent 2025 Healthcare and Transportation, Regional Transit Advisory Committee (RTAC), City of Evansville, The Haitian Center of Evansville, and Superior Maintenance Company (SMC). These collaborations fund 374 free seats daily. If you would like to discuss customized transportation routes, please contact info@missingpiecescdc.org.

@missingpiecescdc

@MISSINGPIECESCDC

Our Mission

We are founded to provide high-priority outreach programs and emergency assistance to individuals in crisis locally, nationally, and worldwide.

Annual Fundraisers & Events

• November – Missing Pieces C.D.C. Split the Pot Fundraiser

• December – Pack for A Purpose International School Supply Drive

• May – Gamia Lechelle Stuart Memorial Scholarship awarded

Scan the QR code to donate today!

@missing-pieces-community-development-corporation

VISION STATEMENT

It is our vision that all Missing Pieces Project participants receive the necessary assistance to not only survive but thrive in communities devastated by poverty, crime, and natural disasters.

The Nature Conservancy

State Headquarters: 620 E. Ohio St., Indianapolis, Indiana

317-951-8818 • nature.org/Indiana

How We Make An Impact

The Nature Conservancy is a global organization working to shape a more resilient future for land, water, wildlife, and people. We address the most pressing conservation threats in ways that benefit not only wildlife and biodiversity but also people and communities. The Indiana Chapter was founded in 1959, and to date, we have protected more than 100,000 acres across the state. Over the past 65 years, our work has evolved to support the needs of a changing planet and is guided by four priorities: Protecting Important Places, Providing Food and Water Sustainably, Driving Climate Solutions, and Inspiring People for Nature.

Giving Opportunities

Join our Human:Nature campaign to help ensure a world where both humans and nature thrive! Donors at any level receive a subscription to our state newsletter and award-winning global magazine. You may give at support.nature.org/ Indiana, by calling 317-951-8818, or by mailing a check to 620 E. Ohio St., Indianapolis, Indiana, 46202.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer opportunities range from outdoor workdays at our nature preserves across the state to virtual assignments and office work. To view opportunities or sign up for our volunteer newsletter, please visit nature.org/indianavolunteer.

Our Mission

The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.

Annual Fundraisers & Events

• Nov. 2: Celebrate National Bison Day and experience our new visitor improvements at the Efroymson Prairie at Kankakee Sands in Morocco, Indiana!

• Jan. 23: Exploring Indiana Virtual Webinar

• Many more events are shared via social media and our newsletter!

@TNCindiana

@nature_indiana

Parenting Time Center

101 N.W. Tenth St. • 812-759-1543 • parentingtimecenter.org

How We Make An Impact

Parenting Time Center supports children in high-conflict families by providing a safe, neutral environment to connect with their parents. As the sole provider of supervised visitations and safe exchanges in a 16-county region, we help families build healthier relationships. By creating a nurturing space, we positively impact children’s and parents’ mental well-being. Our mission is to empower families, while our vision seeks to break the generational cycle of fragile family dynamics through comprehensive services, community partnerships, and collaboration.

Giving Opportunities

Recurring monthly donations are vital for the long-term sustainability of our services like supervised visitations and safe exchanges. Businesses can also contribute through event or program sponsorships. In-kind donations, like toys or office supplies, directly benefit the families we serve. Volunteering your time at events can make a meaningful impact. Additionally, participating in fundraisers like our Pickleball Party or Giggles for Good Comedy Show helps us continue empowering families and fostering positive relationships in our community.

Volunteer Opportunities

We have opportunities for volunteers to organize toys in our visitation spaces, perform administrative tasks, and support our events. Your time and effort play a key role in ensuring that our spaces remain welcoming and that our programs run smoothly.

@ParentingTimeCenter

@parentingtimecenter

Our Mission Empower parents and children to create positive relationships in a safe and nurturing environment.

Annual Fundraisers & Events

• Giggles for Good Comedy Show and Dinner

Scan the QR code to donate today!

Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Ohio Valley

3540 Washington Ave. • 812-402-7642 • rmhcohiovalley.org

How We Make An Impact

The Ronald McDonald House is much more than just a House. We are a place where families of critically ill children call during crisis and uncertainty. Many of the people who arrive at our doors are stressed, exhausted, worried, and focused on their child who is receiving critical medical treatment at one of our local medical facilities. Our Ronald McDonald Houses in Evansville and Newburgh, Indiana, offer comfort, warm meals, and relief from traveling far to care for their child. Each House is equipped with supplies and furnishings, creating a more homelike environment for house guests.

Giving Opportunities

Support RMHC of the Ohio Valley in helping families stay close to their sick children. Your involvement — whether through donations, buying a brick, hosting a wish list drive, preparing meals, rounding up at McDonald’s, or volunteering — makes a difference. Join us in providing comfort and resources to families in need.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteers perform numerous duties around the house. Some of these tasks include: assisting families at the front desk, cleaning common areas and guest rooms, preparing pop tabs for recycling, sprucing up the courtyard, and rolling the Happy Wheels Cart at area hospitals and medical facilities. Learn more at rmhcohiovalley.org/volunteer.

@RMHCOhioValley

@rmhcohiovalley

Our Mission

The mission of Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Ohio Valley is to provide essential services that remove barriers, strengthen families, and promote healing when children need healthcare.

Annual Fundraisers & Events

• Feb. 7: Laughs for Love

• Feb. 28: Wine & Fries

• June 16: Links Fore Love

• Sept. 25 - 26: Clays for a Cause

Scan the QR code to donate today!

The Care Mobile program is scheduled to launch in early 2025.

The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile is a fully equipped medical clinic on wheels that will deliver free or reimbursed care to underserved women of child-bearing age, pregnant women, postpartum mothers, and infants up to 12 months in their own neighborhoods. The Care Mobile eliminates many of the barriers that underserved families face in accessing healthcare services while raising awareness for healthy lifestyles and reducing reliance on emergency rooms for care.

Helping Give Children What They Need MostTheir Families

3540 Washington Ave. rmhcohiovalley.org | 812-402-7642

Seton Harvest

9400 New Harmony Road • 812-963-7692 • setonharvest.org

How We Make an Impact

Seton Harvest is a community-supported agriculture initiative sponsored by the Daughters of Charity Province of St. Louise. The certified naturally grown farm uses the land in a just and environmentally conscious way by sharing locally grown food with shareholders and persons who are financially poor and hungry in our community.

Since the inception of Seton Harvest in 2006, we have harvested 697,000 pounds of produce, with 157,000 pounds of produce donated to many local shelters, food banks, and church pantries. A portion of each week’s harvest goes directly to nearly a dozen different charities serving the poor and hungry.

Volunteer Opportunities

Seton Harvest provides volunteer opportunities for those interested in a unique, hands-on farming experience. Not all ways to help require fieldwork or physical labor.

Educational Opportunities and Farm Tours

Guided tours are available for kindergarten-12th grade students, homeschool classes, Scout groups, university classes, and business outings. Experience the beauty of the farm while learning about how Seton Harvest began, how we operate, and who we serve. Visit the hydroponic and aquaponic greenhouse, learn about the importance of composting, and nibble on fresh herbs in the herb garden. Tours can be modified to meet your group’s specific interests.

@SetonHarvest

@setonharvest

Our Mission Seton Harvest, a ministry of the Daughters of Charity, promotes care of the environment by growing food naturally, shares produce with local shareholders and people in need, and provides educational opportunities for sustainable living.

Annual Fundraisers & Events

• September and October: Annual Benefit Farm-to-Table Twilight Dinners

• First full week of October: West Side Nut Club Fall Festival parking lot

Scan the QR code to donate today!

Signarama

1300 N. Royal Ave. • 812-477-7763 • SignsOverAmerica.com

Why did you decide to create this grant program?

Many nonprofits have a small or non-existent marketing budget. Because of this, we created a grant program allowing nonprofits to apply for low-cost or free signage to promote their cause. Since 2010, we have awarded more than $300,000 in signage grants to local nonprofit organizations through our Signs of Support Grant Program. We want these amazing organizations to focus on their mission — we’ll focus on their signs.

What are the eligibility requirements to apply for a grant?

To be eligible for the program, an organization must be a nonprofit or an affiliate of a registered charitable organization and must be local to the Tri-State. Local Vanderburgh and Warrick County Public Schools and non-government civic organizations also are eligible to apply each year.

How can you apply?

Download an application on our website to get started, or call us at 812-477-7763, so we can collaborate and make your ideas come to life. We can guide you to some great solutions for your needs that have a high likelihood of being granted.

Our Mission

Signarama Evansville is a full-service sign center that uses the latest technology and highest quality products to produce custom signs for your business. We seek to support local charitable organizations with donations of signage, graphics, and displays at partial to no cost through our Signs of Support Grant Program.

Our Mission

SMILE on Down Syndrome

4900 Shamrock Dr. • (812) 449-6049 • smileondownsyndrome.org

How We Make An Impact

When a doctor delivers the words, “Your baby has Down syndrome,” it can be a life-altering moment. Where do parents get information they need about a diagnosis that is hard to understand? SMILE on Down Syndrome was born to help parents learn they are not alone on this new journey and exists to provide support, mentoring, information, love, and encouragement across the lifespan to people with Down syndrome and their families. We continue to dispel myths of the past to unlock a future of dreams, bringing bright hope for tomorrow.

Giving Opportunities: Help Build and Grow Our Dreams

SMILE Mile sponsorship; Apprenticeship Programs; SMILE Pals Team Sponsorship; Educational Committee Creation; Community Partnerships and Awareness; building of Education Center; building of adult community housing; building of SMILE Center with a commercial kitchen and classrooms; Sensory Learning Tools; and Technology Assisted Learning Tools and Devices.

Volunteer Opportunities

Our volunteer opportunities include an array of areas at the SMILE Center and in the community: annual events, after-school tutoring; dance, music, and art instructors; mentoring, support roles, coaching, group leaders, program coordinators, media and marketing, life coaching for Down syndrome adults, adult-community liaisons, and SMILE Pals.

Since 2001, SMILE on Down Syndrome has provided physical, emotional, spiritual, social, and educational support services to people of all ages with Down syndrome, their families, and their community.

Annual Fundraisers & Events

• SMILE Mile Celebration Walk

• World Down Syndrome Day Talent Show and Ice Cream Social

• Christmas Dinner

• Yearly SMILE Calendar

• Trucks and Heroes Community Event

• Stars and Styles Fashion Event

Scan the QR code to donate today!

Turpen's Painting Co.

1652 N. Fares Ave. • 812-205-7848 • turpenspainting.com

How We Make An Impact

Chad Turpen, the owner of Turpen’s Painting, is deeply committed to giving back to the community. Under his leadership, the company has contributed more than $100,000 in services and volunteer work, supporting local initiatives and organizations. Chad believes that enhancing the community is a shared responsibility, and through acts of kindness and generosity, Turpen’s Painting aims to uplift those in need.

By providing free painting services for schools, local veterans, and community centers, the company not only beautifies spaces but also fosters a sense of pride among residents. Chad understands that investing in the community strengthens relationships and encourages collaboration. This focus on service is part of Turpen’s Painting’s core values, inspiring employees and clients alike to participate in community enhancement efforts. Ultimately, Chad Turpen’s dedication to philanthropy illustrates that when businesses invest in their communities, everyone benefits, creating a vibrant and thriving environment for everyone.

Past volunteer and donation efforts include painting the exterior commons area for Harrison High School, the interior of the Dream Center, Bosse Field, three interior homes for the JD Sheth Foundation and three local veterans, painting at Glenwood Leadership Academy, Mickey’s Kingdom, Youth First, Salvation Army, Teachers Locker, and Young & Established.

Their biggest project will be in 2025 when they do the interior and exterior painting of the Granted House of Hope. Granted is a non-profit organization helping families and kids fighting life-threatening illnesses.

Our Mission At Turpen’s Painting, our mission is to enhance communities through quality painting services while giving back by volunteering and supporting local initiatives, fostering pride and connection among residents.

@Turpen's Painting

@turpenspainting

@TurpensPainting

MICKEY'S KINGDOM GRANTED OVER THE EDGE

JD SHETH HOME OF THE BRAVE PROJECT DREAM CENTER

GLENWOOD LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

YMCA of Southwestern Indiana

516 Court St. • 812-423-9622 • ymcaswin.org

How We Make an Impact

Founded in 1857, the YMCA of Southwestern Indiana has served our community for more than 165 years. We provide support and opportunities for people to learn, grow, and thrive. Focused on youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility, we nurture the potential of every child, improve community health, and offer ways to give back. Our Y is and always will be dedicated to building healthy, confident, connected, and secure children, adults, families, and communities. Every day, our impact is felt when someone makes a healthy choice, a mentor inspires a child, or a community unites for the common good.

Giving Opportunities

Together, we’ll take on many of the greatest challenges facing our young people, our health, and our area. Our YMCA is more than just a gym . . . we are a cause. And our cause, with your generous support, will continue to strengthen Southwestern Indiana.

Volunteer Opportunities

We’re volunteer-founded and volunteer-led. Across our community, business leaders, community advocates, parents, teens, and individuals who want to give back and support their neighbors volunteer at the Y. Visit www.ymcaswin.org/ volunteer for ways you can engage, give back, and connect in our community.

@YMCASWIN @YMCASouthwesternIN

Our Mission

The YMCA of Southwestern Indiana, following the example of Jesus Christ, responds to community needs by serving all people, especially youth, through relationships and activities that promote a healthy spirit, mind, and body.

Annual Fundraisers & Events

• January: Indoor Triathlon

• February: Cause for Celebration

• June: YMCA 5K

• October: Evansville Half Marathon

Scan the QR code to donate today!

BUSINESS LIFE

DOUBLETREE BY HILTON EVANSVILLE WINS OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARD AT HCW LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

JUNE 25, SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA Barry Schwartz, Wendy White, Jennifer Dellinger, Sara Mueller, Tracy Rizzo, Kendra Hines, Bob Allen, Lindsay Slatzler, Doug Rosepapa, Tim Joy, and Rick Huffman

INDIANA MEMBERS FOUNDATION MAKES DONATION TO EVSC FOUNDATION JULY 9, EVSC FOUNDATION Olivia Payne, Ashlynn Johnson, Emily Cunningham, Melanie Atwood, Brian Woods, Niti Moore, Kyle Kempf, and Sarah Pepper

PAY IT FORWARD LOCAL MAKES DONATION TO ECHO HOUSING CORPORATION JULY 26, WESTSIDE COMMUNITY CENTER Linda Roberts, Kim Armstrong, and Cindy Barnhill

DEACONESS CLINIC FELSTEAD RIBBON CUTTING JULY 30, DEACONESS CLINIC FELSTEAD Shawn McCoy, Julie Dingman, Brad Scheu, and Andrew Schenk

OHIO TOWNSHIP PARK GROUNDBREAKING AUG. 1, WARRICK COUNTY Mary Ann Beck, Lynda Provence, Beth McFadin Higgins, Dan Elliot, Nancy Bennett, Mike Wilson, Suzanne Crouch, Chad Bennett, Debbie Reid, Terry Phillippe, Dan Saylor, and Steve Roelle

EXCEL CENTER EVANSVILLE GRAND OPENING AUG. 17, GOODWILL INDUSTRIES Front Row: Kayla Hansen, Alyssa Browning, Meredith Hagerty, John Benton, and Bryce Moseby Back Row: Dalton Rausch, Natalie Powers, Jeremy Evans, Elijah Farmer, and Cobus Morgan

ESCALADE INC. RINGS THE NASDAQ MARKETSITE CLOSING BELL AUG. 23, NEW YORK CITY Nick Martin, Ned Williams, Ben Tremont, Walter Glazer Jr., Stephen Wawrin, Rick Baalmann Jr., Patrick Griffin, and other Escalade executives and supporters

VERIDUS GROUP GRAND OPENING AUG. 23, DOWNTOWN EVANSVILLE John Totty, Chiara Robinson, and Nick Balentine

EVANSVILLE PROTESTANT HOME 100TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION AUG. 29, EVANSVILLE PROTESTANT HOME Kenny Perry, Mayor Stephanie Terry, Paul Mayer, Michelle Perry, and Marylu Sonntag

PHOTO PROVIDED BY VERIDUS GROUP, INC.

NEW HIRES/PROMOTIONS

Tucker Publishing Group has hired Chanda Ramsey as its art director in Aug. 2024. Ramsey has almost 30 years of experience and previously worked for Evansville Regional Economic Partnership and Courier & Press. She is a graduate of University of Southern Indiana and Ivy Tech Community College Evansville.

Stephanie Richard is the new director of Indiana Landmarks’ Southwest Field Office, based in Evansville. The Evansville native previously was a project manager with Architectural Renovators, and she has served on the Evansville Historic Preservation Commission since 2018.

B BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

USI has announced Betsy Jo Mullins as its director of housing and residence life. She most recently served as associate director of business operations and information technology. 2013 graduate Margaret “Maggie” Carnahan has been named director of alumni engagement and Volunteer USI. She previously was the assistant director for major gifts at the USI Foundation.

USI has named the members of its presidential search committee, chaired by Christina Ryan, who is the first chair of the USI Board of Trustees. Other search committee members are Jean Blanton, Harold Calloway, Michael Dixon, Trent Engbers, Randa Gatling, Andrea Gentry, Fouad Hamami,

Saluting Service

Veteran advocates Woods & Woods sponsor Honor Flight

BY JOHN MARTIN

The Evansville-based law firm Woods & Woods has established itself as an advocate for disabled veterans, so it was a natural fit to underwrite Honor Flight of Southern Indiana’s next trip.

Early on Oct. 5, 86 veterans, each accompanied by a guardian, will fly from Evansville Regional Airport to Washington, D.C., to tour national military memorials. A parade will greet them upon their return that night.

The Oct. 5 Honor Flight will be the 17th such journey from EVV, and Neil Woods, president of Woods & Woods, recalled attending the welcome home parade for the first one 10 years ago.

“Supporting this organization is a great way to say thank you and honor those who protected our freedoms,” Woods says.

Honor Flight of Southern Indiana President Jerry Blake says the nonprofit, which has flown more than 1,200 veterans to the nation’s capital, is “forever grateful” for Woods & Woods’ $43,000 donation, and it will “make a difference in our . . . mission.”

HONORFLIGHTSI.ORG

Pamela Hopson, Kyle Mara, Troy Miller, Sudesh Mujumdar, Erin Reynolds, Nicholas Rhew, Ronald Romain, Patricia Tieken, and Abby Yates. Ex officio members are Nita Musich, Kindra Strupp, and Sarah Will

Tri-State Orthopaedics has welcomed

Blaine Manning, a spine surgeon, to its practice. A Springfield, Illinois, native, Manning attended Rush Medical College in Chicago, Illinois, and completed a five-year residency at the University of Missouri in Columbia, where he was a resident surgeon for the university’s athletics program.

The Henderson, Kentucky, Chamber of Commerce has named Jada Hamby its event coordinator. The Henderson native and University of Southern Indiana alumna previously worked with Terror on the Trail, Hometown Roots, and First Christian Church.

Jeff Ferguson has joined Right to Life of Southwest Indiana as its executive director. The Evangel University Seminary, Springfield, Missouri, graduate was ordained as a pastor in 2005 and, with his wife Rochelle, founded a parenting nonprofit called Not On My Watch, Inc.

CenterPoint Energy

has promoted 24-year employee Mike Roeder to senior vice president of external affairs in Indiana and Ohio. He served as vice president of government affairs and chairman of the Employees Federal Political Action Committee for Vectren, CenterPoint Energy’s predecessor in Evansville. CenterPoint has named another former Vectren executive, Shane Bradford, its newest vice president of Indiana Electric. He most recently helped execute CenterPoint’s long-term electric generation transition.

JADA HAMBY

CHANDA RAMSEY

BETSY JO MULLINS

MARGARET “MAGGIE” CARNAHAN

BLAINE MANNING

MIKE ROEDER

SHANE BRADFORD

STEPHANIE RICHARD

Old National Bank has appointed Matt Merkel to its Evansville Market President. Merkel began with Old National Bank as a credit analyst in 1996 and will continue serving as the company’s Southwest Indiana Business banking director.

Moving and transportation company

Atlas Van Lines has promoted Ryan Parmenter to chief information officer. Parmenter joined Atlas in 2001 as a software engineer and most recently served as vice president of information technology.

Easterseals

Rehabilitation Center has welcomed Rob Henson as its new vice president of major gifts and planned giving. Henson has lead fundraising and capital campaigns for Ivy Tech Community College, the IU Medical School Consortium, and Ascension St. Vincent Evansville.

Banking institution

Fifth Third has hired Marshall Byers as city president for its Evansville market. Byers, an Evansville native, will continue to serve as a wealth management advisor and will also lead the private bank team for the Tri-State.

as the vice president of commercial banking for German American Bank’s Henderson location.

Evansville Regional Airport has named Kylie Weaver-Poe its director of finance and administration. Prior to joining EVV, Weaver-Poe was the director of business affairs at Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation and a senior accountant at SS&C GlobeOp, a division of SS&C Technologies.

DEPARTURES

Suzanne Draper is stepping down after 22 years as CEO of Vanderburgh County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). Her position at CASA caps a 34-year career in child and family services. Draper will retire at the end of the year.

Escalade Inc. announced Aug. 14 that CEO Walter Glazer will retire at the end of the year. Glazer has led the sporting goods and recreational equipment manufacturer since late 2021 and served on Escalade’s board of directors since 2015.

Zach Garcia is leaving Wesselman Woods

Evansville Water and Sewer Utility’s GIS team received a Special Achievement in GIS Award from Esri, the global leader in geographic information system software, during a national conference in July. EWSU GIS Manager Ryan Key and Technician Aaron Krohn accepted the award from Esri co-founder Jack Dangermond for their work using GIS to improve government transparency and better serve the public.

Dr. Michael Miller has been named the 2024 Ascension St. Vincent Evansville Physician of the Year. Miller has been a radiation oncologist with the health system for 25 years.

First Bank has been granted Preferred Lender Status by the U.S. Small Business Administration, the highest bank designation reserved for top-tier lenders. This status provides First Bank authority to process, close, service, and liquidate most SBA-guaranteed loans without prior review to provide faster financing to businesses in Southwest Indiana and Southeast Illinois.

Henderson Community College’s Foundation has appointed three new board members. Stephen Arnett is a 1973 graduate and practices law in Morganfield, Kentucky. Lindsay Durbin is an HCC and USI graduate and practices law in Dixon, Kentucky. Brian Newman serves

Nature Preserve after two years as executive director. Garcia joined Wesselman Woods in 2019 as director of education. He is transitioning to Faith in Place, an organization that empowers people of diverse faiths and spiritualities in work on environmental and racial justice issues, as Indiana outreach director.

AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has named the City of Evansville Indiana’s latest Clean Community. The Clean Community program rewards communities for having proactive environmentally friendly policies. The program has three tiers, and Evansville received Bronze Tier recognition, along with Merrillville, Fortville, and New Chicago. In all, Evansville is Indiana’s ninth community to earn the Clean Community designation, and the largest by population.

Boston IVF at The Women’s Hospital, a fertility and family-building care provider, has been designated a Center of Excellence by Optum for the third time. The recognition, which also was received in 2021 and 2023, is only given to the highest-rated IVF providers in the United States. Boston IVF at The Women’s Hospital opened in 2013.

Deaconess Midtown and Deaconess Gateway hospitals have received Electrophysiology

Accreditation and Cardiac Cath Lab

Accreditation from the American College of Cardiology, which recognizes expertise and commitment in treating patients who come to an electrophysiology lab and cardiac cath lab for care. The accreditations were based on onsite evaluations of staff’s ability to evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients in those areas.

RYAN KEY, JACK DANGERMOND, AND AARON KROHN

DR. MICHAEL MILLER

STEPHEN ARNETT

LINDSAY DURBIN

RYAN PARMENTER BRIAN NEWMAN

ROB HENSON

MARSHALL BYERS

KYLIE WEAVER-POE

ZACH GARCIA

Deaconess Health System was named to the Forbes list of America’s Best Employers by State 2024, a list which includes 1,294 organizations across the nation. Forbes creates the list by using survey data of more than 160,000 workers with companies of at least 500 people. U.S. News & World Report also has named Deaconess the second-best hospital in Indiana for 2024-25, its seventh consecutive such honor.

Cavanaugh’s on the River, the upscale steakhouse at Bally’s Evansville, has been awarded OpenTable’s 2024 Diners’ Choice Award. The accolade recognizes Cavanaugh’s as a top dining destination for its steak and seafood and riverfront setting. Bally’s Evansville also earned several Best of Gaming awards from Casino Player Magazine, which for 29 years has polled readers about their favorite casino locations and amenities across the U.S. In the contest’s Southern Indiana division, Bally’s Evansville’s hotel and casino earned top marks for Best Hotel Staff, Best Suites, Best Casino, and Best Players Club, among other honors.

Evansville Police Department honored several officers at its July 15 appointment, promotion, and award ceremony. Michael DeBlanc, Jacklyn Holden, Corey Nutt, and Darren Richardson were promoted to sergeant. Aaron Fair was promoted to Lieutenant. Officers Nick Meeks and Kyle Campbell received the Life Saver Award.

Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Inc., a broker-dealer subsidiary of Stifel Financial Corp., has ranked No. 1 in the employee advisor portion of J.D. Power’s 2024 U.S. Financial Advisor Satisfaction StudySM for the second year. Stifel also ranked No. 1 in three individual categories: leadership and culture, products and marketing, and operational support.

GROWTH/DEVELOPMENT

SVN The Martin Group announced its acquisition of Summit Real Estate Services. According to SVN The Martin Group, the move will strengthen the commercial real estate company’s presence and capabilities in the Tri-State region and beyond. SVN The Martin Group is a third-generation, familyowned company founded by John and Steve Martin in 1977.

Evansville and the Tri-State area

When your workplace needs special attention, you can depend on Office Pride

FLOOR

CARPET

WINDOW

LVT

PRESSURE WASHING

YOU CAN TRUST OFFICE PRIDE TO DELIVER

CALL FOR A FREE QUOTE!

Nix Industrial of Poseyville, Indiana, announced a merger with another familyowned business, Huncilman Sheet Metal Fabrication of New Albany, Indiana. It’s the largest acquisition to date for Nix Industrial and makes the combined company one of the largest metal fabricators in the state and one of the nation’s 40 largest. The two companies have a combined workforce of more than 200.

Indianapolis-based real estate firm @properties has expanded into Southwestern Indiana. Realtors Wayne Ellis, Kristen Hoeppner, Marc Hoeppner, Beau Johnson, Jess Meeks, Katie Ritter, Will Ritter, Chris Schaefer, and Tammy Wargel have established an @properties office in Newburgh, Indiana. @properties is a national company with markets in Texas, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Indiana, and the Washington, D.C., area.

University of Evansville announced that its FORWARD capital fundraising campaign has eclipsed $100 million of its $125 million goal. FORWARD’s contributions to

UE thus far include the transformation of Wheeler Concert Hall and the creation of the Mental Health and Wellness Clinic and the Emily M. Young Assessment Center, as well as endowed faculty chairs, baseball and softball facility improvements, academic program support, and more than 34 new endowed scholarships.

UE’s Center for Innovation and Change and

Circular Venture Lab received a $100,000 Community Energy Innovation Prize from the U.S. Department of Energy. The prize is for the IMPACTT-Technology Transfer for Impact Ventures program, and it allows the IMPACTT team to recruit students through the ChangeLab program, which helps identify new uses for materials and products through Circular Venture Lab’s mentorship.

The Old National Bank Foundation awarded a $200,000 grant to the UE’s Mental Health and Wellness Clinic and Emily M. Young Assessment Center, which opened in November 2023. Staffed by a licensed psychologist and a physician assistant with certification in psychology, as well as students from UE’s Doctor of Psychology

clinical degree program, the clinic’s mission is to enhance mental health care.

USI on Aug. 27 dedicated a $16 million expansion and renovation of its Recreation, Fitness and Wellness Center. Features include a larger footprint for the USI Deaconess Clinic, a meditation room and new office space for Religious Life, technology upgrades and a storm-safe dispatch room for Public Safety, an expanded game room, a new front desk, and more.

The USI Foundation received a $100,000 grant from Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield to fund scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the Administrator-inTraining residency program or any academic major, minor, or certificate program in gerontology. Preference will be given to students who have demonstrated financial need, according to USI officials.

Evansville Regional Airport on Sept. 4 celebrated the return of direct, twice-daily service to Chicago, Illinois, O’Hare International Airport with the first flight’s departure. The restored service is via American Airlines.

CHECK US OUT ONLINE!

German American Bank, Indiana, and Ohio, have announced a merger agree ment. Heartland will merge into German American and will operate under a cobranded name in Ohio markets. As of June 30, 2024, Heartland operated 20 full-service banking offices and had about $1.9 billion in total assets. The combined organization will have more than $8.1 billion in assets and a branch network of nearly 95 locations across communities in Southern Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio.

Indiana University School of Medicine

expanding its Bachelor of Science Medical Laboratory Scientist Program to its campus at the Stone Family Center for Health Sciences in Downtown Evansville. The expansion is in response to a national shortage in the field, and it is funded through a collaboration between the IU School of Medicine Department of Pathology and Deaconess Health System. The expanded program is directed by Dr. Nick Brehl, with an inaugural class of four students starting in the fall 2024 semester.

ARC of Evansville 64, 65

Ascension St. Vincent Foundation 102

Azzip Pizza 103 Baird 7

Banterra Bank 55

Big Brothers Big Sisters 66, 67

Buddy’s Promise/Missy Mosby/ F.C. Tucker Emge.......................................104

Catholic Charities of Evansville 105

CenterPoint Energy Foundation 68, 69

CenterPoint Energy Service Company, LLC IBC

Charles Schwab- Evansville Branch 54

Children’s Museum of Evansville (cMoe) 70, 71

Cottage Wealth Advisors 38, 39

D-Patrick Ford/Lincoln 5

D-Patrick Motoplex 31

Deaconess Foundation 106

ECHO

ADVERTISING INDEX

Erika Taylor

EDUCATION: Bachelor of Arts in French, Indiana University; Juris Doctor, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law

RESUME: Attorney in private practice; president, Junior League of Evansville; interim CEO, Growth Alliance for Greater Evansville (now part of the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership); CEO, YWCA Evansville (2010-present)

HOMETOWN: Chicago, Illinois

FAMILY: Husband Matt; daughter Olivia, 19, and son Anthony, 22

If you told law student Erika Taylor that she would one day lead the 113-year-old YWCA of Evansville, she wouldn’t have believed you. Once on track for a career in international relations, she feels the position at YWCA is the right match for her passions and experience. Under her leadership, the organization continues to provide and expand addiction recovery and temporary housing for women and children.

“The mission itself speaks to me: empowering women, eliminating racism. When somebody tells you that you can get paid to do what you already are passionate about, it’s a win-win,” Taylor says.

HOW DID YOUR EXPERIENCE AS AN ATTORNEY TRANSLATE TO YOUR CURRENT ROLE?

I did not go to law school to become a lawyer. I wanted to get a graduate degree that would allow me to have a career where I could also use my French. I decided on law school because I wanted to work in government, foreign affairs, or international diplomacy.

When I moved here, there weren’t many French-speaking international law jobs. I ended up taking a job practicing law and thought, “This is exactly what I did not want to do.” But I feel like it gave me a foundation. When you’re running a nonprofit, risk management is a huge part of it. My legal background helps me in analyzing situations from that unique perspective.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO JOIN THE YWCA?

I was hesitant to apply for this job as the previous well-respected CEO had been in this role for over 22 years. When this position came open, quite a few people reached out to me and said, “You need to apply for that job.”

H ere I was, a young professional, thinking, “What could I possibly do that hasn’t been done?” I’ll never forget when I went for my interview with 10 people in the room. I felt like everyone believed in me and it really made me believe in myself, that I could do the job. This was a room full of women who already felt like I could do it.

I come to work every day feeling like everything that we do here is really making a difference in the lives of vulnerable women and children.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF ACCOMPLISHING AS YWCA’S CEO?

One of the biggest challenges is this 100-year-old building. I think this organization has great pride in the fact that we designed and built this building. We’ve always owned it free and clear.

When I joined the YWCA, there was a lot of updating that needed to happen, not just for functionality, but for safety and comfort. When women come to stay here, we want them to feel that we’re giv-

ing them a space that’s conducive to their healing. When things are in disrepair or super old-fashioned, what message does that send to a client about what they’re worthy of? I’m proud of having renovated the second-floor lounge and playroom, the third-floor lounge and commercial kitchen, the first-floor kitchen, and the playground.

I’m also really proud of YWCA’s track record of helping women completely transform their lives. Women who have faced unbelievable adversity and trauma in their lives, who have every reason to just give up, somehow have the resilience to get through it, live in the YWCA’s supportive environment, have access to case management, and fully utilize our supportive services to change their lives around. When those women come back, they tell us, “You guys changed my life. I wouldn’t be where I am without you.” I really feel like that’s what all of us here are most proud of. And some of those women come back to volunteer here and serve as mentors to women in the programs. It’s really powerful.