Community Giving
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Thank you to all the wonderful organizations in White County for their service.
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Twin Lakes Food Pantry: Assisting more than 100 families every month
BY CHRISTEL MCINTOSH KVP correspondent
The Twin Lakes Food Pantry is always in need of monetary donations, as they feed hundreds of families throughout the year. They also take clothing donations as they provide clothing for those in need as well. “We’ve been here for four years and we are open all year long. Any family in the corporation that needs extra help can come to us, “ began Patty Godlove. “We help more than 100 families every month. Since school started this year, I bet we have seen close to 200 different families. Not all families come every month, but some families do come every month because they need that extra help.” “This all started with the backpack program. That program is out of Food Finders out of Lafayette. They came to us about four to five years ago and said, ‘we’ve never done a pantry. Instead of the backpack program, would you be a pilot for us?’ And I thought, ‘Oh well sure, why not.’ At that time, we were doing 144 backpacks,” added Godlove. Godlove feels very fortunate that they are able to help with junior high and high school aged children, as well now. In fact, one year, Godlove had three high school students that were living on their own, and although the students were working, plus going to school, they still struggled. Godlove stated that she was happy to help them by supplying their needs, but she was also adamant at how important it was that they also get their high school diplomas. “We help people in the summer and some places don’t. I always wondered why that is because food moves out of the home, just as quickly as it is moved in, in the summer months. During the week these children are eating two meals at school. Now, these parents are responsible for breakfast and lunch, when during the school year, they are not,” stated Godlove. The Twin Lakes School Pantry also receives quite a bit of venison, which is donated by Remington Meats. “I can’t sing Remington Meats’ song enough. They
Pictured are the volunteers for the The Twin Lakes School Pantry (in no particular order) are Patty Godlove, Mike Godlove, Phyllis Hindsley, Vicki Rardon, Deana Rothrock, Dan Oldenkamp, and Bill Hindsley. (PHOTO BY CHRISTEL MCINTOSH) have a program called ‘Hunger Hoosiers’ and they pay all of the processing fees. Which is nice because I used to have to go around and find people to help me pay for the processing, “explained Godlove. If you would like to make a monetary contribution to the Twin Lakes School Pantry, you may do so via Food Finders at 1204 Greenbush Street. Lafayette, IN 47904. Please be sure to mark your donation specifically for ‘Twin Lakes School Pantry’. Other ways you can help are by holding a food drive, as those are accepted as well. Used children’s clothing donations are also being accepted, as well as children’s books. The Twin Lakes School Pantry will begin new hours, starting in January, 2018. They will be open the first Wednesday of each month, from 2:00-6:00 pm. They will also be open Thursday-Saturday, from 2:00-6:00
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Community Giving
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Happy Tails: A no kill shelter funded by donations
BY CHRISTEL MCINTOSH KVP correspondent
Pictured are some of the White County Special Olympics and volunteers, dancing, during an annual banquet that they hold every spring. (PHOTO BY
White County Special Olympics: More than just competition
CHRISTEL MCINTOSH)
BY CHRISTEL MCINTOSH KVP correspondent The Special Olympics began in July of 1968, when Eunice Kennedy-Shriver organized the first International Summer Games at Soldier Field, in Chicago. The idea for this event came from a camp that Shriver instituted in the early 1960’s at her home. It was dedicated to individuals with disabilities. In December 1968, the Special Olympics was established as a non-profit, charitable organization, under the laws of the District of Columbia. In 1995, the White County Special Olympics was developed and began with just five athletes for one sport. That sport was track and field. Today, the WCSO has over 70 Special Olympics athletes who compete in 14 sports, year round with the help of 75 volunteers as they continue to grow, as explained by WCSO coordinator, Leeann Reinholt. “Our athletes compete on a local level, area level, and at the state level. With Special Olympics Indiana holding five different state level competitions. Every two years, Special Olympics Indiana sends ‘Team Indiana’ to compete in the Special Olympics World Games (winter and summer sports), “ began Reinholt. In addition, every four years, Team Indiana competes in the Special Olympics USA Games. All of the athletes who compete with the WCSO try to win a spot on Team Indiana. “We are an accredited local program relating to Special Olympics Indiana. As a non-profit organization funded through private
donations and fundraising projects throughout the year. We rely on the community to help with our yearly budget,” Reinholt explained. Neither the Special Olympics athletes nor their family members are charged to participate in any of the sports or competitions. WCSO must pay for these fees, year round. “Our Summer Games, which are held at Indiana State University every June, and we travel to Terre Haute for three days of fierce statewide competition, “ Reinholt stated. During the 2015 Summer Games, ISU had completely remodeled and added onto their track and field facility. Our bocce teams were moved inside a building and our athletes had to play on artificial turf instead of the natural grass that our athletes were accustomed to practicing on. So for the past two years, we have been trying to raise funds to build a bocce court for our athletes to practice on, here in White County.” The WCSO relies on the support of the community to keep the local program going in White County. And they are still trying to raise money to complete their bocce court project. If you would like to donate to the WCSO to help them to continue their wonderful local program, you may do so by mailing your taxdeductible donation to: WCSO P.O. Box 962 Monticello, IN 47960 If you have any questions, you may contact Leeann Reinholt via email at whitecountyso@yahoo.com or by telephone at (219) 207-0973.
Running a shelter for animals can be quite costly, especially a no kill shelter, such as Happy Tails. Happy Tails Animal Shelter, in Buffalo, opened their doors back in 2005 and have adopted out hundreds, if not thousands, of dogs and cats. “The shelter runs on donations and fundraisers. The money we receive goes toward the care and feeding of our animals. The donations also pay for the utility bills. We also have the general expenses of paying our electric, gas, and phone. Along with medical expenses such as years vaccines and de-wormer when we get in a new animal from Dr. Shields, “ stated Scott Sprunger, president of Happy Tails. “We also have insurance on the property. All of these bills need to be paid each month to keep the shelter up and running. We are always in need of donations.” “Our mission is to help save animals and give them a second chance at life. There are so many strays and unwanted animals that deserve a good, loving, and forever home. This is what we strive to accomplish, “ stated Sprunger. Happy Tails Animal Shelter is a 501c3 non-profit organization that is ran by a board of directors. They also rely on many volunteers to come in and help with the clean up of the facility and care for the animals, none of which receive a salary for their time.
Pictured is Happy Tails Animal Shelter president, Scott Sprunger, with his Alaskan Husky Nanuk. (PHOTO BY CHRISTEL MCINTOSH)
“We are always in need of everyday cleaning supplies such as liquid laundry detergent, bleach, Dawn, Fabuloso, Ammonia, tall kitchen bags with ties, cat litter, treats for dogs and cats, and food for cats/kittens, “ added Sprunger. “We do not own the building, we rent it from the FOP of Monticello. Our monthly bills are utilities, LP tank, and
insurance on the building. We pay for all spay and neuters of cats and dogs, and any medication like de-wormer comes out of donation and adoption money.” If you would like to make a donation to Happy Tails Animal Shelter, you can mail a tax-deductible donation to: P.O. Box 374, Buffalo, IN 47925.
Community Giving
CDC Resources: A valuable asset to the community
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CDC Resources, Inc. serves the five counties of Carroll, Jasper, Newton, Benton, and White. The CDC provides progressive services and supports necessary to individuals with disabilities and their families. We serve 170 individuals daily and over 500 annually. Our funding sources are public support, government programs, service fees and business ventures. CDC clients enthusiastically participate in Special Olympics, the Kiwanis Aktion Club and the Mayor’s ADA Advisory Council. Recent changes in laws, policies and attitudes have opened opportunities for people with disabilities to pursue education, recreation and employment in the mainstream of community life. CDC Resources, Inc. benefits greatly from the community support of the Knights of Columbus annual Tootsie Roll Drives, the United Way, ARC of Carroll County, INDOT, community foundations in our five counties and our local businesses. Without this financial support, CDC would
not be as effective as it is. Our local churches and service organizations, such as the Kiwanis Club, Lions Club and Rotary Club, also provide tremendous support to CDC. We value the generosity of the community during our fundraisers. CDC also offers two thrift stores in Jasper and White counties. We use the funds from the contributions and store purchases to support people with disabilities. These monies make it possible for CDC to improve service quality and fund transportation for local residents with disabilities in and around our five county areas. CDC Resources, Inc., which was started by local families in the early 1950s, offers nationally accredited employment support, vocational training, life skills development and housing options in local communities. Here are a few things that CDC does that benefit our community: • CDC provides affordable and accessible housing for low income people and people with
special needs. • CDC provides accessible transportation to people with special needs so that they can access their community. This includes going to doctor’s appointments, grocery shopping, going to church and going to and from work. • CDC provides day services for people with disabilities. This allows their families to go to work and provide for their families. Without CDC programs, one family member would have to stay at home to take care of a loved one with disabilities. In a way, CDC makes it possible for both parents to go to work. By doing this, CDC makes it possible to have more people in the labor market. • C D C ’s H e a r t l a n d Employment Services train people with disabilities so they can be gainfully employed in our community. We define ourselves by what we do for a living (Manager, Pastor, Director, Teacher, Doctor etc.). By training and finding employment for people with disabilities, CDC gives them an
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CDC Resources celebrated Halloween and its consumers with October birthdays with treats, games and contests. “It is so mice to see all of the staff and consumers get together for something like this,” said Amber Hanlon, CDC Community Coordinator. “All of the pumpkins we used were donated to us by Kroger, Rural King, the Kiwanis Club and the pumpkin patch in Monon.” Shown playing one of the games Tuesday is Emily Downham. (PHOTO BY GREGORY MYERS) identity and a sense of self-worth. • CDC creates employment. We employ about 200 people.
• CDC partners with local businesses and non-profits. • CDC enables people with
disabilities to live in their communities instead of being sent away to another community.
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United Way works to draw together White County non-profits
To many people, the “Community Chest” card pile in Monopoly is a stroke of luck that helps an over-mortgaged player make it to “Go” one more time. However, the Community Chest has historical roots tied to a long-standing tradition -- one that the White County United Way has continued in White County for 50 years. The White County United Way is the area’s Community Chest, a place where neighbors can share their donations with the local charities that need them most. Before United Way, the concept of united giving made communities stronger and helped neighbors help one another. This concept of pooling our efforts to help one another is what makes White County United Way such a strong and unique organization. We still distribute the community’s charitable giving today, and just like we did 50 years ago, we honor every donor’s wishes and designate funds to specifically-named organizations when we are asked to do so. As the world of technology has changed, so has your White County United Way. Now, we position ourselves to serve the servers: to help our local agencies right here in our zip code pull together, pool their talent, and strengthen their positive impact on our neighbors. We will continue to make designations and support our local service agencies. In 2018, we will primarily support CDC Resources, Family Health Clinics of Monon and Wolcott, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Boys and Girls Club, White County Council on Aging, White County Literacy Volunteers and Food Finders. Our contributions to organizations provide a baseline operating fund because, from time to time programming lags or needs increase in ways we can’t predict, and the White County United Way is able to respond to changing needs in our community. More importantly, United Way serves as a different kind of hub -- a central place for social service agencies to communicate, share resources and find help when they need it. We can share efforts and keep costs for all agencies low by providing the services of the White County United Way to support all. We keep an eye on local trends and respond to needs as they happen. For example, when students at area elementary schools have no gloves or hats for recess, the building secretaries call the our organization. Our Rotary and Kiwanis partners are volunteers who can’t always leave work to deliver the coats they help provide. Because the United Way is dedicated to serving our local agencies, those hats and gloves can be delivered before the last bell of the school day, and those students are warm on the walk home from school. With the White County United Way, the well-meaning, honorable volunteers of our community are better able to meet the needs of our neighbors. The White County United Way’s next steps include
Students in third grade class at Meadowlawn Elementary School in Monticello participate in the week’s kick off of the White County United Way’s Random Acts of Kindness campaign while United Way Director Nikie Jenkinson (far right) prepares to rub glitter-filled goop from her hands to the hands of (l to r) Kevin Gomez, Layne Baker and Jathan Morris while teacher Katlin Spencer (background) takes photos of the exercise. The students then rubbed hands with other students, sharing the sparkles. (PHOTO BY JAMES D. WOLF JR.)
expanding pre-kindergarten services to all county together to earn them will go a long way to help us schools, enhancing the reach of our partnerships reach that goal by New Year’s. At WCUW, we underwith Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and with stand the power of unity and share that unity and power 211-Connect-To-Help, and developing stronger volun- with others. teer networks in White County. The members of our community are so generous and Thanks to the matching grant funds from the Indiana thoughtful, and it’s wonderful to live in an area where Untied Way, funded by the Lilly Endowment, we are neighbors truly care about one another. able to fight for the health, education and financial stability of more of our neighbors in White County. Currently, our goal of $30,190 in matching funds looks possible, with only $9,670 to go! The annual fundraising goal -- what we need to support our partner organizations and keep the lights on in our office -- is $166,000. anquet all ental The grant funds and the community that pulled
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Tri-County students getting credit for helping the hungry
BY JAMES D. WOLF JR. news@thehj.com
Some of the members of the Frontier Rotary Club pose after their Wednesday meeting. Front row, l to r: Carmen Bodner, Clark Gick, Dawn Girard, Bernie Grasser, Katie Snowberger and Jillian Layton. Back row, l to r: Dan Sichting, Melissa Summers, Colin Betts, Dennis Boyd, Baily Tanner, Jill Woods and Heather McCormick. (PHOTO BY JAMES D. WOLF JR.)
New Frontier Rotary Club already active helping others
BY JAMES D. WOLF JR. news@thehj.com
The Frontier Rotary Club officially begins with a dinner on Jan. 10, but the club has already actively helped the Brookston and Chalmers area since spring. “Even before we had an official charter we began working with and giving back to the community,” stated President Marty Cotterman. Club members have currently raised almost $3,000 towards installing large roadside signs welcoming folks to the Frontier School District, he stated by email. They want to install them along Indiana 43 at the north and south at the beginning of 2018. Since the spring, the club has also: = Helped pay the Frontier High School Junior Honor Society dues. = Purchased dictionaries for all Frontier Elementary School third graders. = Helped the Frontier High School volleyball team raise $330 by providing the pizza for its Couch Potato Fundraiser.
= Provided a game ball so the Frontier High School Cross Country team could sell tickets and raise nearly $300 at homecoming. = Gave away nearly 2,000 bottles of water at Brookston’s Apple Popcorn Festival. = Sold fish fry tickets for the Frontier High School junior class at Apple Popcorn Fest. The Frontier Rotary Club also has the high school Family and Consumer Science Club cater their lunches, which the club will use to go to the Taste Of Chicago. And the club donated Christmas presents for children school guidance counselors identified as needing some help for the holidays. “We have put roughly $2,000 back into Frontier clubs and organizations, and a lion’s share of that was before we even were chartered as a group. Add that to the sign projects, and we are nearly at $5,000 dollars generated for local projects,” Cotterman stated. The club also plans to donate meat to the food pantry because meat is difficult to get and provide, said President-
Elect Dan Sichting. Cotterman states that the club is also going to raise funds for some sort of water recreation area, such as a splash pad, for Chalmers and for Brookston. The idea for the club began in April, and potential member began meeting on-and-off then, trying to recruit the 20 members necessary to charter a new club, Sichting said. In August, the club began meeting every two weeks and now meets at noon the second and fourth Wednesdays of every month at the Brookston United Methodist Church community room. They members got their charter as the Frontier Rotary Club # 88876 of Brookston and Chalmers, Ind., on Oct. 16 after submitting the paperwork, stated Cotterman. At the start, the Frontier Rotary got a lot of help from the Rotary Club of Monticello. Monticello club member Doug Pepple said that the district has four new clubs started, which is a rarity in times when many United States clubs are shutting down for lack of members.
The schools provide a free or reduced lunch and breakfast for students who may not get a solid meal at home. But what happens when that student goes home for the weekend or the holidays? In the Tri-County Schools Corporation, there are 33 of those students, about seven of them coming on in the last month. Each of those students, from developmental kindergarten to = sixth graders, gets a backpack full of food, plus simple recipes to cook something the students can make out of the ingredients. “There’s a need in the community that a lot of people don’t see,” Salvadore said. “The program’s mainly aimed at the free and reduced (lunch students), but I don’t turn anybody down.” At the high school, there’s a box of food in the office for those who get hungry, and the life skills class get a tote full of food, where they’re taught to choose foods and read labels, Salvadore said. The program also helps high school students in the functioning warehouse program at Tri-County High School. The class was a pilot program for Indiana where the students run everything as a real distribution center with the kids in charge of computer programs, labeling and product storage systems that any distribution center would have. The students start off researching grants the first week as a way of helping to fund the program, then rebuild the warehouse area so they understand flow, Salvadore said.
Tri-County High School Manufacturing and Logistics students Kevin Ferdinand, Brooke Redstone and Emily Turza fill the orders for backpacks that are given to free and reduced lunch students so they have food over the weekends. The high schoolers’ class include hands-on experience of running the distribution center like a business. During the course, they switch jobs from cleaning the warehouse to making recipes to figuring the logistics of getting the food and choosing it for healthy meals kids can make – three meals and a snack each day. The high schools don’t know the names of the 28 students they help, but they know how many students are in their household, the recipient’s gender (so they get an appropriate backpack) and whether the students have allergies. The system is set up so each student has a tray so food for children allergic to things like peanuts and cinnamon aren’t cross-contaminated. For the holiday season, the program was helped by a donation from the Monticello Fraternal Order of Police. “They paid for Thanksgiving and some of Christmas. It was great, great timing,” Salvadore said.
“For Christmas, we’re giving a canned ham,” Salvadore said. “We’re hoping to find a lot of little things we can add to that.” Food comes from friends Salvadore has in the vending machine business and at the local Frito-Lay distributor, as well as from local grocers. Salvadore said he’s always looking for more options and donors and would like to get an endowment. Right now, the program needs two things: more backpacks and more food. Those interested in helping can contact Salvadore at Tri-County High School at (219) 279-2105 or send monetary donations to the Tri-County Backpack Program, 11298 West County Road 100 South, Wolcott, Ind. 47995. The program is a notfor-profit set up through the school, so donors are eligible for tax credits, Salvadore said.
Community Giving
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Community Foundation of White County: Helping the community since 1998
BY JAMES D. WOLF JR. news@thehj.com Giving is a way of life for many people. It provides a personally fulfilling “pay it forward” opportunity for donors while providing hope and promise to recipients. Since 1998, your Community Foundation of White County has been honored to assist many of your friends and neighbors along their philanthropic journeys, creating permanent legacies that will impact lives forever, Foundation Director Leslie Goss stated. Community foundations exist to help donors connect their passions with charitable causes that improve quality of life. They exist to help strengthen communities. “What most people don’t understand, I think, is that community foundations are open to everyone. When we think of charitable foundations, we tend to think of rich people – the Gates Foundation or the Rockefeller Foundation, for example. Community foundations are about local communities and local, everyday people who care about them,” stated Goss. “Community foundations provide a vehicle for everyone, of whatever means, to make a positive difference. Whether people create endowments themselves or donate to an existing fund, every gift helps strengthen our community,” she stated. Community foundations accept charitable contributions from donors, invest them in permanent funds and funnel earnings from the invested funds into the community in the form of grants. Whether $25 or $25,000,
every donation becomes part of a greater whole, touching the community in ways that often we can’t do by ourselves, Goss stated. Since its inception, the Community Foundation of White County has distributed nearly $4 million in grants to benefit our community. People have seen the benefits if they’ve visited the 4-H offices in Reynolds, the Burnettsville Beehive or Depot, the kitchen at the Wolcott House or the White County Ivy Tech campus, Goss stated. The Foundation has also helped anyone seeking assistance from the Food Pantry, Council on Aging, CDC Resources or the YWCA Domestic Violence Program, as well as those who’ve participated in Junior Achievement classes in our public schools, received a scholarship or sat in the amphitheater at the Altherr Nature Park in Monticello? “In these and so many other places – you’ve seen grant dollars from your Community Foundation of White County at work. This year, grants from the Community Grants cycles plus the Women Giving Together Fund total over $59,000. In total, over $170,000 will be distributed from donor funds administered by your Community Foundation,” stated Goss. Most of the community foundation funds are permanent endowments. An endowment is like a permanent savings account, invested for growth, with only a portion of the earnings used towards the foundation’s annual grants, according to Goss. Because the principal essentially is never touched,
these funds will still be here 25 and 50 years from now, generating annual grants to benefit the donor’s original charitable intent. St. Joseph’s and Meadow Lake Church’s cemetery funds will be there to help with care and maintenance; the Chuck Kubly “Getting Started” Band Instrument Fund will be there to help provide instruments for students who have the desire but not the money to afford an instrument; Frontier, North White, and Tri-County endowments will help support their students and teachers with scholarships and curriculum seed grants, Goss stated. Yo u r C o m m u n i t y Foundation of White County is honored to work with people for whom giving is a way of life. Goss added that the foundation is happy to help you answer its challenge: “What’s your Legacy?”
RIGHT: This fall, the Community Foundation of White County awarded $1,500 to the Science Buddies initiative at Twin Lakes High School to bring a Trebuchet (catapult) machine to the Earth Science classes. Math students also became involved in last week’s launch of various objects across the practice football fields at TL. Principles of math, physics, energy and motion were all at work and recorded by each student during the exercise. The weather was cold and wet, but it didn’t dampen the enthusiasm or the educational principles at work. (PHOTO PROVIDED)
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Literacy Volunteer Tutors provide free services to needy
BY W.C. MADDEN KVP Correspondent For more than a quarter of a century, Literacy Volunteer Tutors of White County has been providing free services to people in the area who need to improve their literacy and life. The need for the organization was first identified in 1990 when a Hispanic family in White County wanted help in improving their English. One thing led to another and before you knew it White County had a new organization thanks to the Monticello Christian Church, who became its initial sponsor. Fast forward to today and two of the original board members, Colleen Shook and Judy Hickman, are still active on the board of Literacy Volunteers. The organization began as part of the Literacy Volunteers of America, but that organization faded away, so they are now part of ProLiteracy America. The organization also
became part of the United Way of White County, which now provides the bulk of its funding. The rest of its budget comes from fundraisers. It began with a spelling bee and then they hosted a Scrabble Fun(d) Fest for many years. Two years ago it began Monticello’s Amazing Race. The organization is there for adults by improving their reading, writing, math and communication skills, enabling them to obtain jobs, be productive and better support and care for their families. They accomplish this by using dedicated and welltrained volunteers to work with the adult student on a one-onone basis. They use a variety of teaching methods and all materials are supplied to students free of charge. The organization has added more programs since its humble beginnings in 1990. It is now teaching English as a second language; preparing students to take the citizenship exam;
teaching basic reading, writing and math skills as well as basic life skills, such as obtaining a driver’s license or managing a checkbook; educating students on skills required to obtain their high school equivalency diploma; teaching basic computer skills to seniors; assisting students with skills needed to pass the entrance exam of a college; and teaching financial literacy. The organization also provides several tutors to the White County Community Corrections to assist inmates working on skills that will allow them to take their high school equivalency exam and earn a diploma. Tutors normally use the MonticelloUnion Township Library to work with students. The organization sometimes provides grants to people who want to become citizens. They will pay for their application once they become citizens. The organization used to only
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Colleen Shook tutors students at the White County Corrections from time to time. (W.C. Madden photo) teach students age 16 or older such as a home-school student. at 1001 South Main Street and is who were no longer in school; The organization began with open from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. however, they will now provide 33 volunteers. It now has 17 Monday through Thursday. You assistance to any student regard- volunteers and one paid office can contact them by calling less of age who is not in school, administrator. Its office is located (574) 583-0789.
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