Our Story
Vibrant Communities launched in 2016 to inspire residents to advocate for quality of place as a critical component of improving Elkhart County. We are not an organization. We are a movement of volunteers who believe our communities are strongest when they work to meet the needs of their residents, creating comfortable and safe communities, and build relationships with the community.
Elkhart County prides itself as a community of makers. It’s a vital part of our past, present and future. Whether it’s RV’s, musical instruments, boats, motorcycles, hand-made furniture, craft beer or soaps… being creative, collaborative and entrepreneurial is in our DNA.
As a resident, employee, business owner, or other stakeholder in Elkhart County, when you get involved with Vibrant Communities, you are directly contributing to the vision for your community. Your ideas will serve as the foundation for that vision, contribute to goals, and set the course for policies and actions to implement in your town.
The momentum created by investments in quality of place is unmistakable. Elkhart County residents, leaders and investors believe this is the best place to live, work, play and invest. Progress is ongoing and would not be possible without your continued support.
The Movement is Guided by 3 Core Beliefs
Economic growth depends on our quality of place
We champion initiatives that engage residents, businesses and community leaders into making Elkhart County the best place to live, work, and play.
Engage
Creativity and collaboration are key to shaping our future
Everyone can contribute by giving our time and energy to what we are passionate about by advocating and by volunteering for community.
Advocate
Successful places understand who they are and what they offer
We are a community of makers known for being innovative, collaborative and authentic in creating and building our contributions to the world.
Celebrate
The Vibrant Communities Timeline
2015
A Movement is Born
The Elkhart County Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Community Foundation of Elkhart County teamed up to address quality of place. More than 30 community leaders from around the county started the conversation.
2016
Kick-Off Event
Vibrant Communities hosts a wildly successful Kick-Off Event with guest speaker Peter Kageyama, author of “For the Love of Cities”. Nearly 600 residents attend which ignites five months of intensive dialogue among community members who create a 77-item Action Agenda of priority projects and programs to improve Elkhart County.
2017
Little BIG Idea Grants
Little Big Idea Grants embrace the notion that even little ideas can have a big impact on how people feel about their hometowns. Applications for micro-grants up to $1,000 allowed people of all ages to submit their fun and quirky ideas. Over a two-year period, 76 projects were awarded a total of $73,000.
2018
365 Vibrant People
The Vibrant Communities movement launches its first year-long social media campaign to recognize the most energetic, cheerful, and generous residents of Elkhart County who go the extra mile, have a smile for everyone they greet, and help with just about everything.
2019
Report to the Community
Vibrant Communities conducts an audit and compiles a community report on the progress of the 2016 Action Agenda and its achievements. By 2019, more than 50 items were completed or started.
2020
The Big Event
The Big Event celebrates our communities, our people, our work to-date, current and future initiatives, and to announce Elkhart County’s new destination brand Identity. “Well Crafted”, a destination brand that exudes community pride and helps connect its rich heritage in manufacturing with a present-day makers.
2021
Neighborhood Grants
Neighborhoods are the lifeblood of Elkhart County’s communities. To foster a spirit of community kinship and neighborliness, applications for neighborhood microgrants are launched and over a two-year period 51 grants were awarded totaling $25,000 and the second resident sentiment survey collects feedback from 600 individuals with consistent positive results.
2022
The Next Chapter
Vibrant Communities recognizes a lot has changed in the last five years and it is time, once again, to set new priorities for our communities. With hundreds of residents involved, the process takes a year to complete and will lay the groundwork for Action Agenda 2.0 – 2023.
2023
Year of the Volunteer
Just about everyone will tell you it’s the people that make Elkhart County so special. Launched in the spring of 2023, the Year of the Volunteer will spend 12 months celebrating our community volunteers, sharing their personal stories to help inspire more people to give and serve.
