Whew — this has been some year, hasn’t it?
For the Vibrant Communities, 2017 has been marked by some incredible achievements. We hate to brag … OK, not really … but here’s what happened in the last year.
Little BIG Idea Grant
We wanted to spark creativity and get people with great ideas to put them into action and, boy, did we ever. Grants were awarded monthly and, by the end of the year, 11 projects that bring the community together around fun ideas have been awarded. Some of the projects and events have been completed, but some are planned for 2018. Here’s a quick look at four of the projects:
Five more projects are in the works. Here is an update on all of them:
- Waky Gardens: NorthWood Middle School teacher Tom Bennett and numerous students and volunteers prepped for the raised bed gardens at the school this fall. In the process, the students learned a lot about construction of the raised beds, plant biology and landscaping. In the spring, they’ll begin planting. Here’s a photo gallery of what’s been accomplished so far.
- Elkhart Central High School 3-D Art: Students of teacher Beth Sokolowski plan on capturing the stories of Elkhart’s residents in the form of sculpture.
- Goshen Youth Arts: Leah Schroeder is the midst of planning her project to engage students to paint portraits of each other, thus sharing their stories in an expression of color on canvas.
- Heroes of Hope: Four Concord High School students and their teacher, Laury Allen, wanted to spread positive messages throughout the student body, particularly to those who could use the boost. They’re working on how to make that happen.
- Treasure Hunt: Rocki Stillson’s plan to have a countywide treasure hunt that inspires people to learn about our history (while having a lot of fun!) is in the works for spring or summer 2018.
- Lunar Lunch: Susie Meeks-Wade plans on bringing the town of Bristol together for a Lunar Lunch community meal in the evening, after everyone is home from work, and asked to share what they love most about the town.
- Little Library Boxes: Betsy Poling wants to make reading even busier by building and installing four more library boxes, or free lending libraries, placed in neighborhoods around Goshen.
The Ridge Run Trail in Middlebury opened in July 2017.
Vibrant Communities
The city of Goshen was named the Indiana Chamber of Commerce’s Community of the Year, ground was broken on a $55 million world-class aquatics center in downtown Elkhart, and housing developments were started in downtown Elkhart and Goshen.
That alone would be huge news, but that wasn’t all that happened. Check it out:
- Two major Vibrant Communities public presentations brought the more than 250 each to the Crystal Ballroom to hear presentations from experts. Pete McGinty, who was among the forces behind the Experience ColumbUS, Ohio, program, spoke in July, and the “City Doctor,” Katherine Loflin spoke in October on the importance of creating great places and having residents connect with their community. Here’s video of Katherine Loflin’s presentation.
- Middlebury cut the ribbon on the Ridge Run Trail for bicyclists, walkers and runners. Elkhart opened a new dog park, and Elkhart County is planning a new canoe/kayak launch on the St. Joseph River near Six Span Bridge. Meanwhile, the Friends of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail announced progress to close the gap on the trail, while Elkhart County officials worked to finalize plans for the new Quaker Trace Trail from Elkhart to Bristol.
- Goshen’s new Mayor’s Arts Council, under the stewardship of Amy Worsham, was active coordinating and supporting events and bringing artists’ communities together.
- Community events continue to be big hit, drawing thousands of local residents to enjoy each other’s company and the unique cultural assets of this area. Well-established events such as the Elkhart County 4-H Fair, Elkhart Jazz Festival, Nappanee Apple Festival and Goshen First Fridays continued to thrive, and they’ve been joined by newer events such as the River Bend Film Festival, Elkhart Comic-Con and Elkhart RiverWalk Grand Prix.
