Countywide

If you want to love where you live, this is a session for you!

Mike Keen of South Bend, who describes himself as “the accidental developer,” will be the featured speaker from 4 to 6 p.m. February 20 at the next session of Community Champions Roundtable at Tolson Center, 1320 Benham Ave., Elkhart.

The housing shortage in Elkhart County is well recognized. So too have been the challenges facing developers and builders. It can be slow, messy and trying. It’s difficult to cut through red tape. Costs often exceed the appraised value of new homes. Financing can pose major obstacles.

How do we develop Vibrant Neighborhoods? How can Elkhart County’s position as a community of makers be deployed to strengthening our neighborhoods?

The answer is by taking the initiative to get to know those who live nearby, by making things look nicer and doing things together that are fun. In this way, our communities unite behind our instincts to be well crafted, creative and collaborative.

Mike Keen (right) is interviewed on a South Bend area podcast about incremental neighborhood development.

It can also include having a capacity for local residents to invest in their own neighborhoods and encouraging local institutions to support small-scale development.

Keen will share his experiences and lessons learned. Keen partnered with Nappanee’s Dwayne Burkholder of New Energy Homes to use his innovative construction techniques to build net-zero energy homes.  What was a simple idea and limited scope has snowballed into the redevelopment of a whole neighborhood. Along the way the way, there have been false starts, road blocks, trips, stumbles and set-backs. They have also learned a ton about how to make stuff happen and get things done.

One example: The Shetterly Triangle area in South Bend’s Near Northwest Neighborhood needed some serious attention. Today it is becoming a model of what can be done to craft a Vibrant Neighborhood.

We will also talk about the Vibrant Communities’ program for neighborhoods in Elkhart County.  You will learn what it takes to get the designation and how to get involved.

Whether it’s in a home business, a farm-based workshop or a large production facility, cool things are being made in Elkhart County daily. A new countywide contest will highlight 50 of those products and the community will be invited to vote for the Coolest Thing Made in Elkhart County.

“Elkhart County is a destination where quality craftsmanship, innovation and collaboration are always on display,” said Diana Lawson, chief executive officer of the Elkhart County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “This contest will tell the stories of the people and companies who have turned Elkhart County into a well-crafted community.”

The contest is inspired by the Vibrant Communities initiative. The Elkhart County Convention & Visitors Bureau is managing the contest. Other sponsors include the Elkhart County Commissioners, the Economic Development Corp. of Elkhart County and the Community Foundation of Elkhart County in collaboration with the Greater Elkhart Chamber of Commerce.

Products from any sector can be nominated for the Coolest Thing Made in Elkhart County contest at madeinelkhartcounty.com and companies may nominate their own products.

All nominations will be reviewed to ensure the product is made in Elkhart County. Submissions will be accepted until March 31 or until 50 products have been accepted into the contest.

As nominations are accepted, they will be featured on the contest website with an article and short video leading up to a two-week voting period in April. The winner will be revealed at a celebration event in May.

The idea for the contest was born when Commissioner Mike Yoder learned of a similar contest seeking the coolest product manufactured in the state of Wisconsin.

Yoder realized that there is enough “cool” in Elkhart County alone. With the support of his fellow commissioners — and in true Elkhart County nature — a collaboration was created with the Elkhart County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

“Communities can develop bad habits, and one is to constantly look at the grass that appears to be greener elsewhere,” Yoder said. “This contest will focus our attention to the green grass under our feet: The amazing, innovative and creative people and businesses right here in Elkhart County.”

Chris Stager, president of the Economic Development Corp. of Elkhart County, said he was excited to support the contest because it fits right into the mission of the EDC.

“This project will pay homage to our local workforce and showcases Elkhart County’s leading manufacturing capabilities and companies,” he said. “It highlights the scope and reach of the array of products produced everyday here in Elkhart County that are used locally and throughout the world.”

Candy Yoder, chief program officer for the Community Foundation of Elkhart County, added, “Elkhart County and its people excel at making things. As we seek to help make this community an even more vibrant and thriving place to live and work, we’re excited to join this effort to showcase what makes Elkhart County great.”

The Vibrant Communities movement along with hundreds of Elkhart County residents united Wednesday night, January 22, at the Lerner Theatre to show how much they love where they live and celebrate everything that makes Elkhart County a great place to live, work, learn and play.

The event celebrated several years of resident involvement in promoting quality-of-place projects and initiatives in the six communities of Elkhart County.

“Starting four years ago, residents from every city and every town in Elkhart County, helped us put an action agenda together,” stated Vibrant Communities co-chair Suzie Weirick.

“That agenda consisted of 77 things to do – an ambitious plan to make a profound difference in our connected communities. And, I’m proud to say most of the  action items are either in progress, or have already been completed.”

The Big Event also introduced Elkhart County’s new Destination Brand Identity: Well Crafted.

WATCH: Well Crafted destination brand launch video

Vibrant Communities co-chair Arvis Dawson shared that the new Destination Brand Identity culminates years of work.

“The process to get where we are today was a disciplined one. It involved research, and consultation with citizens throughout Elkhart County,” stated Dawson.

“We compared ourselves to other regions around the country and worked hard to figure out two things: What makes Elkhart County different. And what makes us different in a way that matters to outsiders – people who will want to come here and experience the things we have to offer – particularly because they can’t get that experience anywhere else.”

Co-Chairs Arvis Dawson and Suzie Weirick also thanked the hundreds of individuals who’ve been named Vibrant People in Elkhart County, along with more than 60 winners of the Little Big Idea Grants who have made a distinct difference across the county.

New initiatives such as Vibrant Champions, Vibrant Neighborhoods as well as The Coolest Thing Made in Elkhart County were also unveiled.

Peter Kageyama, an internationally sought-after community development consultant and grassroots engagement strategist who delivered a stunning and inspirational presentation to help launch the Vibrant Communities movement in January 2016, returned as the keynote speaker at The Big Event.

Kageyama’s message focused on how emotions such as love for a place have a tremendous influence on how residents and visitors experience a city.

“Four years ago, we had a conversation that lit a bunch of fires. This year we’re going to celebrate those fires and figure out those next steps and where we’re going to take this,” he said.

A large exhibition of unique products and services made by the companies and people of Elkhart County were also on display across from the theater in the adjacent Crystal Ballroom.

Four years after he helped spark the Vibrant Communities movement, inspiring Elkhart County residents to invest not only their time and energy but also their emotional attachment, Peter Kageyama is returning to speak at The Big Event on Wednesday, January 22, at the Lerner Theatre.

Kageyama’s message about the importance of quality of place was a hit with the beyond-capacity crowd of more than 600 who filled the Crystal Ballroom and an adjacent room.

The conversations that ensued about what residents loved about their city and what they wanted to be further developed or improved led to the formation of a 77-item Action Agenda. The proposals included steps to beautify downtowns and neighborhoods and make public spaces more vibrant and inclusive.

“Four years ago, we had a conversation that lit a bunch of fires. This year we’re going to celebrate those fires and figure out those next steps and where we’re going to take this,” Kageyama said.

In his first two books, Kageyama highlights the importance of the arts, parks and green spaces, aesthetics and community events. He wrote of the importance of “co-creators,” community leaders who led from grassroots to create lasting positive change, and a city’s “love notes,” gestures that build emotional attachment. He says emotions such as love for a place hold a tremendous influence on how residents experience their city.

“What I didn’t fully apprehend (then) is how important those things are to a community,” he said. “I have a deeper understanding of how it all fits together.

Kageyama’s latest book, “The Emotional Infrastructure of Places,” was published last fall. His insights will inform his talk on January 22.

As cities seek to rebuild streets, bridges and other public infrastructure, they need to consider seriously the emotional impact of those changes and not merely as projects to be engineered.

“Let’s think about this stuff in a more holistic way. (Projects such as new streets or bridges) will have a generational impact … we have to live with it for a long time, and when (a project) lives a long time, its qualities manifest itself (over a long period of time).

Elkhart County, it’s time for all of us to come together.

The Big Event at 4 p.m. Wednesday, January 22, at the Lerner Theatre is not only a chance to celebrate everything that makes Elkhart County vibrant and a great place to live, work, invest and play, you will also be the first to get a look at the county’s new destination brand.

While the formal presentation begins at 5 p.m., an exhibit hall will open at 4 p.m. in the Crystal Ballroom so that everyone can check out how cool Elkhart County is and the amazing things made here at an exhibit hall in the Crystal Ballroom. The exhibits will also be open for about an hour after the conclusion of the event.

Represent your community — everyone from Elkhart to Nappanee, Wakarusa to Bristol, and Goshen to Middlebury is welcome to hear all about Elkhart County’s brand identity as the platform to unite our diverse communities. The destination brand is the culmination of months of work that utilized community feedback from every corner, and offered in every fashion from workshops to surveys to social media conversations. The research helped identify Elkhart County’s place DNA — what the community feels at its core — and that contributed to the creation of the destination brand.

Festivities at The Big Event will also include exciting news about Vibrant Communities initiatives for 2020 that will build on the success of the Little Big Idea Grant and Vibrant People of Elkhart County programs. We’ll take some time to applaud the amazing people who launch Little Big Idea projects as well as those who were recognized as Vibrant People.

The keynote speaker is Peter Kageyama, who delivered an electrifying address four years ago when Vibrant Communities kicked off. The author and community development consultant is returning to catch up on Elkhart County’s accomplishments over the last four years and help consult on next steps to continue our growth and success.

By Arvis Dawson and Suzie Weirick, co-chairs

It’s the people who make Elkhart County so special.

More than four years after the Vibrant Communities movement started, the reason it resonates to this day is because of how much we love Elkhart County.

We’ve learned what it means to love where you live. We speak out and cheer on the projects and programs that create an emotional attachment to this place.

• Mark your calendar for The Big Event on January 22. Find out more.

From Nappanee to Goshen to Elkhart to Middlebury to Bristol to Wakarusa, neighbors and business embrace the arts as a major part of our lives. We have amazing works of public art, we go to concerts, and buy tickets to plays and musicals.

We love our downtowns and investors have noticed. New businesses are starting up everywhere — restaurants, craft breweries, shops, galleries, artisans, apartments — that add to the richness of life here.

Our parks and trails have never looked better and have never been busier. And there’s a hunger for more as more of us want to get out in nature.

We’re far from done though. The first four years were just a start.

Everywhere around us we see our neighbors putting their energy into things they care about — beautifying their neighborhood, volunteering at the school on the corner, starting neighborhood festivals, collecting food and other necessities for the needy, getting engaged in local government and fighting for policies that they care about.

We celebrated many of those people with Vibrant People of Elkhart County. But we don’t want to just celebrate; we want everyone to get out and get engaged. 

That’s why we’re starting Vibrant Champions, where you get to pledge how you’re going to better life in Elkhart County.

With Vibrant Neighborhoods, we’re going to figure out how to make our blocks and communities stronger through placemaking and policies.

We’re also reaching out to our teens, the next generation, to get them more excited about Elkhart County. And we’re bringing artists together to collaborate in ways that will just take your breath away.

2020 is going to be an incredible year. We know you’ll want to be involved.

No question Elkhart County is a more awesome place every day, but how do you celebrate that?

Not just any big event will do. We’ve got The Big Event in the works.

Mark down the evening of January 22, 2020, on your calendar for an amazing night at The Lerner Theatre in downtown Elkhart.

We’re going to celebrate all the people who make Elkhart County a special place, but especially the 60-plus Little Big Idea Grant winners and the Vibrant People of Elkhart County.

You’ll hear about the big plans we have for 2020 and how you can get more engaged in our neighborhoods, civic organizations, and charities.

Best of all, you’ll find out all about Elkhart County’s new destination brand. It’s really going to turbo-charge all the wonderful work we’ve done and elevate us to even higher levels.

Last but not least, we’ll be seeing a familiar face — Peter Kageyama — the speaker who helped us kick off this exciting journey at another big event in January 2016.

His talk energized us all and confirmed that we are on the right path. Kageyama’s coming back to celebrate with us and help us see the next steps as we build an ever more vibrant Elkhart County.

We’ll be sharing more details about this event as we get closer. Stay tuned.

Do you think you’re Elkhart County’s biggest fan?

Do you favor locally owned restaurants and breweries, taking photos of your dinner and posting them on social media? 

When you shop for Christmas gifts, do you buy from local artisans so that your loved ones always have a little heavenly slice of Elkhart County with them?

Does volunteering for a local charity, or reading to kids in the classroom, or donating your time and treasure to help your neighbors make you feel all warm inside?

Being involved in Elkhart County activities makes you a Vibrant Champion

Then you might already be a Vibrant Champion!

But we think you know many other Vibrant Champions.

2020 will be a year in which we want all Vibrant Champions to shout it from the rooftops, to keep on doing what you do, and bringing your friends, neighbors and co-workers along. 

It’s a program in which you pledge to be an engaged resident of Elkhart County and keep on making our hometown a great place to live, work, play and invest.

To help get this program started, we ask you to take a quick survey:

• Survey in English
• Survey in Spanish

Need more details? See below.