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Mar 01 2018
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We’re winners! Action Agenda process gets award from Indiana planning organization

By Countywide, Elkhart, Featured News, Goshen, Middlebury & Bristol, Nappanee & Wakarusa No Comments

The Vibrant Communities initiative’s efforts to transform Elkhart County is winning statewide recognition.

On Thursday, March 1, 2018, some of the key organizers of Vibrant Communities will accept an award at the Hoosier Planning Awards. The award for Outstanding Communication & Outreach is being presented by the Indiana chapter of the American Planning Association.

“Winning this award is a testament to the spirit and love of community in all Elkhart County residents,” said Suzie Weirick, a co-chair of Vibrant Communities’ steering committee along with Arvis Dawson. “People who care about quality of place have united around the idea that by working together, we can achieve great things for our communities.”

According to the Hoosier Planning Award guidelines, the award being presented to Vibrant Communities “honors an individual, project, or program that uses information and education about the value of planning to create greater awareness among citizens or specific segments of the public. The award celebrates how planning improves a community’s quality of life.”

Vibrant Communities launched in January 2016. In a series of public meetings drawing residents from all walks of life from every part of Elkhart County, more than 1,000 residents offered suggestions for what were top priority projects and ideas that support livability, aesthetics, and arts and culture.

The feedback was summarized in a 77-item Action Agenda that is in the process of being implemented. The steering committee consisting of leaders from the private, public and non-profit sectors continues to be active and has attracted even more residents into the process. To find out more, including how you can be involved, go to www.vibrantelkhartcounty.org.

The ideas championed by Vibrant Communities have inspired residents to develop arts and cultural programs such as arts councils in multiple communities, the Elkhart County Food Council and new community festivals and events. It has also helped build public support for additional bicycling/walking trails and major projects such as the aquatics center in Elkhart, parks development in Nappanee, and a multi-use pavilion in Goshen.

Among the biggest initial successes of Vibrant Communities has been the launch of the Little BIG Ideas Grant. The program supports fun, quirky and creative ideas that come from residents. So far, 21 people or groups have received grants, starting everything from the Middlebury Pumpkin Race to the Heroes of Hope positive messages campaign at Concord High School to Canvas & Kool-Aid in Elkhart.

Vibrant Communities is sponsored by the Community Foundation of Elkhart County and Elkhart County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Feb 26 2018
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Young artists unleash their talent in stunning exhibition

By Elkhart, Featured News, Goshen, Little Big Idea Grant No Comments

Leah Schroeder, the director of Goshen Youth Arts, says adult artists were jealous when they learned about her latest project.

“Faces: Portraits from our Community” linked 10 artists from three local school systems (Goshen, Bethany Christian and Elkhart) to exchange pictures of themselves with each other and then produce portraits in whatever medium they desired. The resulting exhibit is stunning. It opened for public viewing at Goshen’s First Fridays festival on Feb. 2, 2018, at Goshen Youth Arts, 324 S. Fifth St., Goshen. It will then move on to be on exhibition at the Goshen Public Library.

One artist produce anime-style portraits. Another used coffee as their medium. Others delved in a different medium for each portrait.

Here’s the amazing story of these 10 fantastically talented artists:

Feb 20 2018
Love0

‘You look great!’ Concord students spread good cheer with grant

By Countywide, Elkhart, Little Big Idea Grant No Comments

Getting through the school day is a lot easier with some encouraging words.

So Concord High School students knew just the thing to do to give their classmates a lift. Riley Kronk, Sydni Moore, Cameron Kincaid and Caitlyn Payne and their teacher, Laury Allen, won a Little BIG Idea Grant and used it to decorate the entire school with affirming messages such as “Be the best version of you!” and “You are fabulous.” It was topped off by huge displays on bulletin boards in the student center that included an angel spreading love like confetti and a wall of positive words such as “enjoy,” “hope,” and “soar.”

Here’s a look at the awesome job they did:

Thank you for bringing your Little BIG Idea to life!

 

Feb 15 2018
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Love Where You Live: Betsy Ayrea Delfine builds community through Soup of Success, and relationships

By Countywide, Elkhart, Featured News 5 Comments

Betsy Ayrea Delfine just feels at home in Elkhart.

Sure, she’s a Jimtown High School grad and she works in Elkhart as the director of the Soup of Success program.

But what Betsy really means is the friendships and opportunities here that are unique to the Elkhart County area.

“I love that it is so easy to know and be in relationship with so many good people,” Betsy says.

Many of those people have been touched by Betsy’s grace and kindness through her work with Soup of Success. The program at Church Community Services empowers women by helping them develop job and life skills and confidence so they can move forward and rebuild their lives.

Betsy Ayrea Delfine’s work with Soup of Success has touched many lives. (Photo by Grant Beachy)

“One of the things that I appreciate about Soup of Success is how it brings people together. Not only are we strengthening women in our community, but we are also offering a way for residents to plug in and give back,” Betsy says.

Betsy feels moved by the work and the outpouring of support from the community for it.

“The more that we can come together and talk with each other, embrace our similarities, and celebrate our differences, the stronger we will all be,” Betsy says. “I am humbled and honored that so many people feel led to support this mission both with their time and talents.”

It’s not all work for Betsy either. She loves the Elkhart Jazz Festival in particular, and she attends church, eats out and gets her hair done, among other things, all in downtown Elkhart.

“Not a day goes by where I don’t see a significant amount of people running, shopping, walking around, eating and enjoying downtown,” Betsy says.

We love how much Betsy has done for the Elkhart area and how much she loves where she lives by supporting local artists, restaurants and other businesses.

More #LoveWhereYouLive:

Feb 01 2018
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Celebrate! February is Little BIG Idea Month in Elkhart County

By Countywide, Elkhart, Featured News, Goshen, Little Big Idea Grant, Middlebury & Bristol, Nappanee & Wakarusa No Comments

From painted rocks and positive messages to racing pumpkins and Christmas cheer, the first few months of the Little BIG Idea Grant have helped to deliver amazing cool ideas throughout Elkhart County.

To celebrate, the Elkhart County Commissioners have declared February to be Little BIG Idea Month.

Throughout the month, we’ll be combing the county for even more great ideas. We’ll be talking to school clubs, young professionals, retirement communities and everywhere in between. Perhaps you’ve seen the billboards at high-traffic areas, or the fliers sent home with all students in Elkhart County schools, or the YouTube videos of the projects that have already become reality.

The Canvas & Kool-Aid event joined together painting with Kool-Aid for a fun afternoon in Elkhart.

But you don’t have to wait for someone to ask before you submit an idea. Have you dreamed of staging a community water gun fight? Thought it would be cool if someone covered the downtown sidewalks with chalk murals? Imagined that robots racing down Main Street would make everyone smile?

Submit your application at www.LittleBigIdeaGrant.com and you could get up to $1,000 to make your dream become a reality.

So far, Little BIG Idea Grants have been awarded to a pair of moms who dreamed of a dynamic holiday marketplace, a musician who brought together artists of all genres to a Latino cultural festival, teachers who brought student inspirations to life through art, books and gardens, and a DJ who joined art with Kool-Aid into an unforgettable afternoon.

Dancers perform at Encuentro in the Alley on Oct. 18, 2017, in Goshen.

For Little BIG Idea Month, we salute these completed and upcoming projects, the creative forces behind them, and the many more to come:

  • Goshen Rocks, Josh Cooper (video)
  • Middlebury Pumpkin Races, Kim Clarke (video)
  • Waky Gardens, Tom Bennett
  • Faces of Goshen, Leah Schroeder
  • Christmas at the Powerhouse, Macey Judd and Sarah Beiler (video)
  • Encuentro in the Alley, Nayo Ulloa (video)
  • The Elkhart County Seek, Rocki Stillson
  • Stages of Change, Beth Sokolowski
  • Lunar Lunch, Susie Meeks-Wade
  • Little Library Boxes, Betsy Poling
  • Heroes of Hope, Laury Allen, Riley Kronk, Sydni Moore, Caitlyn Payne, Cameron Kincaid, Macayla Pernokis (news coverage on WSBT)
  • Pots of Grace, Benita Joldersma
  • Canvas & Kool-Aid, Robert Taylor
  • Faces of Middlebury, Kim Clarke
  • Scavenger Book Hunt, Kelsey Ambrosen

The Little BIG Idea Grant program was launched in summer 2017 as an initiative of Vibrant Communities, which champions quality-of-place programs such as arts and culture, parks and green spaces, and community engagement. The first recipients were announced in August, and each month more recipients are awarded following an application review process.

The Elkhart Central High School 3D Art class accepts a Little BIG Idea Grant check on Oct. 17, 2017.

The grants are intended to inspire creativity and community pride through projects and initiatives that celebrate life in Elkhart County. The more people who can get involved or be affected positively by a project, the better!

Grant applications for up to $1,000 awards are still being accepted at www.LittleBigIdeaGrant.com. It doesn’t matter if you’re 8 years old or 88 years old. The Little BIG Idea Grant and the Vibrant Communities initiatives believe in the power of creative people being inspired to shine their light across the community.

Jan 30 2018
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Steering Committee sets 2018 implementation priorities, engaging ‘hands, heart and eyes’

By Countywide, Elkhart, Featured News, Goshen, Middlebury & Bristol, Nappanee & Wakarusa No Comments

The Vibrant Communities initiative is picking up speed on implementation as 2018 begins.

The steering committee met recently for a strategic planning retreat at Schrock Pavilion in Goshen and emerged with a set of priorities organized around the 77-item Action Agenda that was set forth in 2016.

After reflecting upon what has been achieved in the two years since Vibrant Communities launched, the group — representing leaders from all sectors in Elkhart County, including the mayors of Goshen and Nappanee — divided into three task force groups. The task forces will act as a resource for community members interested in making Elkhart County a more vibrant place to live, work and play

Each group’s assignment was to review a section of the Action Agenda that was divided loosely by these categories: (1) industry, education, safety; (2) social offerings, culture; (3) parks, trails, aesthetics. The task forces were dubbed Hands, Heart and Eyes, respectively.

These task forces will be assisted by the team at enFocus in organizing the work of implementation, identifying persons or groups to serve as champions of priority projects, and developing the resources needed to carry out those plans.

After a period of intensive discussion, each task force identified its priorities for 2018. The priorities will guide each task force in helping provide residents with the tools and resources they need to build quality-of-place projects that they’re passionate about.

The priorities are:

“Hands”

The task force on industry, education, and safety — the “Hands” group — selected:

  • Communications: This item related to item C2 on the countywide Action Agenda on improving communications between organizations, local governments and other community sectors.
  • Housing: Three items from the Action Agenda were found to be compatible — item C8 (Countywide, increase availability of single-family homes), item E9 (Elkhart, improve opportunities for residents to age in place), and item NW4 (Nappanee & Wakarusa, create new or re-purposed affordable housing).
  • High-speed Internet: Two Action Agenda items from Countywide (item C4) and Middlebury & Bristol (item MB1) address this need.

The Vibrant Communities Steering Committee divided into three task forces to examine its top 2018 priorities.

“Heart”

The task force on social offerings and culture, or the “Heart” group, selected:

  • Calendar and community building: Two Action Agenda items from Countywide, items C16 and C23, speak to the need to make an events calendar and information on community resources more widely available and marketed.
  • Marketing and promotion: Action Agenda items from Elkhart (item E2), Goshen (item G4), Middlebury & Bristol (item MB6) and Nappanee & Wakarusa (item NW2) identified a broad marketing and promotion plan as critical.
  • Young people: From the Elkhart section of the Action Agenda, item E5 to work with schools and universities to engage in young people in order to retain them as residents following graduation.

“Eyes”

The task force on parks, trails and aesthetics selected:

  • Local food systems: Item C18 of the Countywide section of the Action Agenda calls for promotion of local foods and native plantings. Already, the Elkhart County Food Council has formed and the task force will seek to support its work.
  • Waterways: Two items on the Action Agenda — Item C20 from countywide and Item E12 from Elkhart — propose projects that increase use and engagement as well as marketing of the area’s rivers and streams. The task force noted that some of this work is underway.
  • Trails and walkways: From Countywide (Item C5) to Middlebury & Bristol (Item MB7) to Nappanee & Wakarusa (Item NW1), interest is high throughout the county for further development of bicycling/walking trails.
  • Gateways and downtowns: Addressing the attractiveness of entryways and downtowns of Elkhart County as well as entryways to each city and town is a priority across the community, as seen in Items C14 and C21 from Countywide, Item G5 from Goshen, and Item NW5 from Nappanee & Wakarusa.

Even with these priorities, other items from the Action Agenda remain just as important. Indeed, some of those items, such as the aquatics center in Elkhart and multi-use pavilion in Goshen, have achieved significant momentum and progress. Other items may require further work.

The team from enFocus will be convening meetings of the task forces. Stay tuned for more reports on their progress

Jan 23 2018
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WATCH: New generation of talent choosing place to live over where to work

By Countywide, Elkhart, Featured News, Goshen, Middlebury & Bristol, Nappanee & Wakarusa No Comments

Elkhart County is making great strides in positioning itself as a great place to live, work and play, with a burgeoning arts and cultural scene in every city and town, inviting parks and trail systems, and interesting downtowns chock full of restaurants, shops, galleries and entertainment.

As talented people enter the workforce from college and from other areas, those quality-of-place assets that we possess here are increasingly critical in attracting new residents that will in turn strengthen the local economy. Katherine Loflin, the “City Doctor,” explains in the Oct. 18, 2017, Making Great Places workshop.

Jan 19 2018
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Four projects, including one involving Kool-Aid, receive Little BIG Idea Grants in January

By Countywide, Elkhart, Goshen, Little Big Idea Grant, Middlebury & Bristol No Comments

You have to love an idea involving Kool-Aid, right?

January’s recipients of Little BIG Idea Grants includes Canvas and Kool-Aid, which was Robert Taylor’s idea to bring the Elkhart community and especially kids together to create art while enjoying fruit punch. Canvas & Kool-Aid will be 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 21, at Historic Roosevelt Center, 215 E. Indiana Ave., Elkhart.

It’s that kind of creativity, sense of fun, and building of community that the Little BIG Idea Grant exists to support. Taylor clearly loves his hometown, so we’re really excited for this project.

Here are the other winners of Little BIG Idea Grants and recipients of $1,000:

Pots of Grace

Banita Joldersma of Elkhart is creating small pots to give to women who are experiencing the pain and loss of miscarriage. The grant will support Joldersma’s efforts, including supplies and materials, to create additional pots on top of the 40 she has already completed. She was inspired by her own personal experience and the role clay art played in her grieving process. She hopes to present her project at an open house in the near future.

Faces of Middlebury

Middlebury Then & Now will be creating realistic hand-made works of art depicting figures from the town’s past such as a shopkeeper, a basketball player, a firefighter, etc., in ways in which the faces are cut out, allowing anyone to step up and have their photo taken. The project will celebrate key aspects of the town’s history in a fun way that gets people interacting with the art pieces.

Scavenger Book Hunt

Kelsey Ambrosen, a fifth grade teacher at Prairie View Elementary School in Goshen, will be using a grant to bring the Book Scavenger game to the city of Goshen. The game is inspired by a book of the same name in which books are hidden across the country by players and can be found by accessing a website that has clues for the locations of books. Ambrosen and her class will hide the books, create clues and hope to inspire others to have fun and find even more books to read.

Jan 15 2018
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With River District plans, Elkhart charts path for more walkable downtown

By Countywide, Elkhart, Featured News No Comments

The girders rising from the ground along Jackson Boulevard are the most visible sign so far, but a major transformation is coming to downtown Elkhart’s River District.

While the centerpiece of the River District is the Elkhart Health, Fitness, Aquatics and Community Center, planners envision a thriving neighborhood dotted with apartments and townhomes, attractive businesses, and green spaces where walkers, bicyclists and cars co-exist. It’s a wonderful example of collaboration between private investors and the public sector through the city of Elkhart. The effort has also received financial support from the Community Foundation of Elkhart County and the South Bend-Elkhart Regional Development Authority.

“The River District is a big bet for Elkhart,” wrote South Bend Tribune columnist Marshall V. King. “What is different about this proposal from others in the past is that it seems to be an actual public-private partnership that developed a big idea that could actually come to be.”

Creating desirable walkable neighborhoods that support a growing diversity of residents and businesses match up with at least four items on the Action Agenda for the city of Elkhart created in 2016. We’re so excited to see these plans move forward!

Dec 21 2017
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After wonderful 2017, Vibrant Communities looks forward to exciting 2018

By Countywide, Elkhart, Featured News, Goshen, Little Big Idea Grant, Middlebury & Bristol, Nappanee & Wakarusa One Comment

By Arvis Dawson & Suzie Weirick

2017 has been an outstanding year for the Vibrant Communities initiative.

As the co-chairs of this movement, we’re invigorated by how Elkhart County’s cities and towns are working together to create better places to live, work and play.

By placing quality-of-place priorities at the center of our conversations, we are encouraging decision-makers across the county to consider this central question: Does this make Elkhart County more vibrant?

The Little BIG Idea Grant, in only a few months after its launch in August, funded 11 fun, creative, quirky events and programs in every community. We’ve seen pumpkins race downhill in Middlebury and painted rocks hidden all over Goshen. In the next year, we’ll be enjoying a Lunar Lunch in Bristol, a countywide treasure hunt, and thought-provoking student works of art.

The videos depicting the events and projects that have already happened are inspiring beyond words. Perhaps you’ll want to apply for a grant in 2018?

Christmas at the Powerhouse was one of 11 projects or events to receive a Little BIG Idea Grant in 2017.

In downtown Elkhart, we’re excited to see the Elkhart Health, Fitness, Aquatics and Community Center rising on the banks of the St. Joseph and Elkhart rivers, the Stonewater at The Riverwalk apartment development along Elkhart Avenue, and the restoration of the historic Hotel Elkhart building into a hotel again.

Goshen is going strong, even amidst road construction projects that have challenged the people who live and work there. Downtown businesses are thriving, helped along by a burgeoning arts scene that is supported by the new Mayor’s Arts Council. Indeed, the arts are rising in prominence in all our cities and towns with the Elkhart County Arts Alliance.

The Nappanee and Wakarusa communities have come together in a collaboration that leaders say is unprecedented on a massive project to build a premier soccer complex and pave the way for improvements to the Boys & Girls Club, Family Christian Development Center and Elder Haus.

Did you know Middlebury loves its trails, parks and downtown? A new biking/walking trail opened over the summer, and parks from Krider World’s Fair Garden to Riverbend Park are alive every weekend with people enjoying fresh air, the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail and festivals. It’s hard to find a time when Middlebury isn’t bustling with activity.

The Ridge Run Trail in Middlebury opened in July 2017.

We’re not just patting ourselves on the back. The Indiana Chamber of Commerce recognized the city of Goshen as its 2017 Community of the Year. In reality, the honor was a culmination of years of work that city leaders, business owners and residents of all walks of life have put into building a collaborative community that works together, resolves differences amicably, and enjoys the fruits of a great downtown, verdant parks and an engaging arts and cultural scene.

Goshen has plenty to speak for it, but we think the rest of Elkhart County’s cities and towns are pretty close to that standard too. There’s always 2018 for another Community of the Year Award here, right?

And that brings us to next year. The Vibrant Communities initiative will keep on working to position Elkhart County for long-term success and growth. Our steering committee brings together a diverse, brilliant and energetic team of leaders from all corners of this area.

We know how passionate our neighbors are about the place that they live. We know that fantastic ideas are waiting to come forward to join the ones that have already been launched.

About 250 attended a Vibrant Communities workshop on Oct. 18, 2017. Katherine Loflin, the “City Doctor,” was the keynote speaker.

Whether you’ve been part of this movement — attending our workshops on placemaking, place identity and branding, and arts and aesthetics, attending a Community Conversation, or giving us feedback — or you’re just awakening to the energy building around Elkhart County, we invite you to join us in 2018.

We want to know what your priorities are. You can help us by taking our survey.

With this knowledge, we’ll be able to put our heads together and work with all of you to supply the tools and resources that are needed to take our great county to even greater heights.

Arvis Dawson and Suzie Weirick are co-chairs of the Vibrant Communities Steering Committee. Mr. Dawson is a longtime civic leader in Elkhart and Ms. Weirick is an Elkhart County Commissioner.

Educate. Advocate. Celebrate.

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