Goshen

One act of kindness at a time — a paper heart, a cup of soup, cleaning up a yard — neighbors become closer. More than ever, neighborhoods are more important and can amplify the vibrancy of Elkhart County.

A Community Champions Roundtable on Thursday, October 29, brought together experts on building community with residents from throughout Elkhart County. On a Zoom video conference, they shared ideas about how to build stronger and more fun and resilient neighborhoods.

The program also served as an unofficial launch of Vibrant Neighborhoods, a countywide initiative which seeks to work with interested neighborhoods and connecting them to resources to organize and plan activities.

Bil Murray, who is leading the Vibrant Neighborhoods program, emphasized that there is quite a bit of flexibility in how neighborhoods define themselves. “There is no singular definition, no one-size-fits-all approach. … It’s places and people working to make things better.”

WATCH THE FULL MEETING 

Sally Bawtinheimer of Elkhart said taking her family to a neighborhood event on her street a few years ago “changed her life.” Now she is working with her neighbors in the 1400-1500 block of Strong Avenue on social events and other activities to help everyone feel more welcomed and involved.

“Where you invest your love, you invest your life. When you have that, you can conquer anything,” said Bernice Radle, who spoke at the meeting about her experiences as a small-scale developer.

Radle worked in her hometown of Buffalo, N.Y., to rehabilitate small buildings in her neighborhood and breathe life back into her community.

“Our small businesses matter, they matter so hard,” she said. “These small buildings are where small businesses can thrive.”

Radle is part of a movement, the Incremental Development Alliance, that advocates for entrepreneurs and investment that helps bring capital and build wealth for a neighborhood’s residents rather than for large corporations or developers.

It’s all part of building sustainable efforts. Daniella Panetta, community building specialist for La Casa, said often neighbors unite around solving a problem, but participation declines after that problem is solved.

Ways to overcome that include starting new traditions, perhaps around events, building deeper connections through friendship, and envisioning a longer-term vision — all things that the Vibrant Neighborhoods is organizing to help create.

Living under stay-at-home orders with many of our favorite shops and restaurants doesn’t sound like a recipe for building community, but Elkhart County residents have responded with many acts of grace as the state and country deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

By giving to charitable causes charitably, supporting local business, or just sending heartfelt messages of love and concern, Elkhart County residents have sent dozens of “love notes” to each other and showing what in truly means to be Vibrant Champions.

Here are some of our favorite examples:

Elkhart County Love Notes

See more Elkhart County Love Notes videos featuring our talented and vibrant residents, sending their own Love Notes to their neighbors.

Goshen Chamber of Commerce

Family Christian Development Center

Nappanee

This was not the way any of us expected 2020 to be.

With all of the necessary though painful precautions we’re taking to slow down the spread of coronavirus infections and limit COVID-19 illnesses, that’s put a stop to many of things we love to enjoy in Elkhart County.

Those things will come back someday soon (cross your fingers!), but we have really been cheered by all the ways you have rallied around your Elkhart County friends, family and neighbors. From Goshen to Nappanee, Elkhart to Middlebury, and Wakarusa to Bristol, we’ve practiced social distancing (we prefer the term “physical distancing”) and other good precautions while staying connected and engaged.

We’re showing love to the restaurants, small business owners, and communities such as teachers, health care professionals, first responders, social service organizations and religious organizations most affected by this. It’s a really hard time for schools and we’ve really stepped up to keep kids fed and ready to learn.

Here are just some of the ways we’ve seen Elkhart County rise up and be those Vibrant Champions we know you are:

The Chief / KZ RV / Nishikawa Standard Co.

Lippert Components & Church Community Services

Grace Community Church, Goshen

Thor Motor Coach

Heartland RV

Jayco

Jayco has donated RVs to The South Bend Clinic and the Middlebury Fire Department to help in the fight against #COVID19https://t.co/yyjm5ObqZk

— Rasmus S. Jorgensen (@ReadRasmus) March 25, 2020

Elkhart County residents and businesses making masks for health care providers:

An Elkhart County mask-making project that started with one family now involves an RV supplier.
“A little spark turned into a big fire, and it’s kinda cool.”https://t.co/oHDAnsIoC6

— Rasmus S. Jorgensen (@ReadRasmus) March 25, 2020

Kem Krest

The company is remaining open to help distribute disinfecting cleaning solution and produce hand sanitizer, while also supplying components for the production of ventilators. Also, their employees are approaching things with good humor:

Kem Krest “Just Clean It” from Meggan Fink on Vimeo.

Elkhart Central High School teachers:

Elkhart Education Foundation

The Oasis, Goshen

Hummel family, Wa-Nee Schools

Family Christian Development Center, Nappanee

Bacon Hill Kitchen and Pub, Elkhart

Elkhart Memorial teachers

That Guy’s Gourmet Ribs

Goshen Sings public group on Facebook

This group was started by Jose Elizalde of Goshen as the coronavirus restrictions went into place. Click here to see the group, which has nearly 900 members who contribute videos of themselves playing music and/or singing.

Premier Arts

What if one of the solutions to more housing to Elkhart County can be found in the story of South Bend’s “accidental developer?”

Not long ago, Mike Keen was like many in the audience of 38 who gathered for a Community Champions Roundtable at Tolson Center on February 20, 2020. He loved his home in his aging South Bend neighborhood. He was deeply invested in and cared about his community. And he was concerned about the trends, particularly the lack of investment in his block.

Keen said he defines vibrant communities as those that are “socially diverse and inclusive, economically sound, and ecologically strong and beautiful.” That was the goal he had in mind when he acquired his first vacant lot in his neighborhood.

He built relationships, learned what tools he needed and who could help him. Starting slow, Keen worked with other partners such as Habitat for Humanity to invest in building environmentally sustainable housing. One lot and one project at a time, Keen said the Near Northwest neighborhood is seeing the work pay off.

“I’m not building buildings,” said Mike Keen. “I’m building neighborhoods.”

• Read more about the Vibrant Neighborhoods program launching in 2020

“I’m not building buildings; I’m building neighborhoods,” Keen said. He highlighted two low-cost public art installations he created that helped bring neighbors together and strengthen bonds between neighbors — the Birthday Chair and the Laughing Bench.

“You can make a difference in your neighborhood for a very low cost,” Keen said.

It takes patience, a true love of community, and partners, but it also requires municipal officials to be flexible in its zoning requirements.

The payoff, Keen said, is that appraised values in the neighborhood gradually increase, allowing property owners to obtain the loans to do the next project.

“We can paint the picture,” Keen said of “incremental developers,” those neighborhood-based investors who build one small project at a time. “The city needs to set up the canvas.”