GOSHEN — The Center for Community Engagement at Goshen College will partner with Vibrant Communities to present the 2024 Community Engagement Fair, March 6 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the College Mennonite Church Fellowship Hall—1900 South Main Street—on the campus of Goshen College.
The Community Engagement Fair, open to all Goshen College students, faculty, staff, and members of the local community, is free to attend with no registration required. Vibrant Communities co-chair Arvis Dawson and Yolo Lopez DeMarco, the founder of the Latino Business Expo, will be guest speakers and the event will include the presentation of the 2024 Vibrant Student Award.
The Vibrant Student Award is given to a Goshen College student who has done exemplary work in the Elkhart County community and who exemplifies the Goshen College mission.
“Goshen College has the motto ‘Culture for Service’ and part of the reason for that motto is the importance the college places on community involvement, volunteerism, and community service,” said Arvis Dawson and Suzie Weirick, co-chairs of Vibrant Communities, in a joint statement. “We are happy to partner with Goshen College and the Center for Community Engagement to present this event. This will be a great opportunity for students and community residents to find out how to be involved with local organizations to make a positive impact in the local community.”
Representatives from community organizations such as CAPS, Ecosistema, EnFocus, Goshen Theater, the Tolson Center, and others will be present to share information about their missions to let students and community members know of the many ways and opportunities to get involved.
Interactive booths will allow students and attendees to explore the diverse range of hands-on experiences available, leading to networking and volunteering opportunities within the local community.
“The Community Engagement Fair is a great way for our nonprofit partners to meet and recruit students and members of the community for volunteer opportunities and internships,” said David Kendall, Director of Career Networks at Goshen College. “This year we’ll host over 30 non-profits, and we are grateful for this year’s partnership with Vibrant Communities.”
“This is one of the most impactful events we do,” said Cyneatha Millsaps, Executive Director for the Center for Community Engagement at Goshen College. “This event brings Elkhart County together with Goshen College in the spirit of service and it is a great way for us to connect community members with organizations, and vice versa, and help build valuable relationships in the community.”
Yolo López DeMarco (top), the owner of Yolo Vox and the founder of the Latino Business Expo, will be a featured speaker at the 2024 Community Engagement Fair, March 6, on the campus of Goshen College. Vibrant Communities co-chair Arvis Dawson (bottom) will also be a featured speaker at the event, presented by the Goshen College Center for Community Engagement and Vibrant Communities.
ELKHART — Chuck Marohn, a heralded urban planner and civil engineer and the founder of Strong Towns, will be the featured speaker at the first round of the Vibrant Communities Building Blocks Talks series, Tuesday, March 19, at The Lerner Theatre.
The Building Blocks Talks series—a Vibrant Communities activity sponsored by the Elkhart County Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Community Foundation of Elkhart County, Connect in Elkhart County, and weIMPACT—is free and open to the public and brings in speakers whose knowledge, wisdom, and experience in urban planning, civic design, and community vibrancy can help further the work started with the launch of Vibrant Communities in 2016.
Marohn will begin his interactive presentation at 6:30 p.m. in The Lerner Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, and will have time allotted for fielding questions from the audience. Anyone interested in attending the Building Blocks Talks series can register at https://tally.so/r/mRPy8Q.
“When it comes to understanding how cities grow and thrive, Chuck Marohn is in a class all his own,” said Jon Hunsberger, executive director of the Elkhart County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “We’re excited for Chuck’s visit to Elkhart County so he can share his groundbreaking ideas and help us think through the best ways to manage the growth and prosperity we are enjoying in our cities.”
Marohn, a land use planner and civil engineer with decades of experience, has authored two books on civil engineering—with a third on the way—and is the host of the popular Strong Towns podcast. During his time in Elkhart County, Marohn will tour the downtowns of Nappanee, Goshen, and Elkhart and will meet with community leaders in several planning sessions.
“Most of us want similar outcomes in our community, particularly high-functioning neighborhoods,” said Dave Weaver, founder of weIMPACT Group. “We want great education systems, top-notch local retail, comfortable and professional work environments, housing that suits many, and cultural and civic buildings that instill pride of place. We are eager to bring in incredible resources like Mr. Marohn, the first of several speakers we are planning to bring in, to help educate us and share best practices to ensure our community is more loveable, liveable, and sustainable—now, and into the future.”
Building Blocks Talks, a series of discussions that are free and open to the public, kicks off March 19 at 6:30 p.m. inside The Lerner Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom. Chuck Marohn, the president and founder of Strong Towns and a leading authority on civil engineering and land use planning, is the first featured speaker for the recurring series of discussions.
Marohn will present an interactive presentation and field questions from the audience as he discusses the ways Elkhart County can be ‘more loveable, liveale, and sustainable—now, and into the future.’ Anyone interested in attending the Building Blocks Talks series can register at https://tally.so/r/mRPy8Q.
“Our neighborhood has been re-energized with younger families and new babies. This event provided an opportunity for cross-generational fun and relationship building before the start of a busy school year. There are 21 homes in this neighborhood that are connected to Canal Street and the two alleys that intersect Canal Street. Fourteen of the 20 households attended the social. We had wonderful music from neighbors who have bands (The Tumbleweed Jumpers, McLane & Co.) plus folk guitarist Wilma Harter. This neighborhood has a strong musical history!
“We are so grateful to the Vibrant Communities grant for funding this event. It is the first time the neighbors have gathered in this manner in 20 years! When I moved in, there were five matriarchs who had lived in the neighborhood for more than 50 years each. I am part of the new generation of matriarchs and the ‘hood is now filled with oodles of children and babies. We love it here!”
Cynthia Murphy of the Canal Street Cul-de-Sac Neighborhood of Goshen received a Vibrant Neighborhoods mini-grant to fund an end-of-summer ice-cream social for her neighborhood. Learn more about the mini-grants here.
More than half of Middlebury’s Greencroft community came together for a Vibrant Neighborhood brunch on June 9, 2021.
The residents enjoyed Das Dutchman Essenhaus pastries, yogurt, fruit trays, juice, and coffee, and heard a presentation by Town Manager Mary Cripe on exciting progressive projects happening now and future project plans for Middlebury.
Of Greencroft in Middlebury’s 50 residents, and approximately 30-35 residents participated in the event and were welcomed by Sheri Howland of the Middlebury Chamber of Commerce.
The residents talked, shared exciting happenings within their neighborhood, and enjoyed hearing about other areas in Middlebury. Many lingered long after the end of the event for additional sharing. All were appreciative of the beautiful door prizes giving at the event.
The brunch was made possible by a Vibrant Neighborhoods grant. Learn more about the program and apply for a grant for your own neighborhood.
