Vibrant Neighborhoods

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.”