On May 22 we welcomed visiting Rotarian from the Concord Rotary Club, Andrew Hicks. Andrew has been an attorney with Warrick & Boyn since 2007 and was inspired to help a remote hospital in Tanzania through mission work he'd done in the area over 20 years ago. Andrew shared how his personal life experiences inspired his support of the St. John's Hospital in Matamba,Tanzania. Matamba is in the region of Njombe in with a population of approximately 10,600 people and is one of the largest places in Tanzania. Andrew currently spearheads fundraising efforts for the project through St. Thomas Church here in Elkhart, which began in 2021 with a gift of $1700 to the hospital. Since that time, fundraising has increased and there is goal to raise $10,000 annually for support of the hospital, which makes a big difference to the lives of those in the area. Andrew's recent fundraiser, Bottlecaps & Corks, raised $5000 for the hospital. The Matamba Project is also proposed for a Rotary International Grant, supported by both Concord Rotary Club and Rotary International. Here are some highlights of slides from his presentation.

If you're interested in supporting the efforts, visit: https://www.osvhub.com/stthomaselkhart/giving/funds/the-matamba-project

To learn more about the project, contact Andrew - - catch him at an upcoming meeting of the Concord Rotary Club, Wednesdays at Noon at the Concord Martins' supermarket - - upstairs above the deli.

Elkhart Rotary Club - May 15, 2023

On Monday we welcomed fellow Elkhart Rotarian and Executive Director of Elkhart Education Foundation, Charmaine Torma!

Charmaine shared information about EEF, educational challenges faced by our community, and how EEF is addressing those challenges.

EEF, a 501(c)(3) organization, manages and expends funds received from donations that support the mission, vision and goals of the Elkhart Community Schools. EEF provides funds for innovative teaching practices, education programs and activities – Athletics, Arts, Academic Clubs/Service Organizations – that are outside of the parameters of the traditional operating budget for Elkhart Community Schools. The funds provided by EEF will be used to facilitate student achievement and skill development, to recognize and encourage staff excellence, and to cultivate community involvement from individuals, businesses and civic organizations.

For more about EEF visit: https://www.elkhartedfoundation.org/

Welcome back former member and longtime Rotarian Scott Franko! Scott and his wife are relocating back to the Elkhart area after several years away and are excited for the new adventures ahead. Scott was inducted back into our club membership on Monday.

Elkhart Rotary Club May 8, 2023 - Lifeline Youth Ministries

On May 8 we welcomed fellow Elkhart Rotarian and Lifeline Youth Ministries executive director Darrell Peterson to share updates about lifeline, including their new expansion project, the Lifeline Hub, a place that provides a safe, family-like atmosphere for youth from 1st-12th grade. The Hub will comprise 36,000 square feet, is centrally located near Prairie and Hively, and will serve over 1,000 kids per year.

Lifeline's mission is to share God’s love by providing inner city youth with caring role models, teaching basic life skills, developing student leaders and connecting students to their local schools and churches. Lifeline is a full-cycle of engagement ministry that provides a safe, family-like atmosphere for youth from 3rd-12th grade. While at club, youth can enjoy a variety of activities: gym time, games, tutoring and the friendship of others. They receive a Bible lesson and participate in a small group interaction as it relates to the lesson. Club members also get the opportunity to earn points redeemable for prizes. Prizes can be anything from a bag of Takis up to Bikes. It all depends on how motivated they are.

For more information visit: https://www.elkhartlifeline.com/ and for for more information about The Lifeline Hub, visit https://www.elkhartlifeline.com/the-hub

Elkhart Rotary Club, May 1, 2023 — enFocus

Today we welcomed Andrew Wiand, Executive Director of enFocus. enFocus is a nonprofit with a novel approach to talent attraction and community development. They intentionally match graduates to high-impact projects with regional organizations to provide meaningful professional experiences. To date, they have employed over 1,000 Fellows and Interns on over 250 projects. These collaborations not only deliver innovative solutions for local organizations, they inspire young professionals to stay in our region.

Andrew provided an update on the organization's growth across sectors, projects, and retention of recent graduates in Elkhart County.

For more information visit: https://en-focus.org/

For Andrew's bio visit: https://en-focus.org/team

Our club's Rotary Foundation Chair, Howard Edwards, presented FOUR Paul Harris Fellow recognitions to dedicated donor Tom Neat, who continues to give to the Foundation in the names of his family members. THANK YOU, Tom, for your continued support of the Rotary Foundation and all of the great work Rotary does around the world.

Sergeant's Chair Anthony Hunt gave a master class in enunciation and tongue-twisters from the podium for today's fun fines. A reminder, your fines support local not for profits through grants from the Donations Committee. Give early, give often, your support furthers the missions of local organizations who expand our ability to make our community a better place in which to live, work, and play.

Elkhart Rotary Club Meeting April 24, 2023

Indiana Youth Institute’s 2023 "State of the Child" Presentation

Today we welcomed representatives from the Indiana Youth Institute:

Tami Silverman, President & CEO
Taylor Johnson, Policy & Data Advocacy Manager
Chelsea Naylor, Northwest Outreach Manager

Tami and Taylor presented the Indiana Youth Institute’s 2023 State of the Child. We learned about the key data on Hoosier youth well-being from the newly released Indiana Youth Institute 2023 Indiana KIDS COUNT® Data Book and County Dashboard. IYI's 2023 KIDS COUNT® Data Book examines the overall well-being of Indiana kids, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and continuation of racial and ethnic disparities in outcomes across four domains, Family & Community, Health, Economic Well-Being, and Education.

IYI’s President & CEO, Dr. Tami Silverman and Taylor Johnson, Policy & Data Advocacy Manager, highlighted the most recent information and trends in the Elkhart area. Access to reliable, high-quality data and resources empowers and equips leaders, policymakers, youth workers, and advocates with a go-to, trusted source to create positive change for Indiana youth.

Dr. Tami Silverman, DPA
After being raised in Bloomington, Indiana by a family of educators and having 25 years of experience managing teams to create positive impact and lasting change, Tami Silverman leads the vision of the Indiana Youth Institute by constructing and implementing strategies to fulfill IYI’s mission of statewide child success. Tami serves as the organization’s primary spokesperson, advocating for programs, innovations, and policies that benefit children and youth. Tami brings to IYI a clear understanding of the challenges faced by many children and families through her experience in family violence prevention and youth leadership and service. It was while working with thousands of homeless, often traumatized children that she confronted first-hand how some children face seemingly insurmountable challenges while others are born with immense resources and support. This has sparked her passion for equity, ensuring that all children can reach their full potential. She currently serves on the Indiana Department of Workforce Development’s Cabinet Youth Committee, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education’s Partnership Pentagon, the Indiana Criminal Justice Authority’s Juvenile Justice State Advisory Group, the board of directors for the Center for Sports Transformation and Indiana University’s Society of Aeons.