A couple student organizations at Oregon-Davis Junior/Senior High School got a financial boost this week. Superintendent Dr. Don Harman says the school board accepted a donation from the Oregon-Davis Young Farmers organization. “That donation was $700 to the Oregon-Davis Junior/Senior High School FFA and another $700 to the Oregon-Davis Junior/Senior High School National Honor Society,” Harman says.
This Friday, citizens will have a chance to donate to a local cause that’s driven to shift Starke County’s health statistics from “Worst to First”. The Merit Foundation will be hosting their first annual radio-a-thon here at WKVI from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. tomorrow.
This organization focuses specifically on the national healthy community rankings outlined by the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation. Officials note that Starke County has consistently been near the bottom of the Indiana State rankings for many years and they want to change that. Continue reading
The American Red Cross saw a dip in the number of blood drives held during the beginning of July and it has prompted them to issue an urgent call for eligible donors of all blood types.
According to a press release, the Red Cross delivers blood donations to 80 hospitals across the Indiana-Ohio Blood Services region and needs an average of 500 blood donations each day to support patient needs. Continue reading
The Kid’s Closet Ministry provides helpful resources such as clothing, hygiene products and school supplies to children across Starke County and it takes a lot of kind, dedicated people to make this possible.
Director Linda Lewandowski recently provided presentations to both the Knox City Council and the North Judson Town Council, explaining the specifics of the program as well as highlighting the need for more volunteers. Continue reading
Some athletic facilities at Oregon-Davis will get a fresh coat of paint, thanks to some local community members. “We had two ladies from our community that are going to donate paint and their time to paint the two restrooms that are at the track,” says Superintendent Dr. Don Harman.
Volunteers with Culver’s Blessings in a Backpack program realize that hunger doesn’t halt just because school is no longer in session.
Thanks to the generous donations of committed community members, Blessings in a Backpack was able to expand their winter school program into the summertime last year.
This year, they will continue the summer program and will be working in conjunction with the USDA Summer Food Service Program to provide weekend meals to students who require additional assistance. Continue reading
Grant proposals are now being accepted for the Cheryl Lyn Welter Family Charitable Foundation. The application deadline for the first round of 10 grants is January 31st.
Last year, multiple local schools agreed to partner with the organization to provide assistance to underprivileged children in grades K-12.
Individuals have the ability to request funds to help with things such as special projects, field trip fees, school supplies and other scholastic items. Continue reading
North Judson Town Marshal Kelly Fisher announced that the NJ Police Department will be selling t-shirts and hoodies as a part of their K9 fundraiser from 8 a.m. until noon on Monday, January 8th.
The t-shirts cost $10 and the hoodies will be sold for $20. Fisher stated they consciously set the prices in order to allow all community members a chance to obtain the North Judson Police Department K9 Supporter apparel. The police station is located at 206 Keller Avenue. Continue reading
At Tuesday night’s North Judson-San Pierre School Board meeting, Elementary School Principal Julie Berndt informed school board members about a few initiatives that are positively impacting the attendance records of her students.
Principal Berndt talked about the “Attendance Champions” program where each teacher’s attendance percentage is posted every month. The class with the highest number gets announced and receives a bag of candy, a temporary trophy for their class room and bragging rights. She said so far it has been a pretty competitive and successful initiative. In November, there weren’t any classes that reported less than 91 percent attendance. Continue reading
Culver Community School Board members approved multiple donations when they met earlier this week.
A large donation that was up for board approval was from a local family who provided $10,000 to the band program this year and promised to donate $5,000 annually for the next three years.
Superintendent Karen Shuman stated that much of the donation money from this year will be used to purchase instruments and band chairs but some funds could potentially go toward redesigning the band room as well. Continue reading
To help fund Veteran support programs throughout Northern Indiana, NIPSCO is awarding 31 local Veteran organizations with donations totaling approximately $125,000. Combined with a NiSource Charitable Foundation contribution presented by NIPSCO of $25,000, the campaign raised more than $150,000. Continue reading
We may be more than a thousand miles away from Hurricane Harvey’s impact but there are still many ways that Hoosiers can help positively impact the lives of those in need. When donating money or supplies, be especially aware of who you’re assisting. Unfortunately during times like these, criminals can prey on eager humanitarians just trying to help. Continue reading
If you’re still planning on making some year-end gifts to charity, the IRS has some tips for properly deducting them from this year’s taxes. Continue reading
Congresswoman Jackie Walorski was in Mishawaka yesterday to promote a tax deduction sought for permanent extension.
According to a press release, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that encourages donations. The bill, also known as the Fighting Hunger Incentive Act permanently extends the deduction for businesses to donate food inventory to local food pantries.
Continue reading
As the death toll continues to climb in the wake of yesterday’s horrific Oklahoma tornado, many people are asking what they can do to help. The American Red Cross and other disaster relief organizations are already on the ground providing food and supplies to first responders and setting up shelters for displaced residents. Giving money to organizations like the Red Cross, Salvation Army and other reputable nonprofit organizations is the fastest, most effective way to help victims of this and other disasters. While donations of food, clothing and household items are well intentioned, they need to be stored, sorted and given out to people who may be living in shelters or staying with friends or family members. Additionally, trying to warehouse and distribute items taxes local volunteer resources. Continue reading
Cecilia Torres, Services Coordinator at the Starke County Food Pantry is seeing some donations coming into the facility which helps the 220 families the pantry serves each month.
“We’ve had a lot of organizations, a lot of people making donations, especially of the fresh vegetables. We’re really appreciative of that,” said Torres.
