Identifying our community’s needs
Leadership Academy studies up, then sets a course for making a difference
By Andrew Asma
KeyBank
From the single
parent struggling
to afford child care
to the mentally ill
person who cannot
afford medication
and adequate
housing, the needs
in Elkhart County are vast and diverse.
Fortunately we live in a community with
resources available to help meet these needs.
In October, the Elkhart Chamber’s Leadership
Academy separated into teams to visit
nonprofit organizations throughout the county.
The groups had a small window of time to visit
four or five organizations each. For the final
visit of the morning, the groups met up to help
serve meals at Faith Mission and prepare soups
at Church Community Services.
The charitable organizations we visited are
filled with visionary leaders, loyal staff, and
dedicated volunteers who work very hard to
stretch limited resources as far as possible.
As always, resources can run very thin. This
is where we come in.
Our Leadership Academy has selected four
organizations for which we will develop a
project to provide assistance and make a
sustainable and lasting impact. Projects will
be completed or in place by May 2014. This
is where you come in.
For our projects to succeed, we will need to
draw on your support. One thing that has
impressed me during my short time living
in this community is that Elkhart County is
full of extremely generous individuals and
businesses. Now we need your support – and
that of your business, friends, and neighbors
– to help make each project a success.
Each of us in the Leadership Academy
recognize you and your businesses
make valuable contributions to our
community every day.
In addition to the products and services
you offer, you also provide jobs for us and
our friends and neighbors. These economic
contributions are vital to the success and
stability of our community. As we begin to
plan our projects, however, we ask you to
consider whether there is something more
you can do.
Can you donate time? Will you donate
equipment? Will you help tell the story and
champion the cause of a local nonprofit?
Will you make a financial contribution to
help alleviate some stress on a budget already
stretched thin? These are just some of the
ways that you might be asked to contribute.
I have the privilege of participating in the
Leadership Academy. In just a few short
months, this group of mostly complete
strangers has grown into a team of friends
and colleagues with a unified goal: to help
improve our community in a tangible way.
Personnel Partners marked 20 years in business
with a celebration Sept. 24 at its Elkhart location, 2311 Cassopolis
St. For more information and to learn more about the services
provided, visit personnelpartnersinc.com.
Menno Travel celebrated 60 years of providing
quality assistance for travelers with a celebration Sept.
24 at the 210 S. Main St., Goshen, location. Owners Geof Landis
and Doug Risser, the Menno Travel staff and the Greater Elkhart and
Goshen chambers welcomed the community to the celebration. To
find out more about the company, visit mennotrav.com.
LEADING BUSINESS 7