Liberty Township Volunteer Fire Department Purchases Four Computers with Grant from Porter County Community Foundation

The Liberty Township Volunteer Fire Department was awarded a Community Fund Grant from the Porter County Community Foundation. The grant funding allowed them to purchase four Panasonic Toughbook Computers.

The new electronics will be securely placed in each of the department’s trucks, enhancing communication with the dispatch center and surrounding agencies.

These computers are capable of adapting to enhancements in the County’s 9-1-1 dispatch system and will help the fire department fulfill its mission to protect life, property and the environment.

Center of Workforce Innovations Receives Grant from Porter County Community Foundation

The Porter County Community Foundation selected the Center of Workforce Innovations to receive a Community Fund Grant to support the Women’s Adult Learning and High School Equivalency (HSE) Program at the Porter County Jail.

In 2014, the Center of Workforce Innovations started a small adult education program in the jail which has since assisted over 145 students. As the women’s interest in the program grew stronger, the Center of Workforce Innovations, along with the Porter County Sherriff’s Department and Sheriff David Reynolds, saw the need for the program to expand. The funds will help fund instruction costs and the HSE (formerly GED) test fees for the female students.

The Center of Workforce Innovations is a catalyst for community and business investment in workforce, education, and economic development to build and enhance collective capacity to succeed in a new global economy.

Porter County Community Foundation Presents Grant to Shirley Heinze Land Trust

Shirley Heinze Land Trust was selected to receive a Community Fund Grant from the Porter County Community Foundation to help purchase a much-needed snow plow.   

"Support from the Porter County Community Foundation for the new snow plow is yet another way the Foundation is so integral to the success of our work," said Kris Krouse, Executive Director of Shirley Heinze Land Trust. "This equipment will help us maintain year-round access to Meadowbrook Conservation Center and Nature Preserve and to Shirley Heinze Land Trust preserves throughout the region."

Currently the staff has been using a small ATV and hand shovels to clear snow. With this new plow the team can not only clear the main parking areas more efficiently, but also roads that lead to trails for winter hikers and cross-country skiers.

Shirley Heinze Land Trust is comprised of volunteers, donors, professionals, business and industry, working together to preserve, protect and restore significant natural areas in Northwest Indiana. Their mission is to educate, inspire and invite the public to experience the natural wonders of our unique region.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County Receives Grant from Porter County Community Foundation

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County recently received a grant from the Porter County Community Foundation’s Community Fund. The organization has used the funds to partner with the David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality, to assess the current programs offered at all four of the Club locations.

The assessment will focus on measuring and evaluating the quality of the current youth programs as well as identify staff-training needs to better strengthen the club operations and club experience.

The mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County is to inspire and enable the youth of our communities to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens. The organization serves youth ages 5 to 18 years throughout all of Porter County.

: Porter County Community Foundation Presents Grants to Porter County Nonprofits

The Porter County Community Foundation recently awarded grants from its Community Fund to several nonprofit organizations. Grantees are selected through a competitive application process open to 501(c)(3) agencies serving Porter County.

The Family & Youth Services Bureau was awarded a grant that provided the necessary funds to have a new roof installed on their downtown Valparaiso building.  

The Independent Cat Society is a non-profit, cage-less, no-kill cat shelter that has promoted the welfare of all animals, especially cats, since 1976. In conjunction with the TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) Community Cat Clinic and local Porter County Veterinarians, the funds from the grant will help spay or neuter 100 cats or dogs in our community.  

Porter County Association for Handicapped Children and Adults received funds to help make a difference and improve their clients’ daily lives.  With the funds, this organization can purchase custom devices necessary for individual clients that Medicare, Medicaid, and insurance won’t cover. This equipment will help children and adults enjoy everyday activities with their families in a more inclusive manner.

Porter-Starke used the funds to support their InSHAPE program that is designed to improve the physical health and wellness of people with mental illness. Participants met weekly, developed individual fitness plans, exercised, and learned about nutrition & healthy eating.  The YMCA partnered with Porter-Starke to help make this nationally-recognized program possible here in Porter County.

Northwest Indiana Excellence in Theatre Foundation received funds to bring a real-life storytelling event to Northwest Indiana’s Memorial Opera House, which was selected as the host site for all of Chicagoland. The performance, “This is My Brave”, is part of a national campaign to raise awarness of mental health issues.  

The Knights of Columbus’ Bike Project - founded by Mark Siminiski - received funds to purchase parts that will help repair donated bikes. These bikes are restored and then given away through various organizations to kids who may have only dreamed of having their own bike.    

The Portage Resale shop needed new furnaces for their building, which still had its original systems from the 1960’s.  With the community fund grant, the new heating system is in place allowing the organization to heat the building more efficiently and expand their work into areas of the building that were previously unusable.

The Kouts Volunteer Fire Department received a Community Fund Grant to purchase eight new nozzles for this all-volunteer fire department. Replacing this critical equipment will enhance delivery of water in an emergency situation and creates uniformity of the nozzles on all five trucks.  The grant also enabled them to purchase a hose washer and two adapter valves.

The flooring in the activity & dining room of St. Agnes Adult Day Service Center was original to the building and had cracked and lifted after 19 years of wear and tear, resulting in a safety hazard for their clients and visitors. The new flooring is a non-slip surface that is level, and was purposefully chosen in a neutral color, allowing all participants to feel comfortable when entering the room.