ELKHART, Indiana – The Community Foundation of Elkhart County’s Board of Directors approved $982,048 of new and multi-year grants to dozens of nonprofits and programs throughout Elkhart County. The grants were given in the categories of placemaking, kids and families, and career pathways, reflecting the priorities of the Community Foundation. “Elkhart County benefits from many nonprofit organizations improving the quality of life for our community in so many ways,” said Candy Yoder, Chief Program Officer. “We are proud to join other philanthropists to support these organizations; together we can make a difference.” The grants awarded between January 1 and mid-April Read More »

GOSHEN — Leslie Weirich is working to offer young people tools. She wants them to be resilient, to hold on to hope during tough times. A $10,000 grant from 100 Women Who Care will help Weirich reach students in two Elkhart County schools for the coming three years. At the last meeting of the giving circle in January, 100 Women Who Care selected to support Suicide Prevention Work through Leslie's Hope and the Oaklawn Foundation to offer training to students in Elkhart County schools. For her, the work is deeply personal. Her son Austin died by suicide in September 2016. Read More »

ELKHART, Indiana — Committee members overseeing the Well Foundation Greatest Need Fund awarded $170,720 in grants to improve health in Elkhart County. The grants are being made from funds that were part of the Well Foundation, formerly named the Goshen Hospital & Health Care Foundation, which was created in 1969 to provide strength and stability to Goshen General Hospital so that future generations might have access to high-quality health care. The Foundation gave more than $6 million to the health needs of the surrounding community during its existence. Its founders, a group of caring people who worked together to give Read More »

ELKHART, Indiana – The Community Foundation of Elkhart County’s Board of Directors approved $3,618,570 of new and multi-year grants to nonprofits and programs throughout Elkhart County. The grants were given in the categories of placemaking, kids and families, and career pathways, reflecting the priorities of the Community Foundation. “We are thrilled to support the good work of our nonprofits who are making our community stronger,” said Candy Yoder, Chief Program Officer. “Our committees, staff and board are working with others to help our community continue to be resilient and navigate the future.” The grants awarded between July and mid-October are: Read More »

RETA is the most recent recipient of the women's social philanthropy organization Thursday, October 7, 2021 ELKHART — A new facility for RETA could open as early as spring 2022 and a $10,000 grant from 100 Women Who Care will help make it possible. RETA, a pregnancy clinic that provides family resources, is in the process of building a new facility in downtown Elkhart for its clients. This new building will allow services to be more accessible, so RETA can better serve their clients. The women who attended the July meeting of 100 Women Who Care heard the passionate nomination Read More »

Monday, September 27, 2021 ELKHART — The Community Foundation of Elkhart County promoted Carrie Berghoff to become Chief Development Officer for the organization. Her promotion from Donor Engagement Specialist is part of changes within the organization that continues to grow and now has assets of more than $400 million. Berghoff joined the foundation five years ago to work with donors. She has advised donors with their philanthropic giving and helped plan events. She joins the executive cabinet of the organization and now oversees development and donor relations as the Community Foundation continues to improve the quality of life in Elkhart Read More »

June 24, 2021 ELKHART COUNTY – The Community Foundation of Elkhart County has engaged a team led by Cincinnati-based urban growth firm YARD & Company to develop Connect In Elkhart County, a mobility master plan for Elkhart County. The project is being led by the Community Foundation’s Placemaking Committee, whose goal is to create open communities in Elkhart County that inspire, attract, engage, and connect people to enrich their living experience. “Our amazing community has a strong network of trails and pathways,” said Becky Bontreger, Chairwoman of the Placemaking Committee. “We can’t wait to gather more people from across our Read More »

Cook joins the management team, overseeing a new marketing and communications department June 22, 2021 ELKHART — Brian D. Cook is now leading the marketing efforts for the Community Foundation of Elkhart County. Cook joined the foundation in early June as Director of Marketing. In his career spanning 25 years, he has managed marketing teams and implemented strategies in a variety of settings. He worked at the University of Notre Dame from 2005 to 2019, including as director of marketing for the Mendoza College of Business from 2017 to 2019. During that time he oversaw a digital-first marketing and advertising Read More »

ELKHART, Indiana — You don’t have to be a math whiz to understand that a $5,000 scholarship will help an eighth-grader as they consider college four years from now. Rhiannon Cass is this year’s recipient of the John G. Blakesley Mathematics Scholarship from the Community Foundation of Elkhart County. She is the daughter of Lauren Brown and Stephen Cass. The scholarship recognizes exceptional, early aptitude in mathematics by an eighth-grade student completing math honors coursework. This scholarship inspires the development of mathematical interest and understanding. John G. Blakesley was born in Goshen, Indiana on February 26, 1931 and was raised Read More »