MCCF
Marshall County Crossroads Presentation at the Statehouse
Tuesday morning I braved the elements to head to Indianapolis to support the Marshall County Crossroads team for their Stellar Presentation. This was their last effort and last chance to make an impression on the State officials that would be judging the competition this year. This was Marshall County’s second attempt at Stellar Region Designation. The experience they gained last year showed.
I had attended the workshops at Swan Lake, served on the housing committee and helped with the LIHTC portion of the application, so I was familiar with the goals and the changes from last year. I think this year’s application was much stronger than the year before. It was obvious that community engagement was better and the initial partnerships had grown. There was a lot more buy-in from community groups. An example of these expanded buy-in was through the Marshall County Community Foundation (MCCF). They purposefully reviewed the grants in their Fall round for projects that enhanced not just the Stellar application, but the overall Quality of Life plan. Linda Yoder, MCCF Executive Director, was one of the presenters.
Last year there was no IHCDA LIHTC project, but this year I stressed the importance of including LIHTC. This year there were two – one in LaPaz and one in Plymouth. I met with representatives of all of the communities, but only LaPaz and Plymouth felt that LIHTC was a fit for them, were able to come of with property and were willing to pass supportive resolutions. Brent Martin of SRKM Architecture also stepped up to spearhead the IHCDA Owner Occupied Housing portion of the application, so overall the housing section stood out.
While the presentation was well done, what really stood out was the Question & Answer section at the end. All the presenters were seated on the stage and the State Agency’s asked them questions about the initiatives. The answers were provided seamlessly by various representatives and without any competition for the microphone. They worked well together as a team. Some of us were in the audience as back-up if in depth questions came up. There were very few of those that the presenters couldn’t answer on their own. They were well prepared.
The team had arranged for students from some of the schools to be there. Unfortunately, due to the weather, the number of students were limited, but because of the efforts made to involve them, the attendance was appreciated. At one point, somewhat out of the blue, the INDOT representative turned to the students and asked them questions. With no preparation or expectation of this, the two students that spoke answered the questions flawlessly! Very Cool!
Overall I was impressed with Marshall County’s leadership for stepping up to this. The highest Kudos go to Ginny Munroe, Culver’s Town Council President, for stepping up to this challenge. On the heals of Culver’s Stellar Designation, this was a big undertaking. Culver has been moving their Stellar projects forward while this has been happening at the County level. Despite this, Ginny stepped up and lead our region, building on the experienced gained in Culver. I think that was key to making Marshall County competitive. If Marshall County wins, Culver’s assistance will have been a huge part of making it happen.
Big Splash
This past Saturday saw the individual ribbon cuttings for the combined Marshall County Philanthropy Center and the Dr. Susan Bardwell Aquatic Center project. The picture above is from The Pilot News documenting the speeches that were given before the ribbon cutting at the Philanthropy Center.
I represented Culver on the Marshall County Economic Development (MCEDC) Board and the Marshall County Community Foundation (MCCF) Board when these projects started. I helped more on the development side while at MCEDC and then helped MCCF with architectural plan reviews, construction site visits and oversight advice. I sometimes give public boards and commissions grief about not making the best use of community knowledge. Sharing expertise is the most valuable form of volunteering. MCCF took full advantage of what I could offer and I was glad to share it. A win-win all around! It’s always better to get involved than to just complain.
Regional Cities Initiative Helping
To the right is an article that appeared in The Pilot News, December 18, 2017 discussing the impact of the Regional Cities Initiative. The study was conducted by Ball State University and concluded that it is making a noticeable difference in attracting talented young workers to the area.
Marshall County is part of the North Central Region along with St. Joseph and Elkhart Counties. Most of the funds for our region have been allocated and in Marshall County we’re seeing the impact through assistance in worker housing, manufacturing centers, expanded Boys & Girls Club facilities and an Aquatic Center. In Culver alone, the initiative has helped the Town provide infrastructure to Sand Hill Farm for entry-level housing and money has been set aside for assistance with an E-Commerce center which may provide entrepreneurial opportunities and worker training space. (Culver was in line for additional RCI grants, but the 60% private equity requirement proved daunting for a small community to achieve.)
It’s important to recognize what our local organizations have done to achieve these goals. Marshall County would not have had this opportunity without the foresight of the Marshall County Community Foundation (MCCF) and their initial investment of $10k into the program. That seed money was what put us on the map for this and made the initial connections to St. Joseph and Elkhart Counties. If Linda Yoder hadn’t taking this to the MCCF board and sold it, it wouldn’t have happened.
The hand-off from there went to Marshall County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC). Without their efforts, many of the projects submitted by Marshall County would not have made the list before the application was submitted. Then the follow up to keep the dollars allocated to Marshall County stayed with Marshall County largely came down to the shepherding of Jerry Chavez and MCEDC. They were able to get a reallocation of funds to housing initiatives when original projects fell through and then when one of the four housing projects didn’t come to fruition, they were able to secure the money towards the other projects that were viable.
The money that went to the housing project in Culver helped Culver achieve Stellar Community designation this year. It’s a domino effect and currently the dominos are falling in our direction. This was former Governor Mike Pence’s vision when he spearheaded this program. Inject funds into regions that demonstrate the desire and determination to move forward and great things can happen. Let’s hope this continues to buoy our region, county and communities creating the excitement and drive to move us forward.
Make Marshall County Match Madness Stellar for Culver
When you donate to eligible endowment funds at the Marshall County Community Foundation on Thursday, May 25, 10% will be added to your gift! Do you need more reasons to donate? Here are mine…
I became a MCCF board member because I see the transformational work the MCCF accomplishes and knew some of the important community leaders that had served before me. Leaders such as Richard Ford, John Zeglis, Carolyn Kline and Barbara Winters. The privilege of working with them or following in their footsteps has been an honor. I strive to do justice to them.
I serve on the MCCF grants committee where I see how unrestricted funds are used to support causes in the community. Through this I’ve learned about many of the good people and organizations throughout our county that make a difference. I’ve been able to support fledgling groups like the Culver Community High School Archery Club and Culver Main Street get off the ground, and helped the Culver Boys and Girls Club and the Lake Maxinkuckee Environmental Council expand their mission. Do you love the West Pavilion on Lake Maxinkuckee? A MCCF grant helped restore that Culver treasure!
I also serve on the MCCF investment committee where I see the time, effort and careful consideration that goes into marshaling the Foundation’s funds to do the most good while keeping an eye on the conservation of their value.
I became a MCCF contributor for various reasons. I have given to the unrestricted fund to help support those groups that come before the grants committee. I have donated to dedicated funds that support causes with missions I believe in, such as Hospice and Habitat for Humanity. And finally, I have contributed to remember and honor friends. I served on the Culver Chamber of Commerce board of directors for over a decade and lost two friends who were fellow board members during that time. For that reason I have contributed to honor the memory of those friends, Ron Tusing and Marianne Ransdell, both of which have memorial funds that give scholarships to CCHS students.
For those of you familiar with Marshall County Community Foundation, you’ll see Marshall County Match Madness as an opportunity to make your charitable donation go further. For those of you unfamiliar with the Foundation, get to know them!
On Thursday, May 25, make sure to donate at: www.marshallcountycf.org and 10% will be added to your gift. Or, you can go to the Community Resource Center at 510 West Adams Street, Plymouth, and talk to nonprofits and MCCF staff and ask any questions you may have.
Remember, Marshall County Match Madness is on May 25. Let’s make this a stellar day for Culver!
Kevin L. Berger
MCCF Board Member
MCCF Match Madness!
For those interested, this is a great way to make your donation dollars go just a little bit farther!
