Volunteering

VTAC

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I had the opportunity last Tuesday night to visit some of the founding members of VTAC,  Veterans Therapeutic Art Center.  I sat down with Larry, Terry, Richie, and Dan at the MoonTree Studios facility (MoonTree Community Studios is a Ministry of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ) where they have been allowed to use the woodworking shop as a start up location.  The organization is going to cover a seven county area serving veterans and their families.  Their information shows that there are over 50,000 veterans in this area and they are conservatively estimating a clientele of around 150,000 when they include families.  These four men are all veterans and they shared with me some of the struggles in coming back and reintegrating into society.  They explained that many veterans tend to pull into a shell, never leaving home, and often end up resorting to the bottle to cope.  The organization is very young and just recently received their 501(c)3 designation.  Despite this they are already working in multiple venues beyond the woodworking, providing culinary arts, an art studio, music studio, multimedia computer lab, photography studio and metal sculpturing.  Currently experts in these fields are volunteering their time to provide these services.  They have hopes of expanding into auto mechanics and other hands-on fields as well.

Veteran working at VTAC site provided by MoonTree Studios
Picture borrowed from MoonTree Studios blog

They are hoping to set up facilities throughout their territory with various opportunities to draw out the veterans.  Their feeling is that by including families, family involvement will encourage the veterans themselves to participate.  They know that veterans are very independent and often introspective.  In many cases they have skills that are valuable but they have issues that prevent them from integrating into a regular workplace.  One of their other plans is to form a barter system where veterans can share their skills on a peer to peer basis.  For example they discussed the possibility of being able to have a veteran electrician do work at a home in exchange for something like accounting services if the recipient has those types of skills.  The possibilities are somewhat unlimited with that type of program so it could be a huge resource.  This is also another way to get the veterans involved in a sub-community, if not the greater community at this point, and should help them integrate back into society.   As the organization is young they do not know exactly what they will morph into but their long range plan is to expand the group into additional 7 to 8 county hubs throughout the region and eventually nationally.

They discussed with me the problems with the current veteran programs that are out there.  These programs often are available, but they are not run by veterans, so there is no connection of shared experience.  They surprised me when they told me that in these programs, even including the VA (U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs ), the personnel are rarely veterans.  Often the programs are known, but the details on how to access them are vague.  Not only will VTAC be providing their in-house services, but they also hope to be a clearing house where a veteran can come and find out about other services.  VTAC will try and connect them to someone who has been through the paperwork and other requirements to apply for help.

Image borrowed from fitslikeaglove.org websiteThey showed amazing enthusiasm and energy for getting this project off the ground.  It truly looks like they have found a need that can be answered and they have found a unique way to address it.  It will be interesting to follow their progress.  I want to wish them every success!

They are having a silent auction and open house event October 20th from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM at MoonTree Studios.  They are hoping that this will be a way to bring veterans together and inform the community about their programs.  The auction will then be a fundraiser for the program and will include some of the furniture pieces that they have refurbished in their woodworking shop.  Mark your calendars to be there!

Coalition Launches First Step in Developing a Comprehensive Talent Strategy for Michiana

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Whether you employ sewing machine operators or software developers, teachers or technicians, CNC operators or CNAs, finding and developing talent is mission critical.  It’s also mission critical for the future growth of our region, and that is why your participation in this study is needed.

Marshall County Economic Development Corporation, the Corporate Partnership for Economic Growth (CPEG), and other regional economic development and education stakeholders are partnering in an effort to better understand the workforce needs of local business and industry. 

This collaborative Regional Workforce Initiative has three goals: 

  1. Fill specific existing positions – through recruitment, re-training, etc.
  2. Assess general workforce skills deficits to address through education and workforce programs
  3. Assess emerging industries and workforce needs to develop a complete workforce plan for 2020

You can be a part of this initiative by completing the workforce survey located here.  

The goal of the survey is to quantify the number of open positions, assess skills gaps, and identify barriers to company growth related to workforce issues.  

The survey will take approximately 15 minutes, and should be completed by business owners, managers, human resource managers or someone with in-depth knowledge of your company’s current and future hiring needs.  The survey requests information about current full-time openings and anticipated openings over the next 6 months, including salary, skills, and education requirements.  You cannot save your responses and return later. 

All information will be kept confidential.

The survey will be open until Friday, July 27th.  Results will be compiled to inform work sessions focused on identifying solutions to address the barriers to filling existing positions. Only companies in Marshall, Kosciusko, Elkhart, St. Joseph and Fulton Counties that complete the survey are eligible to participate in these work sessions.

Additional details about the Regional Workforce Initiative, including a list of the regional partners supporting this effort, can be found at www.cpeg.org.

Thank you for your time in completing the survey, and for helping to be a part of the solution!

Culver’s Firemen’s Memorial

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Should it be Firemen’s or Fireman’s?  In any case, Culver Union Township Fire Department (CUTFD) is considering erecting a Memorial where they can honor the firemen that dedicated their time and energy to the protection of lives and property in the Town of Culver and surrounding Union Township.  They currently have a two memorial plaques on the building for past Fire Chiefs.  It would be difficult to install more without changing the prominence, plus since a new building is being considered, a better location/system is needed.

CUTFD Secretary/Treasurer, Dave Cooper, asked me to come up with a suitable design for this project.  He asked that I incorporate the bell that currently hangs in front of the Fire Station.  They also have a hose cart that they want included.  They want an appropriate memorial where markers could be added over time.

The sketch above (Thanks Mary Ellen!) shows the main memorial wall.  It mimics some of the natural field stone work in the existing planter in front of the Fire Station.  This is an element that was recommended as a continuing theme in the Culver Design Charrette.  The field stone and limestone theme is also seen in the “Welcome to Culver” sign (see picture at left) at the intersection of Lake Shore Drive and Highways 10 & 17 as well as other places throughout town.

The wall is a curved wall on a 15′ radius which would have their antique hose cart as a focal point near the radius center.  The original design called for a paver plaza in front of the memorial with the hose cart (picture to the right) in the center.  Currently the firemen are considering using the plaza pavers as a fundraising mechanism similar to what was done at Heritage Park.

The bell that is currently mounted in the existing planter (See picture to the left) would be relocated to the center of the new memorial.  It would be fixed in place as it is now, but it would be more accessible where it could be touched.  It will be recessed into the masonry and supported by a steel lintel.

The sketch shows Tempest Torches on the columns at either end.  (See the picture to the right.)  These are gas fired torches that would draw attention to the memorial.  They could be lit for events or special occasions, i.e. Lakefest, Firemen’s Festival, Lion’s Club Corn Roast, Lake Maxinkuckee Film Festival, etc., but remain decorative the rest of the time if they chose not to keep them lit.  It seemed fitting to use fire as part of the memorial and it plays into an eternal flame theme.  The firemen are considering these, but they could be removed to save expense.

I gave several other options for them to consider, such as a Philharmonic fire and water fountain.  What could be better for firemen than a display that includes BOTH fire and water!?!  I also suggested the possibility to add benches or possibly a triple pole flag display.

My suggestion for the individual memorial plaques would be to get bronze castings in the shape of the fire helmet badges (picture to the right) used by CUTFD.  The plaques could be cast with names, dates, numbers or whatever other symbols of significance they chose.  The sketch shows bands of limestone set into the wall where the memorial markers could be anchored.  These could be set permanently with inaccessible epoxy anchors.

The firemen would like to place this memorial in the lawn area on the south side of the firemen’s parking lot.  I am suggesting that it be placed towards the corner on the west side, angled with its center line 45 degrees to the sidewalk intersection.  This would orient it somewhat towards the fire station while keeping the focus towards Lake Shore Drive.  This would minimize the disruption to the site, existing trees and ancillary uses such as the Lake Maxinkuckee Film Festival’s donor dinner.

I have suggested that a donor website be created to generate interest in the project and to solicit donations.  The generosity of the Culver community is often amazing and possibly a donor that has had their lives touched by these dedicated public servants may step forward with a donation that would cover one of the larger elements.  That would make the memorial that much more significant.  As always, comments or suggestions are welcome here.  Changes are always easier while the project is at the paper stage, so this is the time for input.

 

United Way Golf Ticket

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The Marshall County United Way has mounted a fundraiser with a benefit…  Enjoy a free round of golf at each of six courses in Marshall County!

Get your foursome together and plan a weekly caravan.  It’s for a good cause.

Cards may be purchased at the participating golf courses as well as various other community supporters (See the flyer to the right.)

For more about the good work that Marshall County United Way underwrites and the various ways you can add your support, see the flyer here.