Walk-n-Wander Warsaw — Seward Johnson Sculpture Exhibit 2014

Downtown Warsaw will come alive next summer with life-size bronze sculptures. The Lakeland Art Association is partnering with the City of Warsaw to bring a collection of Seward Johnson sculptures to our community from June through September 2014.

All of the sculptures for this public art exhibit, titled Walk-n-Wander Warsaw, will be located within walking distance of Warsaw’s Courthouse Square to form an “outdoor urban gallery.”  These life-like figures are a unique and extraordinary form of art to which people can fondly relate.  American sculptor Seward Johnson’s early artistic efforts focused on painting, after which he turned to sculpture in 1968.  Many of his life-size cast bronze, painted figures portray people engaged in everyday activities.  More than 250 of his figures have since been featured in private collections and museums, as well as periodic public placements around the world.  www.sewardjohnson.com

Businesses, families, and individuals are invited to be a part of this unique event designedto engage local residents and visitors alike.  To date, the committee has sponsors for seven sculptures, with a goal of twenty. The number of sculptures displayed in Downtown Warsaw will depend on the success of fundraising efforts.  All who see the sculptures are sure to experience a memorable time interacting with each of the unique sculptures and gaining an appreciation for Seward Johnson’s sense of humor and his affection for people.

Having been the first to commit to personally sponsor a sculpture, Kosciusko County Community Foundation executive director Suzie Light stated, “Steve and I are happy to support the effort to bring sculpture to the Warsaw area. In my life, art has given me the opportunity to transcend time and place and be where the artist was and see what he or she saw. It’s exciting that Warsaw is doing something unusual to engage the community in artistic celebration.”

Jack Moore, CenturyLink market development manager, commented, “CenturyLink is proud to support the Seward Johnson Exhibit.  What a wonderful way to celebrate the arts and Warsaw’s outstanding downtown!”

A Master Donor Board will be displayed in Downtown Warsaw during the four-month exhibit.  Donors will be listed on the City of Warsaw website with links from the Lakeland Art Association, Kosciusko County Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Warsaw-Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce websites. In addition, donors will be listed on the exhibit brochure which will be printed once the number of sculptures are determined and their titles known.  The brochure (estimate printing 50,000 copies) will include a map showing the location of each sculpture, and will be available at many area businesses.  This exhibit will also be mentioned in the 2014 Kosciusko County Visitors Guide and Warsaw Parks & Recreation Guide.

Walk-n-Wander Warsaw will kick off at Warsaw’s June 6 First Friday,with a patriotic program by the American Legion and VFW commemorating the 70^th anniversary of D-Day at the end of World War II.  Around the Courthouse Square, there will be various art-related educational, hands-on activities for kids, along with local sculptors and other artists demonstrating and displaying their talents. Each First Friday in 2014 will focus around The Arts, with different performances and activities featured each month.

More information and a sponsorship form are available on the City’s website at www.warsaw.in.gov.  Should you have any questions about Walk-n-Wander Warsaw,  please contact Darla McCammon (Lakeland Art Association), 527-4044, mustes@aol.com, or Michelle Bormet (Mayor’s Office), 372-9595, mbormet@warsaw.in.gov.

Who is real?

OrthoWorx Center of Excellence at Grace College to Launch New Quality In Medical Devices Management Program

WARSAW, IND., September 9, 2013 – OrthoWorx has entered into an agreement with Grace College to launch a new Quality in Medical Devices Management Program, developed through a unique educational collaboration among industry, OrthoWorx and Grace College, to fill a critical talent gap necessary to accommodate industry growth and increasingly complex quality requirements. The program is a continuation of OrthoWorx’s work in the area of education and workforce development and represents another step in its efforts to better link the resources of Indiana’s higher education community to the needs of the orthopedic industry.

“We need to continue to ensure a talented workforce for the continued and long-term success of our region,” stated OrthoWorx Chief Executive Officer Sheryl Conley. “The demand for orthopedic employees with advanced quality management skills has never been greater. The quality process impacts every aspect of the orthopedic industry. We believe this program will also strengthen our region by providing opportunities for residents to gain new educational credentials and advance their careers in the medical device industry.”

Read entire story HERE.

Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) Program Starts at Tippecanoe Valley High School

The Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) pilot program at Tippecanoe Valley High School began Tuesday, August 20^th  .  YEA! classes will meet each Tuesday through the school year and will incorporate project based learning within a multi-subject class that combines English, Government, and Economics with the goal of building a student toolbox for success.  The twenty-six students will add to their toolboxes by creating a business plan, securing an investor, developing marketing materials and learning to sell their business or organization to the public at a Trade Show.  All of these tools will be used to further their education while enhancing their life with the knowledge gained through creating a business plan.  YEA! will provide students with a clearer understanding of the academic learning received through English, Government and Economics in a practical, useful way.  Through YEA! students will experience the concept of owning a business and the hard work it takes to maintain a successful business over time.  Each student will see firsthand what it takes to come up with a business concept, creating the direction for the business, and decide if it will be real and sustainable.  The Grace College School of Business Professors will instruct the YEA! portion of the classes.  The Grace College instructors are volunteers dedicating their expertise in different areas of business strengths to open the door to a wide variety of ideas and critical thinking.  YEA! students planning to further their education after high school will have an opportunity to receive three credit hours from Grace College for taking this class.

 Community business people will mentor the students throughout the year.  The relationships students develop with those individuals will build greater understanding of the local economy, economic development benefits, and the glamorous vs. the not so glamorous views of being an entrepreneur.  Each student’s knowledge of entrepreneurship will be strengthened.  Students will gain confidence in public speaking and working as partners.  A positive result for the community is the potential of seeing a greater number of students giving back to their community, if not in the short term, hopefully in the long term by returning to their hometown to build a business or start a movement.

 The YEA! program model is normally an after school activity, having never been conducted during a school day.  The partnership with Tippecanoe Valley is breaking new ground for the program creator.  A successful implementation of YEA! at Tippecanoe Valley High School will allow this model to be implemented in the future in the other Kosciusko County school districts, impacting even more students in our community.  It will also provide the YEA! a new program model for Chambers of Commerce to use successfully throughout the nation.

 The students who experience the YEA! in this way will benefit from a greater understanding of business, will be better prepared as potential business developers and owners, and will have an increased appreciation of life in general.  They will end their high school education with a toolbox full of useful, relevant tools to take on any endeavor and become successful adults.

 Sponsors for the Young Entrepreneurs Academy are Maple Leaf Farms, Paragon Medical, and The Auto Park.  For more information contact Renea Salyer at the Warsaw Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce, 313 S. Buffalo St., Warsaw, IN  46580, 574.267.6311 or email rsalyer@wkchamber.com

Rain on Kosciusko Rain Barrels to be Unveiled at Milford Fest Saturday

Warsaw, IN 5/22/13 – Habitat for Humanity of Kosciusko County will unveil Rain on Kosciusko’s 2013 rain barrels at the Milford Fest on Saturday, May 25th. The Fest begins at 10am on Saturday and lasts until 9pm with vendors, food, rides, community spirit and rain barrels! More than a dozen of the rain barrels will be unveiled at the Fest. The barrels will make their official First Friday debut around Downtown Warsaw on June 7th and will be passive participants in the Northern Indiana Lakes Festival that weekend, remaining on display in Warsaw throughout June and July.

The public is invited to vote on their favorite barrel via donation, with the highest grossing barrel being named People’s Choice, at the official barrel page on the Habitat Kosciusko website: http://www.kosciuskohabitat.com/fundraisers/rain-on-kosciusko/2013/ Individuals can also bid on the barrel of their choice via online silent auction. Voting and biding begin
Saturday, May 25th at 10am as the barrels are unveiled.

Awards will be given for Best Creation, Best Color Scheme, Most Imaginative Use, Best Artist, Most Outside the Barrel, Most Bizarre and more. People’s Choice will be decided by the barrel earning the most votes via donation while Best in Show will be decided by the barrel receiving the highest auction amount. For more information please call 574-269-4104.

Rain barrels are very similar to the role that Habitat plays in the community, the barrels are simple, decent, affordable, efficient and utilize resources wisely. Habitat provides simple, decent, affordable and efficient housing utilizing the volunteer resources within the community.

 

Warsaw Koi winner of Best Creation and Disbro and Sunflower Online, tied for People’s Choice in Rain on Kosciusko 2012 voting.

 
For more information on Habitat for Humanity please visit http://www.kosciuskohabitat.com.

Warsaw, Winona Lake Earn Bronze For Bicycle Friendliness

Washington, D.C. – As bicycling continues to grow in popularity, leaders in cities across the country, like Warsaw and Winona Lake, are embracing the environmental, financial and quality of life benefits that come with a population that likes to ride.

Today, the League of American Bicyclists announced the latest round of Bicycle Friendly Communities and Warsaw and Winona Lake have been named a joint bronze level BFC.

Read entire story HERE.

Spice Merchants Grand Opening — The Village at Winona

The Village of Winona is celebrating the Grand Opening of Spice Merchants today!  The new retail store is located at 903 East Canal Street, formerly Whetstone Woodenware.  Spice Merchants will be open Monday thru Saturday, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm.  Products will include bulk and/or prepackaged gourmet sea salts, spice blends, herbs, rubs and seasonings from all over the world.   All natural soups, rice mixes, grains & pastas, extracts, organic, gluten & salt free products and naturally flavored sugars.  Over 100 varieties of loose leaf teas will be available and ‘High Teas’ as well as other special events are being planned.  Spice Merchants is owned by Jerry & Chris Ouding.  The Oudings opened The Olive Branch at The Village in Winona in May of last year.

They recognize local residents are interested in using fresh, healthy products for their cooking and Spice Merchants will be a nice complement to the use of olive oils and balsamic vinegars.  Just as you can ‘taste before you buy’ at The Olive Branch, you will also be able to taste products at Spice Merchants.   According to Chris Ouding, “Healthy eating is not a fad.  More families are trying to cook more at home and are looking for ways to change up their dishes.  The wide variety of herbs, rubs and spice blends offered at Spice Merchants make it easy and fun to add different taste and texture to an everyday meal.  Health benefits are just an added plus!”

Habitat for Humanity of Kosciusko County participates in National Women Build Week

sponsored by Lowe’s for second consecutive year

Warsaw, IN (April 11, 2013) – Kosciusko County-area women are invited to grab their
hammers and volunteer on Habitat of Kosciusko’s inaugural Women Build. During Habitat for
Humanity’s sixth annual National Women Build Week May 4-12, more than 300 Habitat
affiliates nationwide will host women build projects in partnership with Lowe’s, the underwriter
of Habitat’s Women Build program.

National Women Build Week challenges women to come together and devote at least one day to
building simple, decent and affordable housing in their local communities. More than 41,000
women volunteers from all 50 states have participated in previous years.

“We are so excited to participate in National Women Build Week for the second consecutive
year,” said Christon Clark, executive director of Habitat of Kosciusko County. “This is a great
opportunity for women of all skill levels to come together to help a family in need.”

To date, women volunteers have helped construct more than 2,100 Habitat houses nationwide.
2013 marks the very first Women Build house for Habitat of Kosciusko.

Lowe’s contributes more than $1.75 million to National Women Build Week and provides
$5,000 Lowe’s gift cards to more than 300 participating affiliates. National Women Build Week
is one of the major initiatives supported through Lowe’s five-year, $20 million pledge to Habitat.
As the underwriter of the Women Build program since 2004, Lowe’s also conducts “How-To”
clinics at local stores to teach women key construction skills that will empower them to support
Habitat projects across the country.

The free clinics are open to women interested in volunteering at any local Women Build site
during National Women Build Week. Attendees will learn home construction basics and have the
opportunity to practice new skills. The clinic(s) will take place at Lowe’s of Warsaw at
2495 Jalynn St on the following date:

How to Install Exterior Siding Saturday, April 27 Noon – 2pm
How to Finish Interior with Paint and Trim Saturday, April 27 Noon – 2pm

No construction skills are necessary. To volunteer or donate to this project, please call
574-269-4104, or visit http://www.kosciuskohabitat.com and click on the green Volunteer link at the
top of the page.

Visit http://www.habitat.org/wb for more information on National Women Build Week.

About Habitat for Humanity of Kosciusko County
Habitat for Humanity of Kosciusko County has been providing simple, decent, affordable homes
for families within the county for the past 21 years. The homes are sold with an interest free
mortgage that via payment of the mortgage allows for more homes to be built. The Women
Build committee has raised $59,400 toward the inaugural Women Build in Kosciusko County
currently under way in Warsaw. In addition to building homes Habitat has a Critical Home
Repair program as well as an aluminum can recycling program throughout the county.

About Lowe’s
Lowe’s supports the communities it serves through programs that focus on K-12 public
education and community improvement projects. The company’s signature education grant
program, Lowe’s Toolbox for Education®, has donated more than $34 million to 7,500 K-12
public schools, benefiting more than 4 million schoolchildren. Lowe’s Heroes employee
volunteers support local community projects and our national nonprofit partners such as Habitat
for Humanity, Rebuilding Together and the American Red Cross. In 2012, Lowe’s and the
Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation together contributed more than $30 million to
support communities in the United States, Canada and Mexico. To learn more,visit
Lowes.com/SocialResponsibility.

About Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity International is a global nonprofit Christian housing organization that
seeks to put God’s love into action by bringing people together to build homes, communities and
hope. Since 1976, Habitat has served more than 600,000 families by welcoming people of all
races, religions and nationalities to construct, rehabilitate or preserve homes; by advocating for
fair and just housing policies; and by providing training and access to resources to help families
improve their shelter conditions. For more information, to donate or to volunteer, please visit
http://www.habitat.org, or follow us at http://www.facebook.com/habitator at
http://www.twitter.com/habitat_org or join Habitat’s blog community at http://www.habitat.org\\blog .

 

The Beaman Home and Habitat for Humanities Both Recipients of Festival Of Trees

Warsaw Community Development Corporation (WCDC), in cooperation with the City of Warsaw, hosted the Festival of Trees for the first time in Downtown Warsaw in December of 2012.  Eighteen decorated trees were displayed in participating downtown businesses during the holiday season.  Festivities during Festival of Trees included a Twinkle Parade and December’s First Friday.  Attendees at these events voted on their favorite displays.

 

Two area organizations – Kosciusko County Shelter for Abuse (The Beaman Home) and Habitat for Humanity of Kosciusko County – each received $1,000 from the proceeds of the event.  Thanks for the support of Medtronic Spinal & Biologics; Zimmer; Lake City Radio; Stafford Solid Waste; Tower Bank; Alan Alderfer; Hall & Marose Insurance; Paragon Medical Miller’s Merry Manor; and TL Jackson: and the Dr. Dane & Mary Louise Foundation for sponsoring the event.

 

WCDC along with and the City of Warsaw continue to host First Friday events in Downtown Warsaw.  For more information on WCDC events, visit the events page at http://www.WarsawCDC.org.

Warsaw/Kosciusko County Members meet with Lieutenant Governor Ellspermann and the Kosciusko County Legislative Delegation

IN PHOTO from left to right are Mark Dobson IOM, President and CEO Warsaw Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce; State Representative David Wolkins; State Representative Rebecca Kubacki; and Senator Ryan Mishler. Photo provided by Joni Truex.

It was a productive day in Indianapolis for Warsaw Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce members last week.  Seventeen concerned business people participated in the annual Indy Bus-In.  The group met with Lieutenant Governor Ellspermann to discuss initiatives from her office – including Stellar Community grants and the proposed personal income tax reduction as part of Indiana’s 2-year budget.  The group also met with our legislative delegation to advocate for passage of two House Bills that help soften the impact of the federal medical device tax.  There was also significant discussion on the importance of passage of the Common Core standard for education in Indiana and for additional funding for roads in Kosciusko County.  They then met with Indiana Department of Transportation and Indiana Economic Development Corporation to discuss infrastructure and economic development projects important to Kosciusko County.  The trip included lunch with our Legislative Delegation at Cerulean’s Restaurant and a tour of the new Alexander’s Hotel.

 

“This trip highlights the importance of our members engaging with our elected officials.  Our delegation was most interested in what was on our members’ minds.  They listened closely to the input given,” said Mark Dobson IOM, President and CEO of the Chamber.

 

For more information about Warsaw Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce, visit http://www.wkchamber.com and sign up for our weekly e-newsletter.

1st Source Donates $25,000 toward New Building for Warsaw/Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce

Warsaw, IN – 1st Source Bank has donated $25,000 to assist the Warsaw/Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce with the purchase of a new building.

Dennis Hively, 1st Source Warsaw City President and Chamber Board Chair, presented the donation to Mark Dobson, President and CEO of the Warsaw/Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce.

“1st Source is pleased to make this donation in support of the Chamber and its efforts to promote growth in our community,” said Hively. “We’re glad to help the Chamber in its plans to move to a new building.”

“We sincerely appreciate 1st Source Bank’s most generous contribution to our new building,” said Dobson.  “Their commitment ensures we can deliver the Chamber’s mission to our members and community.”

1st Source Corporation, parent company of 1st Source Bank, has assets of $4.55 billion and is the largest locally controlled financial institution headquartered in the northern Indiana-southwestern Michigan area.  The Corporation includes 76 banking centers in 17 counties, 22 1st Source Bank Specialty Finance Group locations nationwide, nine Trust and Wealth Management locations and nine 1st Source Insurance offices.

1st Source common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under “SRCE” and appears in the National Market System tables in many daily newspapers under the code name “1st Src.” For 150 years, 1st Source has been committed to the success of the communities it serves.  For more information, visit www.1stsource.com.