| From the CEO
September 13 was Greater Fort Wayne’s (GFW) second Economic Development Summit. I attended with high expectations because last year’s panels were jam-packed with experts covering many of the issues influencing our community’s business development. This year’s event did not disappoint. As would be expected with an event like this, there were many stories highlighting the successes of our city and region. My eyes were opened wide to the innovations coming out of Fort Wayne companies in the areas of aerospace and defense. Session after session profiled accomplishments and stories of success.
The reason I am mentioning this in our newsletter is because those stories of success were stories of inclusion for those with disabilities.
|
|
|
|
Impact of Vantage Grants: A Series
by: Joni Schmalzried
|
What problem would you tackle if you had $1,000,000? That is the question that was asked of NE Indiana Service providers as part of the special Vantage Grant process that began in 2021. One of the Vantage Grant recipients, Carey Services, analyzed the needs of the people they serve, worked as a team, and brought in an outside consultant to propose a way to meet a significant need – employment for people with disabilities. Not only training and employment for those they currently serve, but for youth coming out of high school and looking for gainful and meaningful careers.
Almost two years later, Carey recently opened their eMPower Academy, a training and career development center, on their site in Marion, Indiana. Within this space, individuals with disabilities can gain and improve life skills, explore career options, and receive training to ready themselves for community-based employment. Learning labs are equipped to train in the areas of Equipment Repair and Janitorial Services, Gardening, Hospitality and Healthy Lifestyle, Pre-Manufacturing, Public Services, Retail and Technology. By creating partnerships not only with AWSF, but with area community leaders and employers they are bridging the gap to support individuals as they choose their career path.
By taking advantage of this unique funding opportunity, Carey Services is working to meet the changing needs of the individuals they serve by providing choice and eMPowering them along the way.
|
|
|
Building a More Inclusive Northeast Indiana in Rural Counties
by: Mandy Drakeford
|
As we work to implement our strategic plan, one of our main priorities includes a focus on funding programs in our rural communities. Since we’ve been out meeting with community leaders, community foundations, and nonprofit organizations throughout Northeast Indiana, I wanted to highlight several grantees making a difference in our rural counties.
Joe’s Kids
Joe’s Kids fills a critical role for families who have a child with a disability. Joe’s Kids provides physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and tutoring services to help children reach their maximum level of independence in the areas of gross motor skill and mobility, fine motor skills, sensory processing, self-care, feeding and swallowing, speech and language, and reading and writing. Joe’s Kids aligns with our mission of early diagnosis and intervention, serving 475 children in Kosciusko and ten surrounding counties. In August 2023, Joe’s Kids received a grant from AWS Foundation to renovate a facility to help expand the capacity of their growing clinic.
Huntington University Able Program
The Huntington University ABLE Program (Achieving Balance in Life through Education) is designed to support students with intellectual disabilities in having a college campus experience. The program started in 2014 and provides individuals with a robust college experience that includes the following auditing campus courses, and developing social, daily living, and independence skills through ABLE-specific classes and campus-wide activities. Students from counties throughout NE Indiana attend the program, and AWS Foundation has granted support to the program to help extend postsecondary education to individuals with disabilities.
|
|
|
A Mighty Impact
by: Andie Mosley
|
Sometimes all an organization needs is a small grant to pilot a program or buy equipment for a project. That’s where our Mighty Money excels. These mini grants of up to $2,500 have an easy application with a one-month decision turnaround. Last year we supported 33 grantees with small requests totaling just over $90,000.
Mighty Money is a versatile grant. From sensory room equipment to professional development opportunities, the grant is there for those small needs. Goodwill used Mighty Money to buy a machine for their Pre-ETS students to make twisted pens. The students now have a growing business that provides employment training for disabled students that is self-sustaining! Arts United used the grant to pilot accessibility improvements for their annual Taste of the Arts Festival. That led to a multi-year grant supporting growing inclusion at a beloved Fort Wayne event.
The possibilities are endless with Mighty Money and we’re always surprised at the creative ways our grantees use this small boost to significantly impact on our region. You can learn more about our Mighty Money opportunity on our website.
|
|
|
|
Gilmore Inclusive Arts Grant
|
The Gilmore Inclusive Arts Grant awards up to $25,000 to one applicant each year to support special projects focused on including people with disabilities in the local arts communities of Northeast Indiana. The application is currently open and closes on September 29. For more information, go to our website.
|
|
Our facility was built with universal design principles, with the idea that we can provide a meeting space for all. We hope you find our rooms inclusive to all needs. Request one of our rooms on our website.
|
|
|
Manage your preferences | Opt Out using TrueRemove™
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.
|
5323 W Jefferson Blvd. | Fort Wayne, IN 46804 US
|
|
|
This email was sent to .
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.
|
| |
|
|
