Dr. Bill Katip, President of Grace College, is shown here greeting those in attendance for the first session of a two-day workshop/seminar titled Common Focus. From left: Sandy Hatcher, Bill Katip, Gladys Deloe and Stephanie Overbey.

WINONA LAKE — Grace College is providing the location for a two-day worskhop/seminar titled Common Focus. The event is being held for county non-profit agencies, organizations and churches with the goal of initiating a cooperative model that will improve the service and support of the citizens they serve.

The conference hopes to reduce any duplication of efforts in helping the community. Reducing duplication will help citizens in need move beyond poverty to productivity, which will in turn hopefully lead to paying it forward.

The hands-on workshop and seminar are being conducted by Jon West, the senior manager of strategy and innovation for the Atlanta Community Food Bank. The workshop will be based on the principles of asset-based community development.

Sponsors of the event are a coalition of Kosciusko County service agencies, and it is being under-written by Grace College, the Greater Warsaw Ministerial Association and the Kosciusko County Community Foundation.