Pictured at the Kosciusko County Community Foundation, from left, are Tori Perry, DePuy Synthes; Seth Bingham, Grace College student; Suzie Light, Executive Director of Kosciusko County Community Foundation; Peggy Michel, Vice President and Trust Officer Lake City Bank; Rich Haddad, Executive Director of K21 Health Foundation; and Brandi Grimm, Medtronic.

KOSCIUSKO COUNTY —Kosciusko Leadership Academy recently met at The Kosciusko County Community Foundation, where cadets learned about philanthropy in Kosciusko County.

Suzie Light, Executive Director of the KCCF spoke on the topic of philanthropy and the focus of a community foundation.  Light defined philanthropy as sharing time, talent and treasure for the good of others.  She shared that a community foundation has three distinct features: a permanent endowment, a broad, flexible purpose and personalized giving. 

Light stated that the mission of the KCCF is to bring caring people and charitable endeavors together to make donor dreams shine for the good of the community.  The KCCF has funded various needs in the community through grants and scholarships. It manages 335 endowed funds, has $51.8 million in assets, and has granted $28,395,543 throughout Kosciusko County since 1992.

Rich Haddad, Executive Director of the K21 Health Foundation, spoke to the cadets about the history of the foundation, charitable giving, and the differences between a community foundation and a private foundation.  He stressed the importance of living generously and investing in order to give back financially.  The K21 Health Foundation was founded in 1999 with $63 million in funds obtained by the sale of the hospital, which was a nonprofit entity.  Continuing in the original vision of the hospital founders, it was created to help promote health and wellness for the citizens of Kosciusko County.  In the past 16 years, over $40 million has been distributed throughout the community by the K21 Health Foundation, and it has helped fund projects such as the Center for Lakes and Streams, the greenway project, the Winona Lake Limitless Park, and programs such as Joe’s Kids, Heartline Pregnancy Center and Medication and Dental Assistance. 

Peggy Michel, Vice President and Trust Officer at Lake City Bank, shared with the cadets the importance of good financial planning.  She emphasized that many of the philanthropic endeavors discussed during the course of the session were made possible by individuals who had carefully managed and invested their money.  Because of the responsible management of their resources, they were able to give back financially.

The next KLA session will be held at the Kosciusko Community Hospital Wellness Center, where cadets will learn about healthcare in Kosciusko County.

KLA is a not for profit organization devoted to serving Kosciusko County by encouraging leaders and future leaders to dream and create a better community through white paper projects.