By BRAD D. ROGERS
Sheriff, Elkhart County and President of the Post Board

The Post Youth Center began in 2002 as a safe haven and a resource center for at-risk children of the greater Goshen area. Now in its 13th year of operation, The Post continues to serve Goshen’s youth by providing adult mentorship and programming in life skills as well as a place for recreation and a place to build helpful relationships. Coordinating its efforts with those of other local organizations, The Post has become an invaluable resource for meeting the needs of the kids of our community.

Last fall, at the beginning of the cool weather season, The Post experienced a heating system failure that resulted in the need for a complete replacement of the original system that was part of the century-old building that formerly housed the Goshen Post Office. An emergency stop-gap solution was put in place thanks to a generous emergency grant from the Elkhart Community Foundation and the generosity of other friends in the community.

Now The Post is faced with the task of funding and implementing a permanent solution that will provide a reliable heat source for many years to come. The first step was to submit a grant request to the Elkhart Community Foundation. That grant application seeks $50,000, half of the $100,000 needed to complete the project. The funding plan also seeks to raise the other $50,000 from the community in the form of donations. As stated earlier, $10,000 was made available as an emergency grant by the Elkhart Community Foundation. The Post is hoping for a favorable decision on the part of the Foundation for the remaining $40,000.

A capital campaign has begun to raise $50,000 in matching funds to the hoped-for grant from the Elkhart Community Foundation. This effort is being supported by Goshen’s mayor, Allen Kauffman, Goshen City Police Chief, Wade Branson, Elkhart County Sheriff, Brad Rogers, Goshen City Council, as well as many other generous people in various Goshen service clubs, churches, and businesses.

From 7 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 7, there will be a pancake and sausage breakfast fundraiser at The Post on Lincoln Avenue in Goshen. This annual event, now in its 11th year, has become a much- anticipated opportunity for the community to visit The Post, to help raise operating funds, and to fellowship with the staff, volunteers, and kids of The Post.

Anyone that desires to help the kids at The Post to stay warm this winter should send their donations to: The Post, P.O. Box 124, Goshen.