Community Foundation Awards $817,500 in Special Project Grants

As part of its 2024 fall grants cycle, the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County has awarded $817,500 to the following organizations:

Mishawaka Parks & Recreation Foundation Inc.: $200,000
The Miracle League Field at Normain Heights Park project was established to increase access, awareness, and the quality of life for people with disabilities in St. Joseph County and beyond. As the region’s first Miracle Field, participants will finally have the chance to play organized baseball in a safe, welcoming environment while giving families a place to connect and build lasting relationships. The field, along with additional features, are part of a two-phase renovation plan for Normain Heights, a park that has not undergone any significant improvements since it was built 50+ years ago. Funds are intended for both phases of the project.

Hope Ministries: $137,500
Hope Ministries recently launched Phase 1 of its Campaign for Home. Phase 1 addresses critical infrastructure, safety and revenue needs to ensure the home Hope provides to families, men and women will endure for years to come and sets the stage for Phase 2 which will expand and enhance the home. Hope has about 100 residents, which includes a combination of separate housing sections for men, women and families. They serve their residents lunch and dinner daily, along with an additional 95 people per day from the community who are in need.

Habitat for Humanity of St. Joseph County: $125,000
Funds will be utilized to support costs associated with launching Habitat for Humanity’s new Homeownership Training Center, which will also serve as their organizational headquarters. This vibrant space – a renovated former medical building in Mishawaka – will be large enough to accommodate organizational growth and allow Habitat to facilitate more mission-driven services in a single, welcoming location. By addressing their space, logistical, and safety challenges, Habitat will be able to better meet St. Joseph County’s growing need for affordable housing.

Potawatomi Zoological Society: $100,000
Funds will support the Potawatomi Zoo’s newest capital project, Big Cat Tracks, a state-of-the-art Amur tiger and leopard habitat. This project will be the first expansion in the Zoo’s history, incorporating two additional acres recently acquired from the City of South Bend, adjacent to the current Zoo border. This unique experience integrates the existing landscape of the park, creating a naturalistic experience for not only the big cats, but for guests as well.

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Northern Indiana Corridor (BGCNIC): $100,000
Funds will help support BGC’s Leadership Academy, which will provide academic enrichment, personal growth opportunities, character and leadership development for suspended students from local partner school districts. The building will also have a training hub for Club staff during the day and a Tween Center after school, providing 5-8th graders access to these high-quality programs. This project addresses a vital community need and aligns with BGC’s mission to prepare all youth for successful futures.

Neighbor to Neighbor: $50,000
Funds will help support Neighbor to Neighbor’s (N2N) project expansion to hire a full-time social worker to improve the quality and impact of services, ensuring sustainable support for immigrant and refugee families. N2N seeks to enhance its capacity to transform the South Bend community by alleviating isolation and fostering empathy among immigrant and refugee newcomers and local residents. N2N plans to increase their volunteer teams by 50%, totaling 12-15 teams and to increase the number of newcomer families they support by expanding their capacity to 125 individuals in 2025.

Shirley Heinze Land Trust, Inc.: $40,000
Funds will help support the Lydick Bog Nature Preserve Expansion Project. The project includes preservation of a 93 acre addition to the 178 acre preserve, installation of 1 mile trail to connect the preserve to Pine Road and the Indiana Dinosaur Museum trail system, repair and enhancement of the existing 1.7 mile trail system, installation of informational and interpretive signage, and nature based outdoor programming to activate the trail with the surrounding residents of St. Joseph County.

A Rosie Place for Children (O’Hana Heritage Foundation, Inc.): $25,000
A Rosie Place for Children is embarking on a journey to bring to life the vision of an onsite completely adaptable art studio. Funds will help support a beautifully designed space specifically for medically fragile children and staff to co-create one-of-a-kind pieces of art. This new addition will have a special destination and purpose, be fully accessible and overlook the beautiful natural scenery. “HeARTworks Studio” will foster developmental exploration in a fulfilling sensory environment.

Dustin’s Place: $25,000
Dustin’s Place provides peer grief support to children and families following the death of an important person in their life. This project is an expansion from their current grief support groups; bringing school grief support groups into at least 15 St. Joseph County Schools in 2025. Expansion will include hiring of a School Program Coordinator. Dustin’s Place school program provides a weekly peer grief support group during the school day for 8 weeks each semester. Through this program students learn what grief is and how grief includes so many emotions beyond what is typically believed, coping skills for those emotions, and hope in their grief journey.

Green Bridge Growers: $15,000
Funds will support Green Bridge Growers’ Farm to Preschool project. This project expands on a US Department of Agriculture grant awarded to pilot this program. This is a carefully crafted format that incorporates an in-class farm to preschool curriculum, family engagement (cooking demos, nutrition education, tours), preschool gardens, and local food sourcing. Green Bridge Growers’ goal is to create a sustained model for delivering their preschool curriculum through existing partnerships with Ready to Grow St. Joe, area colleges and universities, specifically St. Mary’s College Speech and Language Department.