Pictured, from left, are Lindsay Castro, director of Indiana Department of Child Services – Kosciusko County; Darren Bickel, director of United Way of Kosciusko County; KLA Cadet Cari Wells, 1st Source Bank; KLA Cadet Kelly Engle, 1st Source Bank; KLA Cadet Jason Brandyberry, Zimmer Biomet.

KOSCIUSKO — The Kosciusko Leadership Academy recently met at the K21 Health Services Pavilion in Warsaw to learn about the many social services available to our area residents.

Rich Haddad, President & CEO, K21 Health Foundation, started the morning off by sharing the history behind the development of the K21 Health Services Pavilion. “The building is home to a variety of non-profit tenants and programs which offer health-related services and meet the needs of the community. The building is here to help Kosciusko County residents by providing a single location for multiple health and social service agencies.”

Guest speakers included Vickie Lootens, chief development officer of Cardinal Services; Lindsay Castro, director of Indiana Department of Child Services in Kosciusko County; and Darren Bickel, director of United Way of Kosciusko County. 

Vickie Lootens of Cardinal Services talked about the various programs they offer to the community. Their services include:

• Assisting families with young children through one of the many programs they manage including WIC, Early Head Start / Head Start and Healthy Families;
• Assisting individuals with disabilities by providing day services, group and community living accommodations.  Also provided is job training and placement through Career Links and CCI (which is Cardinal’s manufacturing workshop), for meaningful employment for people with disabilities.
• Providing transportation through Kosciusko Area Bus Service. KABS is available to all Kosciusko county residents. KABS is Medicaid approved and can transport to medical appointments statewide.

Cardinal Services is primarily funded through Medicaid, as well as through other state, federal and local sources. Their staff of 500 employees service over 4,000 residents in Kosciusko, Cass, Marshall and Fulton counties.

Lindsay Castro of the Indiana Department of Child Services in Kosciusko County provided insights into how they go about preventing child abuse and neglect, and work to ensure children’s financial support. Recently, a new hotline number was set up for the area that people can call to get assistance or report concerns of possible child abuse or neglect. The number is (800) 800-5556.

Darren Bickel, director of United Way of Kosciusko County, had the cadets go through an exercise that challenged them to think about the priorities people who are financially challenged are faced with when determining how to spend their income. He then expanded on how the United Way can assist those that might find themselves in a certain situation by connecting them to the right resources. To access these resources, residents have several options:

• Call 2-1-1 or (877) 502-0700
• Text your zip code to 898211
• Search the database online at myunitedway2-1-1.org

There are numerous resources available to help our residents, ranging from financial assistance for individuals or families, programs to support education or job training, to healthcare options including preventative measures.

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. For more information about KLA, you can visit our website at www.kosciuskoleadership.org or on Facebook.