Pictured in front, are Tracy Furnivall, Baker Youth Club; Mackenzie Cloutier, CASA, Rebecca Bazzoni, Joe’s Kids; Ed Brown, Camp C O Mollenhour; and Kay Tusing, Kosciusko County 4-H Council. In back are Kyle Dukes, Lakeland Youth Center; Scott Fox, Anthony Wayne Boy Scout Council; Cindy Cates, Kosciusko Literacy Services; Sharon Pohly, Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana and Southern Michigan; and Jay Micheals, Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts.

KOSCIUSKO — The Kosciusko County Community Foundation announced Endowment Challenge 50 for ten youth-serving organizations this morning, Friday, May 25. This August will mark the 50th anniversary celebration of the foundation. Endowment Challenge 50 is the first of many ways the foundation will celebrate the milestone through the coming year. 

The organizations will have the opportunity to raise $10,000 for their endowments and have those dollars matched with $40,000 for a total of $50,000 for their endowment. Participating organizations were selected based on the number of youth served, program goals, how they build skills, character and knowledge in youth, financial management, the level of their board’s commitment to fundraising and more. 

The organizations receiving this opportunity include Anthony Wayne Boy Scout Council, Baker Youth Club, Camp C O Mollenhour, CASA, Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana and Southern Michigan, Joe’s Kids, Kosciusko County 4-H Council, Kosciusko Literacy Services, Lakeland Youth Center and Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts.

“We are so thrilled that the participating organizations represent a variety of youth serving groups committed to protecting children from abuse and neglect, providing medical therapies, promoting literacy and mentoring and giving kids access to the arts and recreation,” said Kosciusko County Community Foundation Executive Director Suzie Light. “This challenge will help ensure that organizations have a source of consistent revenue for the future and that they have the knowledge and tools they need to serve youth for many generations to come.”

Anthony Wayne Boy Scout Council has been investing in the lives of boys since the early 1900s. The organization currently serves 632 youth from Kosciusko County. Their mission is to serve others by helping instill values in young people and to prepare them to make ethical choices over their lifetime and achieve their full potential.

Baker Youth Club has been serving youth in the county since 1926. Their summer and after school programs provide mentoring, recreation, tutoring, physical activities and snacks to 750 children each year.

Camp C O Mollenhour has been providing camp experiences for youth since 1938. Their mission is to teach the principals of conservation to young people through instruction and experiences in a camp wilderness setting.

CASA of Kosciusko County serves the most vulnerable of the community’s children. They recruit, train and support volunteers to serve children in the family court system who are at risk for abuse and neglect. Last year, they served 269 children.

Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana and Southern Michigan’s mission is to build girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place. They accomplish their mission through programs for girls in kindergarten through grade 12.

Joe’s Kids serves special needs children with physical, occupational and speech therapy. Last year, they served 242 children from Kosciusko County helping them develop motor, cognitive and communication skills.

Kosciusko County 4-H Council has been serving the county since the 1920s by providing real-life educational opportunities that develop young people who will have a positive impact in their communities. Over 750 local youth benefit from the programming.

Kosciusko Literacy Services has been helping children and adults learn to read for the last 25 years. Their children’s programs include Read to Grow, Baby’s First Book, Reading Won’t Wait and Plant the Seed – Read.

Lakeland Youth Center offers youth community services and programs that cultivate academic excellence, encourage physical and emotional health and develop children’s personal and interpersonal skills. Through sports, crafts and preschool programs, they are meeting the needs of hundreds of children each year.

Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts has been providing youth programming for the past 13 years. They serve nearly 5,000 local youth through holiday field trips, acting and dance classes, art competitions and summer workshops.

Endowment Challenge 50 was made possible through the partnership of Dekko Foundations, Kosciusko County Community Foundations, the Ruth Lilly Philanthropic Foundation and the Dr. Dane and Mary Louise Miller Foundation. 

Representatives of the ten youth-serving organizations and Kosciusko County Community Foundation gathered this morning, May 25, for the announcement.