Some of the attendees at the We LEAD Kosciusko second callout event are shown. It was held at the Zimmer Biomet Center Lake Pavilion on Tuesday, July 30, and meant to encourage those ages 20-50 to get involved in their community.

Text and Photos
By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Younger adults have learned about ways they can be involved in Kosciusko County through the second We LEAD Kosciusko callout meeting.

Through the event, held Tuesday, July 30, at the Zimmer Biomet Center Lake Pavilion, attendees heard from four speakers on serving the community through clubs, nonprofits, government roles and the Kosciusko Leadership Academy.

We LEAD Kosciusko, aimed at those ages 20-50, was created via the county’s participation in the Indiana Office of Rural and Community Affairs’ Hoosier Enduring Legacy Program, which was meant to guide Indiana counties and communities with spending their American Rescue Act Plan funds on projects to better their communities.

The first callout meeting was held last year. Afterward, several people going through the KLA chose We LEAD as their final White Paper project focus.

As Kosciusko County Community Coordinator Amy Roe noted at Tuesday’s event, We LEAD is now a nonprofit, with more information on it at kosciuskoleadership.org/we-lead-kosciusko.

Before the four main speakers Tuesday, area resident Jeremy Dewell talked on why people should volunteer with their communities.

He’s been involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters, Habitat for Humanity of Kosciusko County and Warsaw Community Church.

Dewell noted volunteering helped him get connected to the community after he moved there when he took a job with Zimmer Biomet.

“I simply think volunteering is the right thing to do. I truly believe in sharing my time, talent and treasure with the community in this stage of my life as a young professional … So finding opportunities to give that has been great,” he said.

“Volunteering is also a way to give back to this community that has become my home,” Dewell added. “There’s so many opportunities here, so how can I give back, how can I contribute to making it better for the next group of people that come in?”

The first speaker Tuesday was former Kosciusko County Community Foundation CEO Suzie Light. She encouraged attendees to get involved in service clubs, like the Rotary Club of Warsaw and Kiwanis Club of Warsaw.

KCCF Vice President of Programs Alex Hall spoke next about involvement in nonprofits. Kosciusko County Councilwoman Sue Ann Mitchell spoke about both appointed roles in government, like park boards and redevelopment commissions, and elected local ones.

KLA Moderator Allyn Decker then spoke about the leadership academy.

Attendees then could network and check out organizations who had information booths, such as Court Appointed Advocates of Kosciusko County, the Rotary Club of Warsaw and the Animal Welfare League of Kosciusko County.

Roe said after the presentations that she was “super excited that KLA took (on We LEAD Kosciusko).”

“The hope is because they have that nonprofit, that really will be the key to making sure that the program and the organization is a lasting legacy,” she said. “We are excited to see what (the We LEAD) team will do and hope that everybody chooses to support them.”