K21 Health Foundation proudly celebrated its twenty-year anniversary with a fun evening at the Winona Lake Heritage Room. Our event brought together community leaders, representatives of local non-profit organizations, and both current and former members of K21’s Board of Directors. During the event, Mr. Haddad revealed three separate projects that K21 plans to complete in the coming months.
The first was the establishment of a permanent home for K21 Health Foundation. In the early part of 2019, K21’s Board of Directors voted to purchase the property located at 1101 Park Avenue in Winona Lake. Following a complete remodel, K21’s staff plans to begin operating out of the building in late spring 2020. We are so excited that we will have a permanent home!
The second announcement was a commitment of up to $1 million for the construction of an ice rink in Kosciusko County. There are a large number of activities in the warmer months, however there is a limited number of things to do locally in the winter. Although the location of the ice rink has yet to be determined, the Board of Directors of K21 believe the ice rink will be a great asset to the community for a fun winter activity. As Rich said during his presentation, “It is time!”
The final announcement was a commitment of $1.8 million that will be distributed to nine of the smaller communities in Kosciusko County. Claypool, Etna Green, Leesburg, Mentone, Milford, North Webster, Pierceton, Silver Lake, and Syracuse, will each have the chance to receive up to $200,000 for projects that will focus on health and wellness opportunities in their communities. In the coming weeks, Rich and the K21 staff plan to meet with representatives of these communities to discuss the details of the grants. We look forward to learning more about these communities and discussing ways to make healthy activities more accessible for their residents.
