Generosity and selflessness run rampant in the region, and we're happy to let it. This year has seen so many great people, businesses, and groups doing great things; for no reason other than to help their communities flourish.
There were a lot to choose from, but we were able to find the Top 10 Community articles that we and our readers loved. Want to experience multiple feel-good moments? Read on to see the Top 10 NWIndianaLife Community Articles of 2015.
It you have a good story to share, send an email to share@nwindianalife.com and we’ll be on it!
2015 Northwest Indiana Graduation Station
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Of all the events we see throughout the year, graduations and commencements are the ones that most embody our good news mission. To see all the hard work put in and out of the classroom by students, parents, teachers, coaches, families and friends culminate in one event, with everyone across the school celebrating the same thing, it's just awesome.
We will have literally thousands of photos from the Class of 2015, just like we did last year, and we couldn't be happier to share these shots of all of these thousands of Northwest Indiana's best and brightest students.
Crown Point is Putting Itself on the Map with New Sports Complex
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For those who live in or spend a good amount of time in Crown Point, you know that big changes are happening in the city, namely on 109th Avenue.
A 95-acre athletic campus is being built, the Crown Point Sportsplex, and it will provide tons of opportunities for not only the City of Crown Point, but for amateur sports teams, youth sports teams and clubs, businesses, and enthusiasts all over the country.
The Duneland Family YMCA has a lot to Celebrate!
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The Duneland Family YMCA hosted a special celebration breakfast at the Spa Events Center in Porter, IN. Like all YMCAs, there is a lot of good going on inside and outside of Duneland Y’s walls. Not everyone knows that, though, and this morning’s event was about shouting out the vision and mission that the Duneland YMCA pursues.
People trickled in to the beautiful banquet hall, warmly greeting one another as more and more guests arrived. Finally when the room was full, Dave Kasarda, the new CEO of the Duneland Family YMCA, welcomed everyone and began the program.
Indiana Beverage, Miller Coors, Strack and Van Til Team Up to Feed 600 Families in Northwest Indiana
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Unsatisfied hunger is a growing problem in low income families all across the nation. It hits especially hard this time of year, when parents are struggling to put food on the table and gifts under the tree. No one wants to deny their child the miracle of Christmas. Fortunately for the city of East Chicago, the Strack and Van Til, Miller Coors, and Indiana Beverage Christmas Dinner Drive is growing too.
Seven years ago the two corporations united to fill a need they saw in their community. Stracks, Miller Coors, and Indiana Beverage partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of East Chicago and have been hosting this drive at the Club every year since. This December it fell on the 16th.
City of Hammond Honors Community at Volunteer Awards Ceremony
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Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott, Jr. and the City of Hammond Planning and Development Committee honored its citizens and organizations that are helping make a difference in the community through giving back at the 29th Annual Volunteer Awards Ceremony today.
McDermott said these awards hold a special place in his heart, as every effort made, every minute volunteered in the City of Hammond, go a long way towards building a better community.
Finding Gary: An Interview with Jerry Davich on his Latest Book Lost Gary
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Jerry Davich, writer, columnist, radio host and author of his latest book "Lost Gary: Rusted Landmarks of the Steel City" originally had little interest in the city of Gary, the city he grew up in. The city was crumbling, the buildings abandoned relics of a bygone era and its populace, an aging group of individuals whose best memories of the one-time “wonder city” are long gone.
This changed once he and his fiance and fellow radio show host Karen Walker took a walk through the different areas of Gary, getting a close look at the crumbling city that once was.
The Crown Point Community Foundation: Affecting the Community Forever
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If you ever doubt that just one idea can make a profound impact for the community in which you live, read on! In the summer of 1990, Dr. John Birdzell was summering at his vacation home in Michigan. The town where he was living had something they called a community foundation. The idea intrigued him and, upon further research, he found it to be a way that people could work together to benefit their community forever.
Dr. Birdzell brought this idea to Crown Point and arranged a meeting with some friends from the Crown Point Rotary Club. Harold Wheeler, Joe Nerney, Tim Sendak, Mike Grant, Larry Rouge, Herman Barber, and his son John Birdzell were in attendance. He explained how a foundation would allow people to make charitable gifts. Those gifts would then be collected and invested and the income generated would benefit their community forever! Harold Wheeler made the initial investment of $1,000. Those founding members bought stationary, stamps, and business cards and in August 1990, founded the Crown Point Community Foundation.
4th Annual Rock ‘N Rail 5K/1M Goes Off With a Bang
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The 4th annual Rock ‘N Rail 5K/1M rocked the socks off all participants this morning. With a race accompanied by live music, food vendors, and entertainment, all attending had only one option: have a rockin’ good time!
Over 200 runners ages 8 to 68 took off at noon, hoping to not only support a great cause, but also place in their age division. Awards were presented to the top male and female overall as well as overall masters. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers were also awarded in each age division.
Empowering People: How TradeWinds Gives Help to Those Who Need it Most
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When you first step foot into TradeWinds, an enormous sense of comfort and warmth overwhelms you. Maybe it’s the bright and inviting colors on the walls. Maybe it’s the attractive graphics from MixDesign. Perhaps it’s the smiling, faces of everyone who passes you by. Whatever the reason, one thing is clear: at TradeWinds, everyone is welcome and everyone has strong potential.
TradeWinds began its journey in the 1940’s when it was called the Lake County Association for Crippled Children. The organization offered speech hearing and therapy services to children with disabilities. In the late 50’s and early 60’s, the society’s director Ted Dombrowski was able to gather volunteers to construct the original TradeWinds building. This was referred to as their “Labor of Love”.
Lake Area United Way's Packapalooza: The Perfect Recipe for Fun and Giving
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Imagine if the energy of Lollapalooza was transferred into charity work. It has been - and it’s result is in Lake Area United Way’s PackaPalooza. The LAUW’s yearly event hosts different companies and their workers to come together and make meals to be donated towards the Foodbank of Northwest Indiana. The event is Lake Area’s answer to the United Way Day of Caring, Northwest Indiana’s largest communal effort of volunteering. From breakfast, to dancing while sorting noodles, the Packapalooza was an incredible morning for everyone involved.
Over 400 people from around 25 companies, along with individual volunteers, joined the Lake Area Way in their efforts on Friday morning at the Radisson Hotel in Merrillville - which is almost double the amount from the previous year. The power of word of mouth and the impression from previous years has lead to the event to grow to substantial and life changing numbers for the people who receive the meals made that morning.