Community Foundation of Elkhart County

10/19/2026

What a wonderful evening celebrating compassion and the generosity of our community!

Thank you to First Light Mission for the incredible work you do and for bringing our community together at the 31st annual A Place at the Table fundraiser.

We were honored to celebrate the Heart of Compassion Award recipients, including our own Andy Murray, Julene Joy of Fix Salon and GPD Patrolman Jon McKalips.

Congratulations to all and thank you to everyone who helps make First Light Mission's work possible!

10/15/2026

Our staff took some time for a lunch-and-learn this week, with our own Lauren King leading a discussion of Brené Brown’s TED Talk “The Power of Vulnerability.” We enjoyed learning together and sharing how we try to practice vulnerability at the Community Foundation.

10/14/2026

Time update: The Guys Who Give check presentation is now at 3:30 p.m.

Last week, the men of Guys Who Give gathered for their first meeting in Elkhart County. They heard the nominations, cast their votes, and chose Ryan's Place to receive $25,000.

Dave Hawkins nominated Ryan’s Place, which walks alongside children, teens, and families in our community who are grieving. That’s hard, quiet work, and we’re grateful these guys decided to stand behind it together.

Guys Who Give members, please join us for the check presentation at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, at Ryan’s Place, 1566 Regent St., Goshen. You’ll meet the staff, tour the building, and see up close how Ryan’s Place helps families here.

Thank you to every man who showed up and gave.

10/12/2026

For more than a dozen years, women in Elkhart County have been gathering quarterly to give generously. The next meeting is Tuesday at the Matterhorn. If you are interested in this giving circle, we would love to see you there.

We hope to see you at our quarterly meeting on Tuesday at the Matterhorn. Come celebrate generosity with us at our fall gathering.

10/08/2026

Thursday is DAF Day, and we are celebrating our donors who make a huge difference with their donor advised funds.

In fiscal year 2025-26, donors recommended $15 million in grants from more than 225 donor advised funds at the Community Foundation of Elkhart County. That's $15 million going to nonprofits and causes.

If you've wished giving were simpler, a donor advised fund might fit. You give to your fund and receive the tax deduction right away, then recommend grants whenever and wherever you like. We take care of the details.

To all our fund holders: thank you.

Learn more at inspiringgood.org/give or call (574) 295-8761.

10/07/2026

Our first Guys Who Give meeting was a huge success. Founders Jeff Boomershine and Curt Yoder led the charge to raise and give $25,000 in less than an hour. Three nonprofits were nominated as potential recipients, and Ryan's Place will get the grant after last night's vote. Nearly 50 men gathered for the first meeting of this new giving circle. The next meeting will be May 4. Learn more: https://inspiringgood.org/initiatives/guys-who-give/

10/06/2026

Tonight is the night. Guys Who Give Elkhart County holds its first meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Maplecrest Country Club.

If you are a man with ties to Elkhart County and you have been thinking about it, this is your sign. Come see how a group of guys pooling their giving can add up to real help for a local nonprofit. We would love to see you there.

10/02/2026

Jeff Boomershine and Curt Yoder had a simple idea: what if a group of men pooled their resources twice a year and gave it all to one local nonprofit? They brought that idea to the Community Foundation of Elkhart County, and now it has a name: Guys Who Give Elkhart County.

The first meeting is four days away, Tuesday, Oct. 6. Each member gives $500 twice a year. At every meeting, members nominate local nonprofits, hear about a few, and then vote. The nonprofit with the most votes takes home that meeting's donation.

You can register here. Or just show up on Tuesday and join the fun: https://tally.so/r/D46Ggp

09/29/2026

Our team took time on Monday afternoon for professional development, and it was so good to learn together and think about our roles as individuals in the work we get to do. Thanks to Jess Koscher of Write Connections strategy + design for leading us through a CliftonStrengths session. We learned about ourselves, including how much we treasure building relationships, and about how to sharpen the way we serve donors, nonprofits, and neighbors across Elkhart County.

09/28/2026

We're closing our offices for the afternoon for staff training. We'll be open again at 8 a.m. Tuesday.