1234.

Get my shoes in.

Out the door.

Five.

I'm lost.

Six.

Seven.

Eight.

Feels great.

I'm gonna shine.

After I do what I'm gonna do.

I do it again.

Yeah.

Look at the sky with the beautiful color.

But never just for me.

You gotta share it with another.

I got to show, to give.

Let I want singing show.

Take a look and say a beautiful morning that turns into a beautiful evening.

And together make beautiful art.

And if you wanna see that, come along with me.

That's right.

Welcome to Experience Michiana.

Thank you so much for being with us as we get out and explore the Michiana area.

We have a lot going on this week.

We're going to find out about a senior resource tailgate party.

We're also going to find out about a three day tree Blitz where you can help plant trees in Elkhart area.

It's 175 years of railroad in the Elkhart area as well.

And there's a celebration for that too.

But first up, a tour of the new Downtown Ministries facility in Elkhart.

So I'm here on High Street in downtown Elkhart, and I'm here with Jim Dreyer.

Here's the executive director of Downtown Ministries.

And Jim, tell me a bit about the property that we're at now.

I know that it used to belong to another nonprofit organization who then gifted it to your organization, and you're putting in all the effort to turn it into something amazing now.

So tell me a little bit about that.

Yeah.

So we are so honored, honored to be able to work with Rita.

I read A gifted this house to us.

In return.

They're going to be able then to have been able to send us a women with children to live in this house and the two apartments that we be having here.

So that's going to be a real cool thing, is to really appreciate what Rita has done to get us really started here in the community.

And so up until now, has most of your work been in Goshen and now you're branching into Elkhart, or is it being all over the county?

No, it's it's all over Elkhart now.

We are in faith mission.

We have a teen group with with a job to life.

This comes from probation.

So we're super excited about what's happening here.

As we get we're going to be having additional classes here in this facility here.

So we are really ramping up here for the 1st of January.

And so I know that you've put in a lot of work.

It was amazing to get this house gifted to you, but I know that you've also done a lot of fundraising and a lot of spending on getting it up to code and and to a place that can really help your nonprofit and your mission at flourish and just continue to grow.

So let's head inside.

Let's have a look at some of the progress.

And I did get to see it about a year ago, so I'm excited to see how it looks now.

So let's head inside.

So Jim these floors, that's the most immediate big improvement that I see here.

It's amazing.

Yeah.

Who's your hardwoods?

They they they really get behind us.

And our real big supporter of ours, and they've come through here.

And a magnificent job.

Now it looks absolutely amazing.

So tell me a little bit about this space.

I know that you're going to have an open house here on December 10th, which I know that you're hoping, you know, viewers of Experience Michiana do come along to as well.

So the open House on December 10th at 2 p.m.. What are you hoping that people really learn about this space?

Like what's it all going to be used for, especially the room we're in right now.

So yes, I'm super excited for the The Open House because people are going to come here.

They're going to learn their classroom space, different classes we're going to offer here for the community to really help develop people, to help people change their lives.

So this space is going to be used a lot here in the future.

And I want people to understand how people can come to us and really help improve their lives.

Like one of the classes I'm familiar with is faith and finances.

And I know as well that, you know, it's it's all well and good to help people today.

But really, what you're trying to do is ensure that people just kind of can do their own thing in the future, because we all have habits that we've learned from, whether it's parents or our life or whatever, and we all have our good and bad habits, right?

And sometimes people just need the knowledge to be able to move forward on their own two feet.

Right?

So, you know, faith in finances, they're going to learn the track their expenses and say, oh, maybe I should be doing something different.

Maybe they see something like it.

Maybe you could change that.

And they also begin to realize, okay, maybe I can have an emergency fund because, you know, sometimes life happens and things take place where I need some extra money to be able to, you know, change things.

Well, this house is going to add massive value and I know they're going to love it so much.

So what else do you want to show us on here?

I mean, there's three floors in this.

There's a part where do you want us to go next?

Well, we can go ahead and go on spares.

Okay.

You want to head upstairs?

All right, let's do that.

So this is this is also going to be a classroom up here.

We'll have, kitchen cabinets here.

I'm going to actually make this a place for an emergency because, you know, we won't have some apartments that, for example, they can stay for a year and on transitional apartments.

But what about somebody in a domestic situation?

They got to get out.

And so we have a place here where someone can come and stay here and actually be safe.

Yeah.

And create a safe spot, that safe place where people can actually come and, you know, be able to figure out what's the next step is So yeah.

So basically are we going to go up to the apartment, the classroom there.

There's another apartment here.

I don't want to see anything with this, but this is going to be the that you walk through.

This is going to be one apartment here.

And so be two official apartments.

Apartments are such an important part of your mission too, because again, financially, like apartments, the price of apartments has gone through the roof, no pun intended.

I mean, the cost of housing has gone up so much, but you're talking about somebody who might leave a domestic violence situation.

They don't have a deposit saved up, or maybe all the funds are.

Maybe they're being in a way held captive by money, too, because maybe they don't have access to it.

So that's so important.

I know that's just one scenario, but having housing is a big plus, right?

But if we can charge a low cost rent to get started.

You know, and they begin to actually go through that faith and finance class, be able to save money, maybe get them back on their feet where they actually can find a place that's more permanent.

Now, the third floor, when I came to visit a year ago was kind of dark and me, but I'm excited to see it now because it's changed quite a lot.

Right.

okay I wish you could see the steel.

Do you have a photo from a year ago that we could show?

I would love if you have one.

You'll know if we found one as to whether it's on screen right now.

But this looks so incredible compared to a year ago.

This is the best kept secret about the whole project.

Yeah, I mean, I can live up here.

That's all I get about this is a phenomenal change.

It took place I'm up here.

So we're going to.

You're actually going to almost make two bedrooms up here okay.

You know, for a mom or children to live up here and super excited.

And we made it so that you've got plenty of light coming in.

Yeah.

For being up here.

And so this is this is great.

It is.

And again the open house is on December 10th.

We wanted to get in nice and early to give people time to actually like react to that and get ready for that.

And so you have some finishing touches.

So what's next on the list of things that you're going to do here just to finish the house off.

Yeah.

So we're going to be putting cabinets coming in.

Kitchen cabinets are coming in.

And then of course we'll finish the ceiling on first and second floor.

And you know we'll be putting in trim and just to really do a lot of the finishing touches.

So super excited to get this all wrapped up.

And you know, I can't even stress having seen this a year ago or more.

And when you did the official handover read, I got to see it.

The amount of work and effort and money that you put into fixing this, this was no small undertaking.

Right, exactly.

And so we're just so appreciative of the community coming beside us and helping us.

And it really is a community effort.

And you see what happens.

And so we're looking forward to the future.

And how are we going to use this space for, you know, many years to come?

Absolutely.

Hey, I always say when you do the right thing for the right reasons, people really step up and support you.

So I don't think you'll ever fail because you're doing it for the right reason.

So, congratulations.

I hope people come along on December 10th at 2 p.m.. I think it's going to be a great open house, and I just can't wait for people to see it in all its glory.

Thank you very much.

Appreciate you coming up here and promoting what's happening here.

And I know that for anyone who doesn't want to wait that long, you do have a your banquet that's coming up as well here soon on October 8th.

Can you tell me a little bit about that?

Yeah.

So we would have feature people actually have come through our programs and being able to see and see how those programs have helped change their lives.

And so it's an opportunity to see that happen.

It's going to be on Thursday, October 8th, and doors open at five.

Mill begins at 6:00.

And you can go on to Downtown Dog and Slash Banquet, and you can register to come to that event.

I'd love to have people come.

Absolutely.

And I know that's a big fundraiser and helps towards all the things that you're doing here.

So congratulations once again, thank you for showing us around.

And most importantly, I can't wait to see all the lives that are going to be transformed in this building.

So thank you for doing what you do.

Thank you.

Well, thank you so much for joining us today.

This one is a special event that we have our friends putting on over at the Portage Commons, the Senior Enrichment Center.

You guys have been around for just over a year, but putting together something that's unique for our seniors in the area and the community, and I'm so excited to have Sandy and Stephanie here with me today.

Thank you, ladies for joining me.

Thank you.

Now this is a unique opportunity for people to, well, maybe get out and cheer on their team if you will, but in a different kind of way.

You guys are hosting your first official tailgate.

Tell us all about it.

Well, Stephanie and I actually met just a couple of months ago here through Portage Commons.

She's with Southern Cross.

We started to discuss our love of our senior community and population, and the resources that are out there.

And maybe our seniors don't have ready access to share all in one location.

So we realized quickly that our minds thought freakishly alike, and we joined forces to basically bring together any important resource that our seniors could need, as well as their family members.

I love that.

So this is really a community resource fair for our senior members of the community, and putting it into kind of the football season, if you will.

Absolutely.

Of course, you know.

And Irish country.

This is a big, very important time of the year.

So we thought we might as well, tail on that pun intended to bring our seniors into the community center and give them the resources that, they may need, not even know that they need at this point.

I love that, and that is such an important thing to do, especially, you know, getting those resources out there.

And, like you said, not necessarily even knowing what is available within the community and in the expanded community, as far as the reach that you're hoping for people to come in.

How far out are you touching?

Is this for Saint Joseph County residents?

This is actually for anyone.

A 60 or over or family members in the area.

So anybody that sees this broadcast, you know, no matter what state or county that they're from there.

Absolutely welcome here.

I love that.

Now tell me a little bit more about your organization and how you hold yourself into all of this.

So, my background is in originally in education, and I have a family background.

My mom was a hospice nurse for my entire lives growing up.

Oh, wow.

So I actually combined my two interests education and hospice, and have found the the perfect position for me at Southern Care Hospice.

I love education.

So when Sandy and I were thinking about, you know what?

What can we do to impact the community?

It was a big deal to me to bring the the education point into the picture.

But also, the reason we chose the tailgate was because, you know, everybody needs to have a little fun, too.

So entertainment.

You guys are definitely.

I love your.

I love your referee uniforms.

You're already ready to go for that too.

Yes we are.

Okay, so I'm guessing can people come dress in to theme if that, if they want to?

Absolutely.

They can come as a football player.

They want to come as a basketball player.

Absolutely a cheerleader.

They can come in any shape or form.

And the more fun, the better for everyone involved.

Oh, I would love if we have some of our seniors who still have like their cheer uniform from Riley or something like that.

That would be so cool to see.

So make sure you share pictures with us, Sandy on this.

We absolutely will.

Now, this is the first time you guys are doing this though, right?

So you guys haven't done this before?

We have not done this before.

No.

Okay.

So hopefully this will be an annual thing for you guys.

Absolutely.

Yes.

We are hoping for that.

You know, we will we will admit we are a little bit limited on real estate here inside the building.

And of course, the football team tied in.

So we're going to utilize the parking lot.

And it's going to be fun.

We're going to have live music.

We're going to have food.

We're going to have raffle prizes and, resources and every from Medicare to legal counsel to health to rehabilitation centers.

You know, every stage of, aging and housing, we're going to have vaccinations here from the Saint Joseph County Health Department.

So there's just a little bit of everything to offer.

Forever Learning Institute will be here for, of course, a little bit of entertainment and leisure, but, we believe we've covered all bases.

That's wonderful.

Now, you said it is happening in the parking lot.

So is there alternative parking where people need to arrive at?

There is parking.

We do have parking.

North and south on North Williams Street.

East and west on Colfax.

We have a rear lot behind our building.

We will have signs indicating.

And First Presbyterian Church has been gracious enough to offer parking down closer to the Lincoln Way portion.

We will have signs and referees directing traffic there as well.

Of course, if you see a referee, you know you're in the right zone.

Exactly.

You're in the end zone.

Okay.

So all of these what I'm assuming I know, Stephanie, you are one of the vendors that are going to be there as well too.

Are you guys decorating to the theme?

Is it is it going to go along with that?

Yes.

We are decorating tailgate style.

Kind of also trunk or treat style rather.

So and then we're having a little competition amongst the vendors, so, so that we make sure everybody is everything really spruced up in the spirit of the event.

So I'm really looking forward to it.

Sandy and I are a little competitive as well.

So we're really getting into the theme exactly this hour.

Oh, well, for you, our seniors will actually and family members will receive a scorecard upon their arrival when they register.

Said scorecard will deliver them to all of the vendors here, where they will have their scorecard stamped, and then drop it in the end zone to be entered for a raffle prize at the end of the event.

I love that.

Now we I want to make sure we say, when is this event happening?

This is Friday, October 9th from 1 to 4 p.m.. Okay.

So it's during the weekday.

So a great opportunity for our friends to get out and enjoy some hopefully sunshine out there.

But it is an outdoor event.

Is that rain or shine that is rain or shine?

We do have an additional plan to bring vendors in if need be, but we have our fingers crossed.

We are doing some Hail Marys to ensure that we have that good weather and just talk to us about, you know, why it's so important to have a resource fair like this for our senior citizens in the community?

You know, I really think that, it's one of those things.

And I'm getting older now as well, that we sometimes put off looking into the resources we need.

I think part of that is our own denial, maybe.

Or sometimes it's just human nature that we don't actually look for the resources until we're in the thick of it.

So, you know, Stephanie and I and I both talked about wanting to ensure that our seniors know where to locate assistance from, you know, looking at secondary insurance benefits.

And you know, how different companies.

You know, cater to different needs.

And this can be specific to their health needs.

Knowing that we have medical offices that work with strictly Medicare in the area.

That's a whole resource knowing that, you know, we have Saint Joe County pace.

If they wanted a one stop shop or they could go for physical therapy and transportation and doctor's visits and meals that that's out there knowing that if they're looking to do a state planning or trust or anything of that nature, we have that information knowing when it comes to rehabilitation that, of course, sometimes it's, you know, down to who may have space for you at that given moment, but they absolutely have a choice in where they go for said rehabilitation, where they go for long term care, where they go for assisted living or independent living.

And where they find entertainment within the community.

So we just wanted to make all of the resources available as they make their stops.

And we really do hope that they find that there was something that they didn't realize they were looking for.

Yeah.

I just want to add that planning for the end of life, you know, it doesn't have to be so scary when you know who to turn to, who can give you support, and you can plan and make it, you know, a little less stressful on your family and your loved ones too.

So absolutely.

Well, thank you ladies so much for putting this together.

This is a really exciting event that you guys have.

Friday is happening next week.

From 1 to 4.

So we want people to make sure they come.

So for our senior citizens and their caregivers to what wonderful resources you have, and I can just see this continuing to grow.

We're going to need more than 100 yard field to put this in pretty soon.

Well thank you Courtney.

We really hope for a touchdown with this event and we appreciate you.

We're going to have a lot of fun.

Thank you ladies.

Well.

We always love to show you ways to get involved in the community as you get out and experience Michiana, and there's a really cool way to do that this weekend.

And Annie is joining us to tell us about Three Day Tree Blitz, which is the end, the culminating end of a grant that you guys got to plant a whole bunch of trees.

Tell me first of all about the project overall, how many trees were a part of this process and how many do you have left?

Yeah.

So we have a grant to plant 2000 trees around Elkhart by the end of 2028, and we are coming up on our end year goal to get at least the first thousand in, so that tree blitz is to kind of get the rest of them in for this year.

So we have about 400, a little over 400 that have already been planted, and we have 600 waiting to go in the ground.

So we're hoping to kind of go past that thousand a little bit and set us up nicely for next year.

So what are the three days that people can help, get that accomplished?

Yeah.

So we're starting off this Saturday, October 3rd.

That's our first day.

And then we're doing Sunday, October 11th and Monday, October 12th.

We're just bouncing around to some different neighborhoods that need trees.

How do people get information about how they can come be a part of it and and what kind of stuff do they need to bring with them?

Yeah, that's a great question.

So we have a couple of different avenues where they can find the information, our Facebook page, the parks Facebook page.

Those always have information about the events.

And then our city website.

They have a calendar with all of those dates, as well as a nice landing page for our trees for the heart grant.

So if you want any more information about planting or the grant or anything like that, you can go to City of Elkhart and Gov slash trees and that has all the most updated information.

And then if you want to come out and help us, all the stuff is pretty much there.

We bring the trees, we pre-drilled the hole.

So it'll be nice fluffy dirt that you got to scoop out.

But we've got the shovels and the gloves and snacks and everything, so everything's there for you and anybody can help us plant a tree.

So this is really important for the health of the city.

Can you talk about that?

Why?

It's important to what?

People might not know the term tree canopy of the city.

Talk about why it's important to have trees in in our cities.

I would love to.

So, Yeah, this is, like you said, it's really important for the health of our city.

We're essentially trying to plant in urban forest, around, you know, our neighborhoods, and we're focusing on neighborhoods that need it the most.

And what that means is, yeah, there's a canopy cover.

So that's kind of like the overarching, lid of the city.

You know, when you look up and there's like, leaves everywhere, that's what we want to see.

And there's a lot of reasons that trees are really beneficial for, I mean, for our mental health and for our physical health and just for the maintenance of our city.

So some big things that trees help with are shading out, our sidewalks on nice hot, sunny days, but they help reduce energy costs for homes or businesses where there's a lot of extra shade.

It helps reduce what's called the heat island effect.

So all of our pavement and stuff, if there's no shade, it just sucks up all of that heat during the day and then it releases it overnight.

So you never really get a nice cooling effect in the summer.

And trees really help regulate temperatures and they also help with stormwater.

So we had a lot of storms and stuff this year.

And we do have, you know, stormwater systems in place to handle that.

But obviously people did see flooding and trees help with that.

So they take up hundreds of thousands of gallons of stormwater every year.

The bigger they get, the more they take up.

And that's really great for our infrastructure and for the safety of our homes.

We don't want flooded basements or anything, so it's nice to have trees around to help with that.

Not to mention they help with clean air.

They help provide habitat for birds and other critters that you like to see around.

And they also help just with safety.

There's studies that show that people drive more slowly down streets that have trees on both sides of them.

So there's a lot of reasons to have trees, and we're here for every single one of them.

And the reason it's a three day blitz now is because we're kind of reaching the end of the season where we should plant trees because of the frost coming soon.

That's right.

So we want to get them in before the ground freezes.

This is a perfect time to plant.

We've got a little bit of rain coming this week, so the ground's going to be great for those trees that are going in.

It's a lot more comfortable than planting in the middle of the summer, too.

So we'll have some nice, cool weather, and it'll be.

It'll be perfect fall day to get some trees in the ground.

So remind us real quick, what are the days that you guys are doing this three day blitz?

Yeah, so we are doing it Saturday, October 3rd, Sunday, October 11th and Monday, October 12th.

Very good.

And we'll have the link to that on our social media and on our website.

So if you guys missed that earlier we'll make sure that we connect you any.

Thank you so much for all the hard work that you guys are doing, and for helping make our cities a better place.

Yeah, thanks for helping to spread the word.

Well October 3rd.

This weekend is a special anniversary for the Elkhart area in Michiana really as a whole, and it's 175 years of the railway here in our area.

And Brant is here to tell us all about the event that's going to be happening at the museum.

Brant.

Well, congratulations.

I guess the this area has had a rich history with the railway, and you guys are remembering it and preserving it for us in our in our community.

Yes.

And I think it's very important for people to understand, what the real industry has done to our area and of course, the United States in general.

I realize people don't like to wait for trains and whatnot, but it was the railroads, really, that built America.

It was not the highways.

I mean, highways didn't really come into about the 40s and 50s.

But 175 years is kind of remarkable when you think about it.

That's pre-Civil War.

And you wouldn't think in 1851 they would have something as modern as a steam locomotive coming through the area.

The reports that we have found that were written talked about the train coming into the village.

This is Elkhart, the village south of the village in the forest.

And that's where the current rail is right now, which is really downtown Elkhart.

But at the time, it was south of the village in a forest.

So obviously a lot of things have changed since then.

That's true.

And you're preserving that information and everything in between.

And coming up on October 3rd is an event to celebrate that.

Can you give us a sense of what kind of things are going to be happening and what people can experience?

Yeah, we wanted to make sure that people get a a sense of how real developed here in Elkhart.

So obviously the museum itself will be open and then the outdoor activities.

We do have a blacksmith, which of course they would have had in the 1800s.

And he'll be building some things, making things out of actually railroad spikes.

We'll have a live steam locomotive.

It's a miniature locomotive.

It's on rails.

On roller bearings so he can steam it up and run it.

It just won't move forward or backward.

But he can demonstrate how a steam locomotive works.

Well, of course, you know, the food trucks and and some other tables of some other organizations here, as well as live entertainment.

We have some musicians coming in.

Some games and activities for kids.

Kona ice will be here.

And the Kona Ice will be free.

We do have some food trucks that you'd have to purchase from, and admission is free, so everything is free.

It's a very family friendly event.

That's pretty awesome and it's a great place to visit.

It's a great place for the family to visit.

There's something for all ages, and you guys, even right now, are putting in some last finishing touches on, painting one of the cabooses.

And so there's a regular upkeep going on, and you guys are doing a great job of preserving that so the rest of us can experience it.

Yeah, we appreciate that.

Yeah.

I'm I'm in my painting attire today.

I'm not in my, museum attire.

I need to mention also, we hope to be running our authentic 1950s era amusement train, the Century Flier.

And of course, those rides will be free as well.

So.

And the weather?

So, so far sounds like it's going to cooperate.

So it should be a great day.

And will this happen?

Rain or shine?

This will happen rain or shine.

And it runs from 11 to 4.

The museum is open from 10 to 5, but the event itself will run from about 11 to 4.

Well, Brant, thank you so much for all that you guys are doing there at the museum and we look forward to seeing you on October 3rd as we celebrate 175 years of railway here in the area in Elkhart, sure has grown a lot from the village to where it is today.

It certainly has, yes.

Well, that's it for this week's show.

Thank you so much for being with us.

We'll see you next week, everybody.

This WNIT local production has been made possible in part by viewers like you.

Thank you.