OE enriches lives of adults with disabilities, creates community connections For more than 50 years, Opportunity Enterprises has helped individuals with disabilities forge new paths toward amazing achievements. “We say we are in the business of amazing people because we are. It’s been an incredible journey,” says Ellen DeMartinis, OE chief executive officer. “It started […]
Court Advocates Proves Helpful for Children
Care + common sense = CASA volunteer Sarah Fink says it doesn’t take much to become a Court Appoint Special Advocate or CASA for short. “You just have to be a caring person. You have to want to help children,” Fink says. “All you need is care and common sense. We teach you the rest.” […]
Real Food Blends
Real food meals for people with feeding tubes In finding a way to improve life for their son, Julie and Tony Bombacino were able to found a business that is also helping many around the country. Their company, Real Food Blends, makes 100 percent real food meals for people with feeding tubes. Their idea began […]
Lakefront Career Network
Network, develop professionally and engage with the community Millennials are an optimistic generation. “They (millennials) want to have a great impact on their community and their world, work with a team, get things done,” according to John Zogby, founder of the Zogby Poll. The Lakefront Career Network (LCN) is a dynamic group of young professionals […]
Building Hope
Steel City Salvage initiative addresses blight, creates jobs in Gary A nonprofit hopes to spur economic development while addressing issues like blight, in hard hit Gary. The Chicago-based Delta Institute is committed to building both a resilient environment and economy through sustainable solutions. The Steel City Salvage initiative in Gary is a local example of its […]
Hope and Compassion
Linda Perez leads St. Jude House’s work on behalf of domestic violence victims. Difficult conversations. Linda Perez initiates and facilitates such uncomfortable interactions on a daily basis to make a difference in the Northwest Indiana community. As executive director of St. Jude House, a rescue center for victims of domestic violence, she is not only […]
Creating an Ethical Culture
Trying to make the world a better place, in the workplace and in public service. by Laurie Wink In our highly competitive, hurry-up world, we face a continuous barrage of TV news, social media blasts and viral videos with freely shared opinions that can spark conflicts. In response to growing evidence of bad behavior, some […]
Sojourner Truth House
Compassionate care for the region’s most vulnerable people. by Barbara Eastman Spring has arrived in Northwest Indiana and, overall, it was a pretty mild winter. However, if you found yourself homeless during a lake-effect snow storm, you might have a different opinion. The sad reality is that there are many homeless women and children in […]
Leaders as Heroes Inductees
Winners of the 2015 South Shore Leadership Awards. by Jerry Davich Keith Kirkpatrick asked hundreds of guests to raise their champagne glasses to symbolically toast the newest Leaders as Heroes inductees. More realistically, Kirkpatrick hoped his toast at the jam-packed Avalon Manor in Merrillville raised awareness to the importance of publicly recognizing our region’s “doers, […]
It’s Gary’s Time
Not-for-profit offers hope and opportunities for ex-offenders. by Jerry Davich Roger Hayward had just returned home from another drunken bender. He forgot about his dog left alone in the apartment for three days. He came back to a sobering mess. His poor dog defecated all over his home and urinated on his pillow. “I got […]