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 …
Nick Popovich quietly spreads donations across the region. by Jerry Davich Nick Popovich and his staff of aircraft specialists have repossessed hundreds of luxury jets and high-priced airplanes the past three decades. But the high-flying philanthropy behind his Valparaiso-based firm, Sage-Popovich Inc., often takes place away from the public’s radar. The exhaustive list of groups, …
Challenger Learning Center promotes science, engineering and space. by Michael Puente Educators often stress to students to “reach for the stars.” When Rebecca Manis says it, she means it, literally. “Our mission is to inspire and engage students in the STEM fields, science, technology, engineering and math. We do it through simulation. We try to …
Largest estate gift funds St. Joseph’s College scholarships. by Michael Puente For two years beginning in 2008, Maureen Egan provided vital information about St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer to a complete stranger. She had no idea what this person was going to do with the information or to whom they were going to pass the …
Largest estate gift funds St. Joseph’s College scholarships. by Michael Puente For two years beginning in 2008, Maureen Egan provided vital information about St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer to a complete stranger. She had no idea what this person was going to do with the information or to whom they were going to pass the …
John Davies helps honor region’s “Legends” and “Innovators.” by Rick A. Richards Ask John Davies for a couple of minutes and he’ll give you 10 on something positive about Northwest Indiana. Looking at the region’s bright spot is not just in his nature, it’s his mission. Davies, assistant director of the Gerald I. Lamkin Innovation …
Artists support Hospice of the Calumet Area. by Kathy McKimmie “We’re quite a cottage industry,” says Lydia Dershewitz, of the Hospice Artisan group, whose sales of handmade items help support the programs of Hospice of the Calumet Area in Munster. “We found a rather unique way of raising funds,” she says. “It’s all about hospice; …
Making a difference one person at a time, state-by-state. by Rick A. Richards Sylwia Pilat and Egle Vaitiekute are on their second road trip of a lifetime. The two Northwest Indiana women, who met at Red Robin restaurant where they worked, are visiting 16 states in the eastern part of the country, and along the …
Mentoring outlines career options for middle-school girls. by Shari Held When Jeni Elkins’s daughter, Olivia, showed an interest in becoming a cyber-forensic specialist, Elkins, who had worked in computer technology for years, reached out to the CEO of a cyber-forensics company to give Olivia insight into the profession. “That woman opened up my daughter’s world,” …
By Kathy McKimmie Wellness programs, health risk assessments and carrot-and-stick employee incentive programs to encourage healthy lifestyles have been around for decades. Their effectiveness has been mixed for many reasons, including their voluntary nature, the lack of a convincing return on investment and the inability of fully insured small employers to impact their current insurance …
