Community Foundation of Pulaski County

aspirations in action

Aspirations in Action resulted from the Forward Thinking Leadership initiative which was created to lead change in response to community aspirations from the 2019 Community Conversations. The areas of Broadband, Housing, Downtown Development, and Recreation/Tourism were identified as key priorities for the Foundation to focus on for community impact. Work has successfully launched in three of the four priority areas.

"Words may inspire, but only action creates change" ~ Simon Sinek Read the full article

Scroll to the bottom of this page for Steering Committee updates.

Click the circles below to learn more about each aspiration, what has been accomplished, and what is coming up.

Broadband

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downtown development

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Housing

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Recreation/tourism

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aspirations in action steering committee

The Steering Committee was formed following a two and a half day Community Development Course with Ball State University in 2021. They helped to define the key impact areas to actively pursue. Thanks to this committee's enthusiastic lead and the broader community's support of moving these initiatives forward, work successfully launched in three of the four priority areas.

This exciting and engaged group included: Front - Consultant Amy Beechy, Sara Kroft, JoLynn Behny, Kathi Thompson, Renee Calabrese, Vicki Overmyer, Lisa Malchow, Wendy Rose. Back – Consultant Kim Pinkerton, Kelsie Zellers, MacKenzie Ledley, Diana Day, Nathan Origer, Brandi Larkin, Andrew Fritz, Kurt Dickey, Jacki Frain. Not pictured: Adam Collins, Jill Collins, Elizabeth Price, Brian Young.

Aspirations in the News

Read the headlines and full news releases regarding Aspirations in Action initiative updates below. Additional information is found on separate Aspiration pages -- visit them via the dropdown menu or by clicking on the appropriate circle at the top of this page.

Aspirations continue progressing

March, 2023 “There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about." This quote from Margaret Wheatley could have been said about the Community Foundation of Pulaski County’s Aspirations in Action initiative. Read the release
CFPC and Nextlink announce broadband update

December 2022 Pulaski County Broadband Council and Task Force has engaged with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) including Nextlink. Nextlink Internet was awarded $2.46 million from the Federal Communications Commission RDOF awards for Pulaski County internet. They plan to make a nearly $5,000,000 investment in the county to provide Gigabit speeds. Read the release
residents asked to provide housing input

September, 2022 Pulaski County can absorb up to 445 new housing units over the next five years, according to a recently released market potential analysis that was commissioned by the Community Foundation of Pulaski County in conjunction with the Community Development Commission. Read the release
WHIN Awards $50,000 grant for cfpc initiatives

August 2022 Wabash Heartland Innovation Network (WHIN) awarded $50,000 to support the Forward Thinking Leadership Initiative and Aspirations in Action efforts in 2022. The initiatives align with WHIN’s mission to create thriving communities and set the stage for economic development and growth. Three areas of aspiration (Broadband, Housing, and Downtown Development) will benefit from the WHIN grant. Read the release
Actions Leading to economic impact

March, 2022 Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” The Community Foundation of Pulaski County has chosen to take several steps to engage, educate and empower the people of Pulaski County to achieve their aspirations for a thriving community. Read the release
Indiana Main Street sparks interest

March, 2022 The Community Foundation hosted a Main Street informational event featuring the Office of Community and Rural Affair’s (OCRA) Northwest Indiana Community Liaison Gerry White who gave an overview of the Indiana Main Street program. Attendees were able to learn what successful Main Street organizations have in common. Read the release
Leadership initiative launches community action plan process

October, 2021 Steve Jobs said, “The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do."
Community Foundation Executive Director Wendy Rose announced that a community action plan process would launch in October with help from a steering committee and building on what was learned from Ball State University’s Community Development Course. Rose said, "This latest phase of the Forward Thinking Leadership initiative allows us to invest in community actions for the future growth of our county.” Read the release

Steering committee updates

Steering Committee Updates were initiated after the Community Action Planning day in 2021 to help keep this motivated and energetic group up to date with the priority areas. The mailing list has expanded to include elected officials, CDC and CFPC boards, Task Force and Council members, and others. Check back for the latest updates here.

Updates