Read more in Nosotros Magazine

The ceremony began with an introduction by NI Executive Director, Keith Speaks. The contests were sponsored by a Foundations of East Chicago (FEC) grant. NI has been doing improvement, decorating, and landscaping contests since 2001 and has hosted more than 30 contests with nearly 4000 participants in the cities of East Chicago, Hammond, Highland, Calumet City and Burnham.

Read more in Northwest Indiana Times

EAST CHICAGO | – An initiative to target unemployed city residents and provide them with job skill development and employment placement opportunities was announced Thursday at Ivy Tech Community College.

Put East Chicago Back to Work is an initiative developed through a partnership with Foundations of East Chicago and Holistic Community Coalition, a locally-based nonprofit organization designed to address the disparity of underserved communities.

“It’s a pretty comprehensive program that’s aggressive, sustainable and measurable,” said the Rev. Darnell Johnson, CEO of the coalition and pastor of the nearby Mount Hermon Missionary Baptist Church. Johnson said the initiative will give participants a more sustainable and better quality of life.

“It’s something that’s actually going to catapult our participants into career paths,” he said. “Ultimately, we’re not just looking at job placement; we’re also concerned about job retention. We have empowered ourselves to place individuals in real-time job opportunities.

Partners in the initiative include Ivy Tech, Lake County Community Corrections, Indiana Plan, North Township Trustee, Disposal Alternative Organization and Mission of Jesus Christ.

Foundations of East Chicago is providing a $240,000 grant for the initiative’s first year of a three-year implementation plan that has a capacity to offer customized training to 240 local residents.

“For us to invest $240,000 for the first year of operation of this and to hear there is potentially 240 people who will be gainfully employed from the results of this — the math works out pretty good,” Foundations Executive Director Russell Taylor said.

Ivy Tech will provide all of the training on a short-term timetable and get participants certified through its Corporate College program. Johnson said residents then can be placed in jobs with companies that are actually hiring for the skills they’ve been trained to receive.

Ivy Tech Vice Chancellor Louis Gonzalez said the initiative is a renaissance for the city. “In my opinion it’s going to be a turning point for East Chicago,” he said. The first training module of the initiative will begin at the end of November.

East Chicago residents who want more information can call (219) 354-0249, ext. 16, and ask for Sophia Williams.

Click here for instructions how to apply.

“Restoring funding and the receipt of the escrowed funds ensures the long-term viability of the Foundations, enabling us to continue fulfilling our mission to serve the citizens of East Chicago,” said Russ Taylor, Executive Director of the Foundations.

The Foundations also recognize the leadership of Mayor Copeland in finalizing an agreement that should allow millions of dollars to be invested in the City that were tied up in bank accounts during the litigation. Under the settlement, the City will also receive millions for economic development that previously would have gone to East Chicago Second Century, Inc.

The City and the Foundations agreed to split evenly future payments of riverboat revenues. The now-resolved disputes between the Foundations and the City entailed three lawsuits, with several appeals to the Indiana Supreme Court.

The Foundations is a non-profit corporation created when gaming came to East Chicago. Its predecessors were created through a citizen task force deliberation that determined that a portion of gaming revenue needed to be distributed outside the governmental processes. Due to its private, nonprofit status, the Foundations serves a vital community role which supports worthy organizations that government cannot, such as local religious institutions. It can also make investments that government cannot, enabling it to create an endowment for future use – likely to be especially important given the possibility of further casinos in Illinois.

For more information, please read this story from the September 15th edition of Northwest Indiana Times:
Gaming Commission Approves Settlements in E. C. Lawsuits

Adriena finished third in her class at ECHS, and was an FEC scholarship recipient. Because of the accident, she’s had to postpone until spring 2012 her plans to go to Butler University to study pre-med. Despite this setback, Adriena remains optimistic and resolved to do what is needed to recover and begin her studies.

PNC Bank, the Central High School Choir, and the National Honor Society are hosting a fundraiser to help Adriana and her family defray the expenses of her recovery. The event is a Gospel Concert, Saturday evening 13 August, 2011, at 5:30pm, East Chicago High School Auditorium, 1100 West Columbus Drive. Admission is free, and all donations go the “We Care for Adriena Wright” fund.

Download the event flyer.

Read more about the accident.

Holistic Community Coalition recognized the Foundations of East Chicago for our support to their programs over the years. It was with great pleasure that Executive Director Russ Taylor accepted the honor of their naming the courtyard at 3724 Main Street, East Chicago, in the name of the Foundations. The public dedication gave FEC a unique opportunity to share countless community success stories because of our grantees, and the people who have worked with FEC funds.

Download all of Taylor’s comments.

One of the Foundations’ scholarship recipients, 2010 East Chicago High School graduating senior Manuel Mendoza, successfully wrapped up his first year at Harvard this spring. Read his account of his first year in this Northwest Indiana Times blog.

In addition, the Foundations awarded eight $500 book assistance scholarships to graduating high school seniors from East Chicago along with eleven (11), $1,000 Continuing Education scholarships to adult East Chicagoans who are pursuing a college degree.

In total, the Foundations of East Chicago awarded fifty-four (54) East Chicago residents $96,500 to help them fulfill their dream of obtaining a college education.

“These students have worked very hard to get these scholarships,” said Russ Taylor, Executive Director of the Foundations. “I wish we had more to give to help them get a good start in college.”

To complete the evening, the Foundations announced it would renew scholarships totaling $205,500 for 90 past recipients who are working toward completing their four year degrees.

Since 1998, the Foundations of East Chicago have awarded 570 scholarships to East Chicago residents to attend college. The value of these scholarships total over $3,340,000.

See a complete list of the 2011 scholarship recipients.

Read about the awards and honorees in Northwest Indiana Times, 17 June 2011.

It appears the parties involved in the East Chicago battle over casino money earmarked for foundations are about to reach a resolution.

It is a tangled web.

Those involved include the city of East Chicago, Ameristar Casino, the Indiana attorney general, the for-profit Second Century Foundation and the not-for-profit Foundations of East Chicago.

It is important that the stalemate be resolved quickly because money earmarked for the foundations has been frozen for much too long.

In an effort to resolve the controversy over where the money should be going, the Indiana Gaming Commission has asked Ameristar to propose a new local development agreement for consideration by the Gaming Commission.

When George Pabey took over as East Chicago mayor, he pushed to have all the foundation money flow through the city. Although that hasn’t happened, current Mayor Anthony Copeland has taken a similar stance.

Former Attorney General Steve Carter went to court to have Second Century open its books to show how it had spent $16 million in casino money. Carter wasn’t successful.

What did happen was that the money going to both foundations was frozen.

So, $10 million earmarked for Second Century is sitting in the bank.

And $15 million intended for use by the Foundations of East Chicago also is languishing in a bank account.

We encourage Ameristar to take these actions in arriving at a new development agreement:

• Dissolve the agreement with Second Century. None of the casino revenues should go to a for-profit organization.
• Continue the agreement with the Foundations of East Chicago and immediately release the $15 million.

The Foundations is a transparent agency that has doled out millions to a host of fine community groups, most of which serve the needy.

An attorney for East Chicago wants the money to go to the City Council for distribution.

Putting millions of discretionary dollars into the hands of politicians would be almost as big a mistake as giving the money to a for-profit agency.