In a ceremony today, Foundations of East Chicago (FEC) awarded a grant of $2,000,000 to the East Chicago de la Garza Campus of Ivy Tech Community College. This largest-ever grant to an Ivy Tech campus initiates a comprehensive drive by the Foundations to restore economic vigor to the community of East Chicago.

Northwest Region Ivy Tech Chancellor J. Guadalupe Valtierra, J.D. welcomed 200 area supporters to a reception on the de la Garza Campus. He and College trustees received the check on behalf of Ivy Tech from the FEC Executive Director Russell G. Taylor and the entire FEC Board of Directors.

Taylor credited Ivy Tech with its role in enabling FEC’s Collaboration Networks to flourish, and with the creation and implementation of the Corporate Collage. In what Taylor termed a “new paradigm” for East Chicago, FEC and East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland have an open, friendly and strong relationship, and are collaborating to find new ways to improve the community and facilitate self-sustaining East Chicagoans.

Taylor challenged local businesses and industry to ‘follow suit,’ to invest in Ivy Tech East Chicago with cash, machine and technology donations, and business leadership guidance, to help train and retool a workforce to serve East Chicago needs.

The largest and fastest growing public higher education system in Indiana, Ivy Tech Community College educates students in Lake, LaPorte, Porter, Pulaski, Jasper, Newton and Starke counties since 1968. The East Chicago de la Garza campus serves over 2,000 area students annually (67% of whom are East Chicago residents), and offers courses in six schools (Applied Science and Engineering, Business, Education, Health Sciences, Liberal Arts and Sciences, Public and Social Services, and Technology), distance learning, and continuing education.

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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.