Learning Center Funding Campaign Sees Success
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA campaign to raise money for a Huntington County Community Learning Center has topped $1 million. The $1.3 million proposed center would provide technical education programs in areas including welding, machining and robotics.
December 10, 2014
News Release
Huntington, Ind. — A campaign to raise $1.3 million for a Huntington County Community Learning Center has topped the $1‐million mark, organizers said.
Reaching the milestone of nearly $1.1 million in contributions and pledges was achieved in part through a one-for‐two match in which Huntington manufacturer PHD Inc. and Huntington University contributed $50,000 each to encourage additional contributions of $200,000. Since the matching program was announced in September, $270,000 has been contributed or pledged, bringing the total to $1,080,400. Some of the money was pledged independent of the match.
The PHD/Huntington University matching opportunity will remain open until Jan. 31, 2015.
“The learning center development team is extremely excited about the local and regional response to our 'Bringing It Home' campaign,” said Ed Vessels, president of HiValu LLC and member of the development team. “We can't thank our investors enough. Moving strongly over the $1‐million mark gives us the momentum and confidence that we'll reach our $1.3‐million goal soon.”
The proposed learning center would be in a building at 2201 N. Jefferson St. that now serves as the Huntington County Community Schools Corp.'s vocational center. The vocational center, which already provides some career and technical education programs, would be expanded from 18,000 square feet to 24,000 square feet with the addition of classrooms and space for general office functions, a health care lab, and welding, machining, industrial maintenance and robotics programs.
The learning center would provide a variety of college courses and certification‐based training for sundry careers, including industrial maintenance, precision machining, welding, certified nursing assistant, emergency medical technician, criminal justice and automotive technician.
Ivy Tech Community College Northeast would provide the equipment and the bulk of the training. WorkOne Northeast, which would lease space at the center, would provide job search assistance, skills assessments, career planning and development workshops, and high school equivalency preparation.
Among the organizations making recent financial pledges to the learning center project: English Bonter Mitchell Foundation, $100,000; Huntington County Community Foundation, $50,000; Novae Corp., $50,000, which will include naming rights to a welding lab; Huntington Sheet Metal Inc., $25,000; Parkview Huntington, $20,000; First Federal Savings Bank, $15,000; and iAB Financial Bank, $10,000.
About Northeast Indiana Works:
Northeast Indiana Works, the region's workforce investment board, provides public and private financial and employment resources to businesses and individuals for education and skills training to meet the needs of regional industries. The nonprofit sets policy for how public and private funds are utilized to support talent development. It also operates and staffs the 11 county‐based WorkOne Northeast career centers in the region. Individuals and companies may access resources and services by visiting or calling WorkOne in their county. To find your local WorkOne, log on to www.workoneworks.com
Source: Northeast Indiana Works