The Healthcare Foundation of La Porte (HFL) is dedicated to empowering residents in and around La Porte to live healthy and well, with the goal of becoming one of Indiana’s top 10 healthiest communities by 2030.
Collaborating with a variety of community organizations, HFL has invested in thoughtful grantmaking, which has generated $14,242,269 since its inception in 2017. Contributing to countless causes for positive change, many of the projects that utilized these grants are now coming to fruition, and the community is seeing their positive influence unfold.
One such project is The Pax Center, a downtown La Porte organization that houses multiple community service initiatives helping to feed the hungry and increase the capacity of care in La Porte County.
In 2017 and 2019 HFL provided The Pax Center grants for the construction of their Brighton Street Green Space for a total of $424,473. The purpose of the Brighton Street Green Space is to redevelop an economically depressed area of downtown La Porte for nutritional, recreational, and aesthetic purposes. The space includes community gardens, an education resource center, and more.
Another major focus of HFL grants is physical health, including access to exercise opportunities as well as recreation and fitness facilities. Their commitment to encouraging exercise and healthy outdoor activity found one of its most successful outlets of their contributions in the Friendship Botanical Gardens.
From 2017-2020, grant funds have also been used to install a variety of exercise equipment in two different phases along the wilderness trail – named Wild-Fit Trail – along with producing trail guides and maps.
Recently, HFL extended this project to the creation of paths directly to the Symphony Gardens, increasing accessibility for senior citizens and those with disabilities.
HFL has also partnered with La Porte Hospital in collaboration with the La Porte Community School System to help build the Slicer Clinic on La Porte High School’s campus. Opened in 2018, the clinic is a resource for all students in the La Porte Community School Corporation and is open all day while school is in session.
The clinic promotes student health in general, identifying and preventing sickness and injury for 6,700 students. Staffed by a nurse practitioner and medical assistant, the school-based health clinic provides urgent care, patient referrals and management of acute and chronic health conditions.
In the first grant cycle of 2020, HFL has provided the funds to aid in the construction of another clinic that will continue to benefit the La Porte Community School Corporation for years to come.
With the completion of the initial grant cycle of 2020, HLF has generated a total impact of $1,714,403 in support of change-inspiring projects throughout the community. Once cycle two is awarded in November, this number will no doubt grow significantly, spreading ripples of change in the community.
For more information on Healthcare Foundation of La Porte and grant opportunities visit https://hflaporte.org/grants/.
