La Porte County Non Profits Receive Grants Through MCCEC Charity Event

La Porte County Non Profits Receive Grants Through MCCEC Charity Event

Gratitude and excitement filled the air at the Stardust Event Center inside Blue Chip Casino on March 16 as the Michigan City Community Enrichment Corporation (MCCEC) gave out grants to local nonprofits. Over $650,000 was awarded to 44 local organizations at the MCCEC Awards Banquet, thanks to the commitment of Blue Chip Casino to designate funds specifically for supporting local not for profits.

To see more photos from the event, click here!

Jack Elia, Assistant General Manager for Blue Chip, says, “It’s just the way we operate in Boyd Gaming. We want to give back to the community.”

“Tonight, we get to honor and celebrate the organizations we award the money to,” said Susan Webster, President of MCCEC. “So many of the agencies are having more trouble every year to get donations from people, so we know they appreciate how much we can do for them.”

The money is awarded to a multitude of nonprofits who specialize in everything from childcare and arts education to animal welfare and robotics. Each organization’s members were welcomed to the front of the room and were presented with their check and the opportunity to share their mission. The stories and statistics showed how each of these nonprofits work tirelessly to create positive change for their communities.

“I honestly walked in and felt very blessed to receive any type of funding,” said Sherri Silcox of MCAS, who was awarded 3 grants for various projects, “That’s how we live, that’s how we do our business.”

In order to receive a grant, nonprofits must complete an application to submit to the MCCEC’s board of 9 members. Each applicant is screened by individual board members to find those that create the most goodwill for the La Porte County area and school systems while encouraging service to others. Once all the applications have been scored the board meets to vote on each organization and determine the amount of grant money to award. This year’s board meeting, also held at Blue Chip Casino, took three and a half hours to comb through all the applications.

“We handed out money until the money ran out,” Miller said. Those nonprofits who received grant money will report to the board four times in the year, so everyone can see the amazing work being done.

Grants were awarded to the following organizations: Boys and Girls Club of Michigan City, Inc, Catholic Charities, Challenger Learning Center of Northwest Indiana, Citizens Concerned for the Homeless, Inc, Dunebrook, Inc, Festival Players Guild, Harmony House/CASA of County, Inc dba Family Advocates, Humane Society of La Porte & Berrien Counties, Junior Achievement of Northwest Indiana, La Porte County Habitat for Humanity; La Porte County Meals on Wheels, Inc, La Porte County Symphony Orchestra, LaSalle Council-Boy Scouts of America, MCAS Hours for Ours, MCAS Safe Harbor Enrichment Program’ Michiana Marine Detachment #1348; Michiana Resources, Inc, Michigan City Chamber Music Festival, North Central Community Action Agencies, Inc, Northwest Indiana Paddling Association, Open Door Community Alliance, Inc, Parents and Friends, Inc, Parent’s Council for Children with Special Needs of La Porte County Inc, Reins of Life, Salvation Army, Samaritan Center, Southern Shore Arts Association, St. Paul Lutheran Church-School, St. Stanislaus School, Young People’s Theatre Co., and Youth Services Bureau: Big Brothers Big Sisters of La Porte County.

“I think it’s great we can all come together,” Elia said, “Everybody’s happy, and then they go and do what they do best. They take care of the charitable organizations we have in the county.”

 photos by Anna Hanson