Elaine Shurte, from the Wanatah community, was selected as the recipient of the 7 th annual Ned E. Kalb Community Leadership Award, presented at the recent Purdue Extension La Porte County Annual Meeting held at Purdue Northwest.
Elaine was recognized for her lifetime of service to her community. She was presented a plaque and will have her name added to the permanent plaque on display at the Extension Office. The permanent plaque was donated by Dick Reel, who served as the Extension Director for many years.
Elaine remains strongly dedicated to the Hanna United Methodist Church, the La Porte County Extension Homemakers, and the South County Food Pantry. She started her community service and leadership many years ago as a 4-H leader with the Cass MerryMakers for more than 10 years. Her service has been evident at the Wanatah Scarecrow Festival, the Wanatah Chamber of Commerce, the Wanatah American Legion Auxiliary, and her Church’s Women’s Group. Quietly she loves to send cards to cheer people up, drops by for a friendly visit, and provides rides to sick or injured neighbors, along with cheering for local teams, fundraising for her organizations, and serving community meals. For Elaine it’s all about helping and serving others-- -a true community leader.
The annual leadership award is a partnership between the Purdue Extension La Porte County office and Leadership La Porte County. Ned Kalb served as Extension Director for many years and was a catalyst for the formation of Leadership La Porte County. He died in November 2011, and the award was created soon after to honor his memory. Previous award winners include: Herb Higgin (2017) Cynthia Hedge (2016), Diana Werner (2015), George & Dory Morley (2014), Dr. James Dworkin (2013) and John Coulter (2012).
“Ned served La Porte County in so many ways. He saw needs and brought people and resources together to solve the challenges, not only locally, but across Indiana and the world,” said Mary Foell, Co- Extension Director. “Ned was a mentor to many and an excellent teacher of community development and leadership,” added Jim Jessup, a volunteer for Leadership La Porte County and coordinator of the judging panel for the award. “Ned, Kathryn Dearborn, and I worked several years together during the planning, organizing, and facilitating of the leadership program,” Jessup said. Monica Komasinski, Executive Director of Leadership La Porte County, stated, “The mission of Leadership LaPorte County and the impact the organization has had on the community is a lasting legacy of Ned Kalb’s vision. We are proud to honor him and to recognize good community leadership with this award.”
Nominations for the next award will be taken beginning in January 2019. For more information contact either the Extension Office or Leadership La Porte County.