Learn United Calls for 250 More Volunteers

United Way’s Learn United initiative is looking for 250 more volunteers to work with elementary school children to improve their reading skills. To date, Learn United has recruited 750 local volunteers to work with children who struggle to read. Some of the volunteers work through existing programs like Study Connection and Project READS, while others volunteer to work with students in the classroom during the regular school day.

All kinds of volunteer opportunities are available. Learn United staff will work with individuals to find a schedule that works for them. Anyone interested in volunteering should call 260.469.4030 or visit www.LearnUnited.org to browse dozens of different opportunities.

"Our children need the support of everyone in the community to help them achieve success," said Dr. Wendy Robinson, superintendent of Fort Wayne Community Schools. "While we work tirelessly in the schools, we can't do it alone. The volunteers that come into our schools provide a tremendous service for our students in terms of providing new voices in encouraging them academically and serving as role models."

"We have 122 classrooms in 14 schools that are participating in Learn United right now," said Jerry Peterson, president and CEO of United Way of Allen County. "71 of our classrooms have volunteers; we really need to fill those remaining classrooms with volunteers who are excited about helping our children improve their literacy skills and therefore improve their changes of succeeding in school and life."

Learn United volunteers go through a background check using a system that reviews more than 30 million criminal records nationwide and all 50 states' sex offender registries. All Learn United volunteers are providing training in the foundations of literacy and gain simple skills to help children learn to read.

Learn United is a ten-year effort to ensure all Allen County students read at grade level by the end of third grade. More than 1,000 local third-graders do not pass the ISTEP reading test every year; studies show that 74 percent of children who fall behind by third grade never catch up and gain the reading skills needed to be successful.

Learn United is a collaborative partnership between United Way of Allen County, the Allen County Education Partnership, all four Allen County public school districts, The Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce, the Fort Wayne Urban League and Study Connection. For more information visit www.LearnUnited.org.

CANI to Sponsor Food Program

CANI recently announced it will be sponsoring the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) along with providing free and reduced-priced lunches at no extra cost to children who are part of the Head Start preschool program.

The free and reduced-price meals will be provided based upon eligibility requirements. Meals are available to all enrolled participants without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability at all CANI Head Start locations.

For more information, please contact the CANI Head Start Administrative Office at (260)420-2833.

Study Connection Pairs Students With Professionals for Study Help and Mentoring

The 21st year of Fort Wayne Community School’s Study Connection program begins today, when 18 students from Washington Center Elementary head to Raytheon for an hour of after-school tutoring. Raytheon has been a Study Connection site since 1992. This year, the company's volunteer numbers doubled, making it possible for students to travel to Raytheon two days a week. A second group of 19 students will start tomorrow.

Fort Wayne Community Schools' nationally recognized tutoring program began in 1989, founded by Don Wolf, retired CEO and president emeritus of Do it Best Corp. In the last two decades an estimated 10,000 students have gone through the program. Volunteers are matched one-to-one with FWCS students who need academic assistance. Students and volunteers meet weekly after school for one hour during the school year with 79 percent of the students bused to and from local businesses for their tutoring sessions. This not only gives students a chance to receive some extra homework help, but also meet a mentor in the community and learn about local career opportunities.

Study Connection has been replicated in other cities across the nation, including Clinton, Iowa, where the Governor recognized it as the 2000 Volunteer Program of the Year. In 2007, Study Connection received the Indiana Youth Institute Award for investing in youth. New volunteers and tutoring sites are always needed. To learn more about the program or to get involved, contact the Study Connection office at 467-8810.

Summit City Radio Group Encourages You to Buy Local

Summit City Radio Group is proud to announce the kick off of their Buy-Local Campaign “Think Fort Wayne First”. We invite you to take part in “Think Fort Wayne First” as a way to invest in your community, create more jobs, get better service and put your taxes to use. With the news constantly talking about the recession, this campaign is a refreshing new take on how everyone in our community can help generate more positive news and results by investing into locally owned and operated Fort Wayne businesses.

“Think Fort Wayne First” is a program that has been designed to create awareness of locally owned and operated businesses. The benefit of buying local products and services from our local retailers is simple. For every one-hundred dollars spent on local businesses, products and services, sixty-eight percent of that investment is returned back to the Fort Wayne community while that same one-hundred dollars spent on a national chain will return only forty-three percent.

Small local businesses are the largest employer in Indiana. They are owned by people who live in the Fort Wayne community and they provide the most jobs to local residents. Local businesses require comparatively little infrastructure and make more efficient uses of public services as compared to nationally owned conglomerates. Our one-of-a-kind businesses are an integral part of the distinctive character of Fort Wayne. When you invest your money into locally owned and operated businesses you invest in your community. Think community, think local, “Think Fort Wayne First.”

For more information contact Dave Riethmiller, Summit City Radio Group General Manager at (260)747.1511 or dave@summitcityradio.com.

Take Part in World Habitat Day on Monday, October 5

Habitat for Humanity is seeking support for World Habitat Day, this coming Monday, October 5. The United Nations has designated the first Monday of each October as World Habitat Day.

This year on October 5 in Washington, D.C. and around the world, please join Habitat for Humanity in support of this global observance and declare that the lack of decent, affordable housing is unacceptable.

According to the United Nations, more than 100 million people in the world today are homeless. Millions more face a severe housing problem living without adequate sanitation, with irregular or no electricity supply and without adequate security. Worldwide, more than 2 million housing units per year are needed for the next 50 years to solve the present worldwide housing crisis.

World Habitat Day serves as an important reminder that everyone must unite to ensure that everyone has a safe, decent place to call home.

With over half of the world’s population currently living in urban areas the U.N. believes there is no doubt that the "urban agenda" will increasingly become a priority for governments, local authorities and their non-governmental partners everywhere. Find out more about World Habitat Day and what you can do to help by clicking here.

Free Money Smart Event

This October will see the start of Indiana's fourth annual Money Smart Week. On October 10th from 10-3 at Abundant Life Tabernacle on 3301 E. Coliseum Blvd., residents can listen to leaders such as Mayor Tom Henry, Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita, and others discuss local community resources that can help save money.

Following the panel discussion, various interactive displays will be available to the public covering topics such as Budgeting, Stretching Your Dollar, Applying for Unemployment, and more.

Participants in this year's Money Smart Events include The Indiana Secretary of State, Fort Wayne Housing Authority, National City Bank, Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Northeast Indiana, Fort Wayne Urban League, Junior Achievement, Internal Revenue Service, Community Connections and many more.

Consumer Credit Counseling Service Offering Free Counseling

Starting September 22, Consumer Credit Counsling Service (CCCS) will be providing free counseling services to the public out of Indiana Tech office space in Huntington. CCCS hopes that access to financial counseling will lead to greater quality of life for recipients.

The CCCS is a non-profit community service founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1965, committed to helping people gain control of their finances.

Fort Wayne Museum of Art Trolley Tour '09

On Thursday, September 24 from 5:30 - 10:30, the Fort Wayne Museum of Art will once again be proudly sponsoring the Trolley Tour. The tour will include visits to 13 art studios and food from some of Fort Wayne's most popular restaurants.

Art galleries included in the trip are: 604 West Wayne Street, Allen Country Public Library – Jeffrey R. Krull Gallery, Artlink, DK Design Gallery, First Presbyterian Gallery, Fort Wayne ArtSource Gallery, Galliher Photography, Great Panes Glass Co., Kachmann Gallery, Karen Moriarty Studio & Gallery, Orchard Gallery, Rat aRt Studio & Gallery, University of Saint Francis – John P. Weatherhead Gallery.

Restaurants and caterers participating this year include: AVI, Bagel Station, Bourbon Street Hideaway, Casa, Catablu, Chop’s Steak & Seafood, Club Soda, Deli 620, DeBrand Fine Chocolates, Firefly Coffee House, Granite City Food & Brewery, Mad Anthony Brewing Company, Nutcracker Sweet Shoppe, The Oyster Bar, and Peony Tea House.

Tickets are $20 per person for FWMoA members and $25 per person for non-members. Tickets can be obtained online at http://www.fwmoa.org/ or by calling 260-422-6467 ext. 310.

Learn United is Calling for more Real Men

Last year the United Way and the Urban League recruited 225 men for the Real Men Read campaign. Those volunteers read to over 5,000 kids and distributed over 15,000 books.

This year the program is expanding to include all 2nd and 3rd grade classrooms in East Allen County Schools and Fort Wayne Community Schools. There are still approximately 75 classrooms open, waiting for a "real man" to come encourage children to read for life.

Step up to the plate along with Chamber Interim President Mike Landram and many others. If you're a real man, please register as soon as possible by clicking here. Registration only takes a few short minutes, and the reward is worth it!

2009 Outstanding Philanthropists Nominations Needed

The Northeast Indiana Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) is requesting nominations to reward individuals whose gifts of time, expertise, and resources have made Northeast Indiana a better place. Nominations may be submitted from any of the following counties: Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells, and Whitley.

To learn more about the AFP or to download a nomination form visit www.afpnein.org. Forms must be marked "CONFIDENTIAL" and mailed to: 2009 NPD Awards, AFP, P.O. Box 13498, Fort Wayne, IN 46869-3498. All nominations must be postmarked by Friday, September 18, 2009.

Community Harvest Food Bank Open House

This Thursday, September 17, you're invited to attend the Community Harvest Food Bank's open house from 1-6 p.m. The event is intended to educate on how many individuals, especially children, are living with hunger all around us. Families, businesses, and organizations are invited to participate. For more information on this and ways to help feed the hungry, visit www.chfb.org.

Easter Seals ARC to co-sponsor IPFW Omnibus Lecture

The first IPFW Omnibus Lecture of 2009-10, "A Conversation with Marlee Matlin and Henry Winkler", is slated to be held in the Rhinehart Music Center of IPFW on Thursday, September 17 at 7:30.

Henry Winkler, known most widely as "The Fonz" from ABC's Happy Days struggled through many years of undiagnosed dyslexia. He met and encouraged Marlee Matlin to pursue acting early in her career despite her profound deafness. She has since appeared on Dancing with the Stars, Hear No Evil, and The L Word. She is also an honorary member of the Board of Directors for Easter Seals National due to her advocacy and humanitarian work. Both Winkler and Matlin are passionate about seeing others overcome their obstacles.

Tickets are free but are held on a first come, first serve basis. They can be obtained by calling 260-481-6555 M-F from 12:30 - 6:30 p.m. or by requesting tickets online at www.ipfw.edu/rhinehart. For more information, call Tony Belton, Public Relations Coordinator at Easter Seals Arc at 260-469-2777 or IPFW University Relations and Communications at 260-481-6808.

Indiana's Energy Assistance Program Approved

The U.S. Department of Energy recently reviewed and approved an Indiana energy conservation proposal that requested approximately $132 million to aid 30,000 Hoosier households with considerably low incomes.

Governor Mitch Daniels stated, "Our goal is to lower utility costs for as many people as possible as quickly as possible."

Auditing will determine the energy needs of individual households with priority given to families with children, disabled individuals, and the elderly.

The selected households can expect aid in amounts of up to $5,000 in the form of new furnaces, programmable thermostats, insulation, and/or water heaters.

"Lincoln and the Constitution" Lecture to be at the University of Saint Francis

On Thursday, September 17 at 4 p.m. in the Doermer Center rooms 156A and B, the University of Saint Francis Department of History and Social Sciences will host speaker Sara Vaughn Gabbard in a lecture on "Lincoln and the Constitution."

Gabbard is the Fort Wayne History Center Development Coordinator and the former vice president of the Lincoln Museum. For more information on this event, please contact Dr. Jason Jividen at 260-399-7700 ext. 8135 or jjividen@sf.edu.

"Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" This Saturday

Join the Chamber's own Mike Landram this Saturday at Headwaters Park for the 2nd annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes. The event asks men to literally walk one mile in women's shoes to raise funds and awareness for the programs and services of the Fort Wayne Women's Bureau.

Over 500 men will be walking a one mile course in women's 4-inch red heels. Registration and Tailgate breakfast begin at 9 a.m. and the walk begins at 10 a.m. Walk-up registrations are accepted, but shoe availability cannot be guaranteed. A minimum $30 pledge is required.

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes provides an opportunity for men to champion an end to rape and sexual assault, and to affirm that rape isn't a women's issue, it's a community issue.

Don't Miss Fanfare With New Philharmonic Maestro Andrew Constantine

Visit fortwaynephilharmonic.com for more information on these $10 concerts!

A Celebration of Women Entrepreneurs

The Northeast Indiana Innovation Center is hosting their Second BiAnnual Salute to Northeast Indiana Women Business Owners. The "Celebration of Women Entrepreneurs" will take place Thursday, May 21, 2009 at the Fort Wayne Marriott Marquis Ballroom. The recipients of the 2009 Leadership Award will be honored, and Linda Hollander, the "Wealthy Bag Lady" will be the keynote speaker. Complimentary hors d'oeuvres will be provided at this free-of-charge event.

Register today at niic.net or RSVP to Mary Jane Blackford at mblackford@niic.net or (260)407-1736.

Right Relations, Inc. Receives Award for Community-Enriching Programs

Right Relations, Inc. received a certificate and cash award in acknowledgment of programs that have improved the well being of families in Indiana. Right Relations provides principle-centered education that empowers people to create strong, healthy relationships in all aspects of their lives. Right Relation's 6-week Family Enrichment Series addresses the need parents have to build and maintain stable and viable relationships with each other and their children. Studies show that the program not only benefits participants but also taxpayers due to healthier families and lower court costs.

The Inspiring Families and Building Communities Award was presented to Right Relations on Wednesday, May 13 by Dean Savaiano, Dean of the College of Consumer and Family Sciences of Purdue, West Lafayette.

Chamber Board Member to be Honored at Small Business Recognition Breakfast

Chamber President & CEO Kris Foate will speak at the Small Business Recognition Breakfast hosted by the Northeast Indiana Small Business Development Center (NEISBDC). The event takes place Friday, May 22 from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the Chamber of Commerce as part of National Small Business Week. Foate will speak along with Mayor Tom Henry, Indiana District Small Business Administration Director Gail Gesell and NEISBDC Regional Director Ken McCrory on the importance and impact of small businesses to the economy.

A highlight of the breakfast will be an award presentation to Fort Wayne CPA and Chamber Board Member Lisa Isenbarger as the Indiana SBA's Financial Services Champion of the Year. Isenbarger (pictured left) is director of valuation services for Haines, Isenbarger & Skiba, LLC. She was nominated for the award in recognition of her volunteer efforts in accounting and financial services for clients of the NEISBDC, as well as for teaching a course to provide entrepreneurs with training to utilize financial statements in managing their business.

The 2009 Small Business Recognition Breakfast is open to area business leaders and clients of the NEISBDC. There is no charge to attend, but reservations are required by TODAY. Contact Billie Wunderlich at the NEISBDC at (260) 481-0500 to reserve your seat.