All 4 KLA Teams Win Top Prize
April 27, 2022 at 2:57 a.m.
All 4 KLA Teams Win Top Prize
By David [email protected]
All four White Paper Project teams won the Northenor and Trustee Awards, receiving $1,000 each to kickstart their projects.
In most years, one team wins the Northenor Award, and - in some years - another team might win the Trustee Award.
Jean Northenor, KLA co-founder, and Suzie Light, retired Kosciusko County Community Foundation CEO, presented the two awards.
“So, each year, the judges look for a White Paper Project that has countywide impact, and is both doable in the KLA year and is sustainable beyond the calendar year,” Light said. “Each year, the selection process takes time and meetings and phone calls. Each year, the judges take into consideration the presentation at Project Proud, the written White Papers, the scope of the work they had to do during the KLA year and the ability to sustain the project going forward.”
She said there is generally one outstanding White Paper that “clearly comes to the top.”
“Usually,” Northenor said. “This year was very different. This year, the White Paper Projects were outstanding. When you hear about them - if you haven’t already - you’re going to be amazed.”
She said the work the teams poured into the White Paper Projects was obvious. “You couldn’t do what they did without a good deal of time and effort. The presentations were top-notch and I understood them. ... This year, I understood all four of them and thought, ‘Wow! Wish we were doing that!’”
Northenor said the projects are sustainable and they’ll work.
This year, because of concerns during the pandemic over the past couple years, there were only four White Paper Project teams instead of six, eight or more.
“So, as an unprecedented result, the judges determined the winner before we even left the meeting - unprecedented!” Light said.
The judges included Northenor, Light, Kevin Deardorff and K21 Health Foundation’s Rich Haddad.
One by one Tuesday, each project team was called to the front of The Owl’s Nest where the graduation banquet was being held.
The first project, “Building for the Future,” with team members Alyx Bates, Tim Williams and Cindy Brady, addresses the growing need for affordable housing in the county.
“Building Awareness of Employment Opportunities for Ex-offenders,” with team members Dustin Dillon and Jason Branham, is “an important effort to address unemployment in our community by assisting those ex-offenders with tools” to gain employment and become productive members of the community, Northenor said.
“Kids at the Core” project links educators throughout the county with tools to help their students who live in multiple locations with divorced parents. Team members are Miriel McFarland, Chris Fancil and Ryan Coble.
The fourth project, K-County First, is about providing a countywide appreciation program for first responders through local business and corporate discounts. On the team are Lois Borkholder, Kim Strawbridge, Mitchell Hall and Orville Haney.
“I’m pleased to say the answer to our group came very quickly. We had a little huddle at the back and we talked a little bit. We all had the same idea - why don’t we give it to all of them?” Northenor recalled about Project Proud. “Each White Paper Project will get $1,000 from the Jean Northenor Fund.”
The money is to be used however the teams see fit to further their projects.
She said the judges just couldn’t walk out of the room after hearing the projects at Project Proud “and not know that something be done in all of these.” Northenor noted that this was the first - and probably last time - all White Paper Projects won.
“It was just one of those things you could not not do and felt so right,” Northenor said.
Before the Northenor and Trustee Awards presentation, KLA advisor Nathan Conley presented the Hall of Fame Award to Shelly Kammerer, events coordinator.
“They don’t make 40 years by accident. You have to have someone like Jean to lay the cornerstone and many to come along beside her and after her to lay one down” and build the foundation, Conley said.
In 2015, the KLA executive committee decided it wanted to acknowledge those individuals who have gone “above and beyond” after their KLA class to help support the program in a variety of ways, so the Hall of Fame was created.
Conley listed all the past recipients of the Hall of Fame Award, beginning with the first recipient, retired Judge Duane Huffer, who was a member of the first KLA class and was present at Tuesday’s banquet.
“So the 2022 Hall of Fame recipient is Shelly Kammerer,” he said after listing all the previous awardees.
Kammerer has served in every position on the KLA Board in her 18 years with KLA. Conley talked about how Kammerer helps plan the KLA kick-off event and the graduation banquet.
“I hate to think what this would be if someone other than Shelly was” coordinating it, Conley said. “Thank you, Shelly.”
The fact that Kammerer received the Hall of Fame Award while she was still involved with KLA “says a lot” about her, Conley concluded.
As part of the graduation banquet, moderator Dr. Allyn Decker interviewed Northenor about the founding of KLA and how and why it’s been so successful.
Two previous KLA teams - “Clearly Kosciusko,” Liz Dewart and Alan Tio; “JCAP Strategic Plan,” Betty O’Hara with guest JCAP Coordinator Courtney Jenkins - provided an update on their projects.
Each of the dozen graduating KLA cadets were presented diplomas from Northenor and Conley as Decker read their names.
All four White Paper Project teams won the Northenor and Trustee Awards, receiving $1,000 each to kickstart their projects.
In most years, one team wins the Northenor Award, and - in some years - another team might win the Trustee Award.
Jean Northenor, KLA co-founder, and Suzie Light, retired Kosciusko County Community Foundation CEO, presented the two awards.
“So, each year, the judges look for a White Paper Project that has countywide impact, and is both doable in the KLA year and is sustainable beyond the calendar year,” Light said. “Each year, the selection process takes time and meetings and phone calls. Each year, the judges take into consideration the presentation at Project Proud, the written White Papers, the scope of the work they had to do during the KLA year and the ability to sustain the project going forward.”
She said there is generally one outstanding White Paper that “clearly comes to the top.”
“Usually,” Northenor said. “This year was very different. This year, the White Paper Projects were outstanding. When you hear about them - if you haven’t already - you’re going to be amazed.”
She said the work the teams poured into the White Paper Projects was obvious. “You couldn’t do what they did without a good deal of time and effort. The presentations were top-notch and I understood them. ... This year, I understood all four of them and thought, ‘Wow! Wish we were doing that!’”
Northenor said the projects are sustainable and they’ll work.
This year, because of concerns during the pandemic over the past couple years, there were only four White Paper Project teams instead of six, eight or more.
“So, as an unprecedented result, the judges determined the winner before we even left the meeting - unprecedented!” Light said.
The judges included Northenor, Light, Kevin Deardorff and K21 Health Foundation’s Rich Haddad.
One by one Tuesday, each project team was called to the front of The Owl’s Nest where the graduation banquet was being held.
The first project, “Building for the Future,” with team members Alyx Bates, Tim Williams and Cindy Brady, addresses the growing need for affordable housing in the county.
“Building Awareness of Employment Opportunities for Ex-offenders,” with team members Dustin Dillon and Jason Branham, is “an important effort to address unemployment in our community by assisting those ex-offenders with tools” to gain employment and become productive members of the community, Northenor said.
“Kids at the Core” project links educators throughout the county with tools to help their students who live in multiple locations with divorced parents. Team members are Miriel McFarland, Chris Fancil and Ryan Coble.
The fourth project, K-County First, is about providing a countywide appreciation program for first responders through local business and corporate discounts. On the team are Lois Borkholder, Kim Strawbridge, Mitchell Hall and Orville Haney.
“I’m pleased to say the answer to our group came very quickly. We had a little huddle at the back and we talked a little bit. We all had the same idea - why don’t we give it to all of them?” Northenor recalled about Project Proud. “Each White Paper Project will get $1,000 from the Jean Northenor Fund.”
The money is to be used however the teams see fit to further their projects.
She said the judges just couldn’t walk out of the room after hearing the projects at Project Proud “and not know that something be done in all of these.” Northenor noted that this was the first - and probably last time - all White Paper Projects won.
“It was just one of those things you could not not do and felt so right,” Northenor said.
Before the Northenor and Trustee Awards presentation, KLA advisor Nathan Conley presented the Hall of Fame Award to Shelly Kammerer, events coordinator.
“They don’t make 40 years by accident. You have to have someone like Jean to lay the cornerstone and many to come along beside her and after her to lay one down” and build the foundation, Conley said.
In 2015, the KLA executive committee decided it wanted to acknowledge those individuals who have gone “above and beyond” after their KLA class to help support the program in a variety of ways, so the Hall of Fame was created.
Conley listed all the past recipients of the Hall of Fame Award, beginning with the first recipient, retired Judge Duane Huffer, who was a member of the first KLA class and was present at Tuesday’s banquet.
“So the 2022 Hall of Fame recipient is Shelly Kammerer,” he said after listing all the previous awardees.
Kammerer has served in every position on the KLA Board in her 18 years with KLA. Conley talked about how Kammerer helps plan the KLA kick-off event and the graduation banquet.
“I hate to think what this would be if someone other than Shelly was” coordinating it, Conley said. “Thank you, Shelly.”
The fact that Kammerer received the Hall of Fame Award while she was still involved with KLA “says a lot” about her, Conley concluded.
As part of the graduation banquet, moderator Dr. Allyn Decker interviewed Northenor about the founding of KLA and how and why it’s been so successful.
Two previous KLA teams - “Clearly Kosciusko,” Liz Dewart and Alan Tio; “JCAP Strategic Plan,” Betty O’Hara with guest JCAP Coordinator Courtney Jenkins - provided an update on their projects.
Each of the dozen graduating KLA cadets were presented diplomas from Northenor and Conley as Decker read their names.
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