Kosciusko County Community Foundation Board of Directors member Dr. Anita Kishan (L) presents Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office deputy and school resource officer Shaun Mudd with the Heart of Gold award at Wednesday’s annual KCCF celebration. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union
“This year’s Heart of Gold recipient has made a career out of serving others. In his job as a DARE and school resource officer, he goes above and beyond the call of duty to serve students in the Tippecanoe Valley School system,” she said.
Kishan reported that the middle school secretary said Mudd talks to kids at their level. He brings positivity to the table, but at the same time, a level of firmness that the kids respect.
The middle school counselor said, “He is everyone’s hype man, always encouraging others. He is a great listener and has established great relationships in the schools. The words ‘that’s not my job’ are not in his vocabulary. He is willing to chaperone dances, clean up messes in the bathroom or drive students home.”
Mudd’s service to the community extends beyond his job, Kishan said. In 2018, in response to seeing the impact that severe bullying had on one child, Mudd started Bowling Against Bullying. He also established a scholarship fund for students who have experienced bullying.
At his church, Mudd is a part of the Stephen Ministry, which provides one-on-one care for people who are hurting. “He walks alongside others with comfort, support and encouragement,” Kishan stated.
His wife said her husband is no stranger to loss and grief. He has used those experiences to selflessly share his personal story of loss in hopes of helping others who are struggling.
After Kishan announced him as the Heart of Gold recipient and they took some photos, Mudd said receiving the award was humbling. He gave a shoutout to his parents who always gave him and his siblings servant hearts.
“Thank you very much to the foundation for this award. The award is very humbling,” he said.
As a way to highlight one of the funds at the foundation and an organization that was a recipient of dollars from that fund, Foundation CEO Stephanie Overbey moderated a panel discussion with Keri Fox, Matt Deeds and Kelsie Herman.
Fox is a Community Foundation donor who established the Gidieon Orion Cook Memorial Fund in honor of her son who tragically died June 10, 2019, at 8 years old while crossing the road at Harrison Elementary School.
Deeds is the Harrison principal.
Herman is a teacher at Harrison and three years ago was Cooper Williams’ third-grade teacher. Williams’ wish to help fellow students during a class project led to the Shamrock Shop at Harrison. The Shamrock Shop relies on community donations and grants - like a recent one from the Gidieon Orion Cook Memorial Fund - to keep the store stocked with basic necessities students may need throughout the year.
Asked by Overbey to tell everyone about Cook, Fox described him as the perfect son. He was caring and loving, and shy at first, but very friendly. She said he was very sweet.
Overbey asked Fox what she hoped would be the result of creating the fund in memory of her son. Fox said that after everything happened, she could feel the love and support of the community that poured out to her and her family.
“So starting this, I was hoping to get it to where it would just keep going and keep supporting others in his name,” she said, in part.
Later, when Overbey asked her what it meant to her to know that the fund would live on forever, Fox said it meant a lot. “When I met with (retired Foundation CEO) Suzie Light to start this, she made sure that it would go to things that he (Gidieon) would enjoy and he would love and things that he would want to be a part of. So now knowing that it’s doing that, seeing the donations come in, and just being aware that it’s out there and his name is still being talked about ... just knowing that is healing in a way. It’s not going to help me move on, but it’s going to help me move forward.”
Deeds and Herman talked about how the Shamrock Shop was started and how it helps kids. Over the last school year, the shop has provided Harrison students with 286 items of clothing, 195 pairs of socks and underwear, 47 winter items like coats and gloves, 50 pairs of shoes and 280 toiletries, according to the Community Foundation’s 2024 annual report.
Also highlighted during the celebration were the Community Foundation’s Board of Directors, including new members Laura Kaufman and Josh Silveus; Foundation staff; the 2025 board slate of officers; retiring board members Jane Wear and Kay Young; and Kosciusko Endowment Youth Services (KEYS) members.
Steve Yeager, the 2025 board vice president, reported on a few of the highlights from the fiscal year, which was July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024.
“Fifteen new funds were established by donors,” he said. “... Gifts to the Community Foundation totaled over $13 million. An incredible number. Grantmaking from all funds totaled over $6.8 million, going out the door. Nearly $800,000 in scholarships were awarded to 210 individuals to help them pursue an education beyond high school, whether that was a vocational or trade school, a four-year college or a graduate degree program. We launched a $2.8 million infant and toddler grant initiative aimed at helping our county increase child care capacity and quality for our youngest children.”
There were 290 volunteers that helped the Community Foundation accomplish its mission last year.
“These numbers, which I went through really quickly, represent an incredibly generous community, an engaging board of directors and an all-star staff, a relatively small staff,” Yeager concluded.
KEYS members Evelyn Duncan and Rick Orr shared a few highlights from their school year. They said KEYS awarded 31 grants to schools and nonprofits, totaling $18,949. They donated 461 hours to community service, and spent time assessing the program, community needs and discussing the future direction of KEYS.
In closing out the celebration, Alex Hall, vice president of programs, said they will be reaching out to the community to ask for help in growing the Foundation’s Unrestricted Community Funds endowment. These are funds used to respond to needs in Kosciusko County. Lilly Endowment has offered the KCCF a match for gifts made to the Community Funds endowment. For every $1 given, Lilly Endowment will match it with $2. As of Wednesday, he said, they are at 63% of the goal to raise $750,000 so that they can take full advantage of the $1.5 million match.
“As you look into 2025, may you be reminded of our annual report and annual celebration theme this year: Embrace. We encourage you to embrace your charitable dreams. Embrace your charitable legacy. Embrace opportunities to serve,” Hall said. “We would love to partner with you in each of those areas: your charitable dreams, your charitable legacy and your community service. Please let us know how we can serve you.”