NORTH WEBSTER - As part of the 43rd Kosciusko Leadership Academy Graduation Celebration for the Class of 2025 Tuesday, monetary prizes were given to the two white paper project teams that best met certain criteria.
KLA Moderator Dr. Allyn Decker explained the white paper process is something they’ve tried to perfect over the years.
“We’ have three criteria for what we call an award-winning project. The project must have countywide impact - it can’t just benefit one community or small group of people or one entity. It should be doable - it should be something that can actually be accomplished, deliverable during the academy year. And then it must be sustainable, so the team has to figure out a sustainability plan - a way for that project to live past and beyond the KLA year,” he said. “Then we use those criteria to judge the projects during Project Proud and then we award funds to the team or teams that we felt best met those criteria, and also teams that we felt funding could really help advance quickly the work of their projects.”
This year, there was a first and second place Northenor Award. Judges were Rob Parker, CEO of the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce; Rich Haddad, CEO of K21 Health Foundation; and Heather Reichenbach, president of the Warsaw Community School Board.

    Second place for the Kosciusko Leadership Academy Northenor Award went to the white paper project titled Turn Up the Juice, consisting of team members (L to R) David Dohner, Mike Whitaker, Barb Garringer and Jay Linder. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union
  

First place and $2,000 went to the white paper project titled Kosciusko Community Services, consisting of team members Heather Barron, Kyle Rainey and Tony Booker.
Reading a description of the project from the judges, Decker said, “This incredible team began with a vision to create a communitywide online directory for social services and education. But as they explored further, they discovered that Kosciusko Cares already had a well-developed and functional directory in place.”
Rather than duplicating efforts, they pivoted to focusing on strengthening what already existed.
“Their work resulted in a thoughtful and comprehensive marketing and communication plan designed to take the Cares directory from being the ‘best kept secret in the community’ to becoming a widely known and accessible resource,” Decker said. “We are confident that the $2,000 reward will serve as a catalyst for this initiative, amplifying its reach and impact. With the team’s continued collaboration with Cares, this directory has the potential to become a go-to starting point for anyone in the county seeking vital services.”
Second place and $1,000 went to the white paper project titled Turn Up the Juice, consisting of team members Barb Garringer, Jay Linder, David Dohner and Mike Whitaker.

    This year’s Kosciusko Leadership Academy Hall of Fame recipients were Kari and Todd Speicher, Instrumental Machine and Development. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union
  

In reading the description for this project, Decker said, “This energetic team turned their attention to the educational efforts already underway through Kosciusko REMC. Specifically, a program that brings engaging, creative and unforgettable lessons on electrical use and safety to every fourth-grader in the county. Recognizing the value and the potential of this initiative, the team proposed expanding the reach of the mobile classroom to all elementary schools across the county. With the help of this $1,000 award, they’ll be able to take the learning directly to students on-site and hands-on, ensuring a broader and more impactful educational experience. By increasing access to this unique program, the team is helping to elevate electrical safety awareness in our community, and perhaps even saving lives in the process.”
The other five project teams and team members were:
• Kosciusko County Housing Coalition, team members Ben Logan, Savannah Beer, Austin Beer and Jackson Longenbaugh.
• Winona Avenue Revival Project, team members Peggy Friday, JC Aguilar, Kirbey Brewer, Rob Spencer.
• Re-Entry Simulator, team members Rochelle Taylor, Jacki Pawski, Ryan Neese, Sean Bergsma.
• Youth and the Outdoors United, team members Liz McCullough, Paul Heaton, Tyler Ostrom and Bryan Wong.
• Boomerang Backpack Program: Funding for the Future, team members Karen Myers, Aaron Ott and Christian Moyer.
Earlier, KLA Advisor Nathan Conley presented the Hall of Fame Award to Todd and Kari Speicher, Instrumental Machine and Development.
In presenting the engraved glass plaque, Conley said if KLA had a wall of its own, it would have the Hall of Fame Award recipients on it, with the KLA founders at the very top.
“For the Hall of Fame Award, this is given each year to an individual that really embodies the idea of servant leadership and you know what it takes for a successful KLA,” he said. “... We need people to fill the seats though, so the supporters, the sponsors and cadets.”

    Pictured is the 2025 Kosciusko Leadership Academy graduating class, executive committee members and Warsaw Mayor Jeff Grose (back row, far right). Photo by David Slone, Times-Union
  

The Hall of Fame Award is kind of a special thank-you each year to those who KLA can’t thank enough. Most years the award recipient is one individual, though there was a year KLA gave two individual Hall of Fame Awards out.
“But this year we’ve actually got a joint award. These recipients are a long-time KLA supporters in a lot of ways. They always sponsor cadets,” Conley said, noting that one year he believed they sponsored three cadets. “They jump in, help out KLA, and you see them jump right out and do many other community activities - child care, taking care of employees, a lot of cool stuff in the community.”
He then announced the award recipients as Todd and Kari Speicher.
For the guest speaker portion of the evening’s program, KLA Moderator Dr. Allyn Decker had a “fireside chat” with Warsaw Mayor Jeff Grose for about a half hour.
A 2024 Trustee Award team report was given by Chris McKeand and Mike Murphy on their “Marketing Campaign for Kosciusko Community Recovery program,” followed by a 2024 Northenor Award team report by Mikie Stogsdill on “We Lead Kosciusko 2.0.”