Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Cardinal Center will be 50 years old in September.
On Sept. 24, 1954, 20 people, who were especially aware of grief and pain, assembled in the home of Dr. Eugene Yoder, Syracuse Lake, to find a teacher and a meeting place for classes to help the handicapped. The group's name was Kosciusko County Council for Handicapped Children, with Yoder as president.
The 50th anniversary celebration will start June 11, with a kickoff dinner at Warsaw's Center Lake Pavilion. According to Cynthia Pergrem, Cardinal Center's director of development, and Sheena Whitaker, community relations and volunteer manager, it's to be a "night of food and fun."
Doors will open at at 5 p.m., with hors d'oeuvres and wine prior to dinner at 6:20 p.m. The dinner menu includes prime rib, teriyaki duck, potatoes au gratin, green beans almondine, seven-layer salad and homemade pies, served by Boss Hogg's "tuxedo service."
Bidding for the silent auction will begin when the doors open and will conclude before the live auction begins. Items included are a wide variety of gift baskets representing "everything from action to relaxation." The live auction will start after dinner. Highlights of the live auction are the Cardinal Center quilt pictured at left, a signed Peyton Manning jersey and other sports memorabilia, and services such as Mayor Wiggins serving breakfast and Ray Monteith changing the oil in your car.
The Premier Sponsor of the kickoff is National City Bank. Other sponsors are: Creative Benefit Solutions, Crowe Chizek and Co. LLC, IKON Office Solutions, Lake City Bank, Ed and Pat Likens of Service Liquors, Maple Leaf Farms, Medtronic Sofamor Danek Mfg., Paragon Medical Inc., Pill Box Pharmacies, R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co., Symmetry Medical Inc., The Biomet Foundation Inc., Bill and Molly Warren and Zimmer Inc.
Individual dinner reservations are $35 each and contributions in lieu of attending the dinner are accepted. For more information, or registration, call 574-267-3823, Ext. 1344 or Ext. 1387, visit www.cardinalcenter.org or e-mail development@cardinalcenter.org
Other activities planned for the celebration include:
July 9-25 - Million Dollar Hole-In-One Golf Shoot-Out: July 9, sponsor/media day festivities; July 10-11, qualifications at Little Bighorn, Raccoon Run, South Shore, Sprig-O-Mint and Swan Lake golf courses; and July 25, finals at Stonehenge Golf Course.
Aug. 15 - 50th Anniversary Open House.
Sept. 28 -Ê50th Anniversary Celebration Dinner.
The name Cardinal Learning Center was chosen in 1963, when the Kosciusko Council for the Retarded moved to its own building in a house at 304 S. High St. Three years later, with significant contributions by area Lions clubs, the group moved to its current location, 504 N. Bay Drive. One year later, a grant funded the addition of 7,000 square feet to the facility. An educational facility was added in 1969, and Cardinal Center was designated as a Comprehensive Mental Health Center for Whitley, Huntington, Wabash and Kosciusko counties.
In 1979, the the Urban Mass Transit Grant was obtained that funds the Kosciusko Area Bus Service. Over the next 10 years, efforts were focused on adult education, job training and establishing group residential housing. In 1990, residential services were expanded to Cass and Marshall counties. In the mid-1990s, efforts were expanded to include day care facilities for disadvantaged preschoolers. Jane Greene was named CEO in 1996.
More recently, the Head Start Program has continued its expansion, while CCI manufacturing expanded its customer base. In 2001, a subsidiary, Cardinal Center Development Corp., was created to develop affordable housing options, a 64-unit named Pike Lake Pointe Apartments, which is now open.
Pergrem said, "'A History of Service and Commitment' encompasses all Cardinal Center Inc. has done and continues to do to join with families and others to challenge and support both adults and children with disabilities or other needs to be active members of their community. It is with anticipation and diligence that the Cardinal Center 50th Anniversary committee plans the celebration of Cardinal's 50 years of service and commitment to people with disabilities and the communities in which they operate."
