Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Creating whole individuals and whole communities was the theme of the 21st annual Cardinal luncheon Tuesday at Warsaw Community Church.
Vickie Lootens, chief community impact officer for Easterseals Community Network, introduced guest speaker Tricia Sloma, co-anchor at WNDU News.
“She has spent her whole career telling the whole story of our communities. There is no better voice for today’s theme,” Lootens said.
Sloma said in the journalism industry, they spend a lot of time about breaking news, but Tuesday, they were going to talk about things that make a community whole “and that’s Cardinal Services.”
She talked about the help people receive along the way during their lives.
“Not pieces of a life. The whole thing. At every age, every stage. No one is missing from classrooms, workplaces, churches or neighborhoods. Whole lives are how you build whole communities. And Cardinal proves it here every single day,” she said.
Sloma said her career has made her acutely aware of how fragile a person can be if they don’t have the support they need. It was in 2020 when WNDU started Wednesday’s Child. She remembers when her news director approached her with the idea and Sloma hesitated. She thought it would be exploiting the children in their most vulnerable moments. Then she met the kids and realized they are just kids with the same hopes and dreams as Sloma’s two daughters. She quickly realized it was OK to share their stories and it was important to add their stories to their online profile on the adoption website so it would show more of the child’s personality.
Sloma said many of the kids have learning challenges or physical disabilities.
“And I learned that any time we show the world what someone can do, we are celebrating their true abilities. And there are many,” Sloma said.
Sloma told the stories of a couple children she interviewed. She said she asks all the children a question, which is what is their best advice for kids in foster care. One of the kids’ answer was to be strong “and play LEGOs because LEGOs are fun.”
“Do you see what I mean? This isn’t hard. Meet everyone where they are with a heart of service and care and just be amazed at what you learn. Cardinal has spent decades perfecting this model of service and care,” Sloma said.
Later in the luncheon, Cardinal Services Executive Director Marcie Arndt said attendees’ presence at the luncheon and their support throughout the year helps Cardinal Services remain a trusted resource in every chapter of life. Over the course of her career at Cardinal, Arndt said she has had the privilege of witnessing countless stories of individuals and families who have turned to Cardinal at various chapters of their lives. Cardinal’s services may have different names and different funding streams, but the people do not experience their lives that way. A family who goes to Cardinal for the Women, Infants and Children program, may also rely on Kosciusko Area Bus Service when they have no other way to get to a medical appointment or the grocery story. A struggling mom connected to Healthy Families may discover a path to a career through career links.
“These are not separate stories. These are chapters in whole lives. And that is something that I’ve come to understand throughout my career at Cardinal. On paper, each of our services may be a single line in a file, but in real life, that line can open a door to a whole life and that’s what Whole Lives, Whole Communities means to me. It means recognizing that when we support one person, we are often supporting an entire family. And when we help one person find employment, we’re strengthening a local business,” she said.
“And when we help somebody access transportation, we connect them to healthcare, groceries, work in the community. When we help somebody build independence, we make our entire community stronger. That’s why this year’s theme isn’t simply a slogan that we’ve chosen for this year’s luncheon. Whole Lives, Whole Communities is what Cardinal has been for 72 years right here in our community,” she continued, adding for those 72 years, Cardinal has been working with those people throughout those chapter of their lives.
The four areas that anchored Cardinal’s work for years are enriching education, enhancing help, expanding employment and elevating the community, she said. What has changed throughout the years is the scale and depth of what those words mean in practice.
Ardnt talked about the different programs Cardinal has including KABS and Camp New Horizons. Behind each program are people whose lives are different, she said.
Arndt said as Cardinal looks to the future, they’re focusing on expanding opportunities, filling gaps and making sure when families need someone to turn to, Cardinal is there.
Fabiola Holsclaw and Shari Skaggs talked about how Cardinal Services have helped family members.
Also during the luncheon, Head Start students performed “When I Grow Up.” Former Cardinal Board member John Teevan gave the invocation.
