Vibrant Communities of Elkhart County will unveil its Action Agenda 2.0 during a series of community discussions in January and February.
The agenda includes six main themes, which follow up on the original initiatives when the community movement was launched in 2016. They are: downtowns; parks and trails; arts and cultural activities; volunteerism and community involvement; neighborhood projects and programs; and environmental and natural resources. The themes were identified through surveys during 2022 and 2023, including an online survey conducted with the help of Indiana University South Bend.
“The new Action Agenda represents the collective voice of Elkhart County residents telling us why they love where they live, and what they want more of,” said Vibrant Communities co-chairs Arvis Dawson and Suzie Weirick in a joint statement. “… By continuing to invest in well-crafted, placemaking projects we can continue to build more vibrant communities for residents of Elkhart County. The upcoming, open house public discussions are an important step in shaping our next five years of growth.”
The community conversations will take place from 4 to 6 p.m.:
- Jan. 29 at the Nappanee Public Library
- Jan. 30 at the Goshen Theater
- Feb. 1 at the Middlebury Public Library
- Feb. 7 at the Bristol Opera House
- Feb. 8 at the Elkhart Public Library
- Feb. 12 at Millersburg Town Hall
- Feb. 13 at Doc’s Pavilion, Wakarusa
Jon Hunsberger, Executive Director of the Elkhart County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said Elkhart County residents submitted more than 3,200 ideas for improving the county.
“People are clearly invested in our Vibrant Communities mission, and really have been since we launched in 2016 with our original Action Agenda,” Hunsberger said.
Vibrant Communities of Elkhart County is co-sponsored by the Elkhart County Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Community Foundation of Elkhart County.
