Circle of Ivy raises $16,000
Also, local artist chosen for state workshop; Stellantis execs receive Equity Awards
More than 60 members of the Kokomo chapter of Ivy Tech Community College’s Circle of Ivy celebrated spring and their commitment to the College’s students at a festive dinner recently in Hingst Hall on the Ivy Tech Kokomo Campus. For the 2022-23 school year, the organization raised $16,244 to fund five projects designed to break down barriers to higher education and help Ivy Tech students succeed.
The 116 members of the Kokomo, Logansport, Peru, Rochester, Tipton and Winamac Circle of Ivy joined forces to help students in Cass, Fulton, Howard, Miami, Pulaski and Tipton counties served by the College’s Kokomo Service Area.
Kelly Karickhoff, executive director of resource development for Ivy Tech’s Kokomo Service Area, noted the Kokomo Circle is the largest among the 19 campuses in the state. “We are so very proud of the support provided by women throughout our six counties,” she said. “Since the Circle of Ivy was created in 2016, our circle has grown from 60 members in 2016 to the total of 113 today. Throughout the last seven years, our group of philanthropic women has raised a total $89,489 to help our students.”
Karickhoff recognized two of the women as lifetime members, Jean Cole of Logansport and Dr. Cecelia Powless of Kokomo.
In the 2022-23 school year, the organization funded five projects:
Cash for Completers, a program that helps high school students finish college credentials before graduation.
The Hispanic/Latinx Education Coalition, a program that supports often-first-generation students of Hispanic descent.
Castle Branch Record Portal, a project that helps cover mandatory professional registration costs for nursing and healthcare students.
Fund-A-Friday, funding that supports enrichment activities for students in the accelerated ASAP program at Ivy Tech Kokomo and Logansport.
New Beginnings, a program that covered the cost of providing forklift training to offer second-chance employment opportunities to women at the Gilead House.
Additional funding was provided to support the Giving Shelf, a program that offers food pantries and basic supplies to meet student needs on both the Kokomo and Logansport campuses.
Nancy Rhodes emceed the event and kept things lively with a multitude of door prizes. Rhodes, a retired nurse from Logansport who has long supported Ivy Tech, represents the Kokomo Service Area at the state level as a director on the Ivy Tech Foundation and on the Circle of Ivy Guiding Circle. The evening ended with heartfelt impromptu remarks from a Circle of Ivy member describing the vital impact of the support she received from projects funded by the Circle in her long and successful journey to an associate degree at ivy Tech.
Karickhoff said the Circle of Ivy is open to all women who wish to become members of a powerful network of philanthropists who collectively give back to local Ivy Tech campuses and students.
“This is a dynamic and rewarding organization where members can join with other women within their local circle to pool their financial resources to make a really great impact,” she said. “Membership is open to any women who wish to be part of this great effort.”
To learn more about Circle of Ivy or to join for the 2023-24 school year, visit giving.ivytech.edu/circle-of-ivy/ or contact Karickhoff at kkarickhoff@ivytech.edu or call 765-252-5501. The membership drive extends through June 30.
Local artist chosen for creative entrepreneur workshop
The Indiana Arts Commission announced that 40 Hoosier creative entrepreneurs will participate in the annual On-Ramp Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator. On-Ramp is a national award-winning program designed to educate artists and creative professionals in key areas of entrepreneurship and finance and to provide ongoing mentorship and development of arts-based small businesses.
Over the course of three days, participants will follow a curriculum designed and led by Elaine Grogan Luttrull of Minerva Financial Arts. The programming will take place in Columbus, Ind., with the Columbus Area Arts Council serving as cohost for On-Ramp. The Columbus Area Arts Council is also a regional arts partner of the Indiana Arts Commission.
“We are excited to offer another round of On-Ramp Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator training in support of Indiana's economic sector in the arts," said Indiana Arts Commission Executive Director Miah Michaelsen. “This year's cohort is an impressive one that shows the depths of the creative economy of the Hoosier State. The Arts Commission is proud to play a role in accelerating their artistic careers in Indiana."
The participating creative entrepreneur from Howard County is Robin Ligon Williams.
At the conclusion of the three-day training, the entrepreneurs will submit proposals for a $2,000 fellowship to directly apply course lessons to their creative career and small business development. Proposals will be reviewed by a panel of mentor creative entrepreneurs who will provide feedback based upon their individual and collective expertise.
Stellantis executives receive Equity Honors Awards
Stellantis North America Chief Operating Officer (COO) Mark Stewart and Vice President – Diversity, Inclusion, Engagement & EEO Compliance Lottie Holland were each presented with Equity Honors Awards by the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC). These awards are given to corporate chief officers who have been recognized by their peers as true leaders of economic equity and minority business integration.
Stewart received the Chief Operating Officer of the Year award and Holland received the Chief Diversity Officer of the Year award at a ceremony in Miami on May 9.
“This is an incredible honor, one I share with our entire team at Stellantis,” said Stewart. “Our long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion is a business imperative that has shaped our company’s purpose – powered by our diversity, we lead the way the world moves. We see our role as a catalyst for change by creating opportunities that enable diverse businesses to grow and develop. As a community of minority business advocates, we must continue to challenge ourselves to set even higher standards.”
“At Stellantis, we believe we are more than an automotive company,” said Holland. “We are a source of economic empowerment for people and communities that have not participated fully in our economy or that have been denied economic justice. We believe by embracing and empowering individuals from different backgrounds, we can foster innovation and creativity, build stronger relationships with our customers and suppliers and create a more equitable and sustainable future for all of us.”
Since 1983, the Company has purchased more than $100 billion from diverse-owned suppliers and in 2022, spent nearly $8 billion in North America with this same group of suppliers. In 2022, Stellantis increased the diversity of its salaried U.S. workforce by 58%, including a 27% increase in gender diversity and a 39% increase in ethnic diversity.
Additionally, Stellantis launched two innovative supplier development programs – MentorWE and the National Black Supplier Development Program – for women- and Black-owned suppliers, respectively, to prepare them for future contracting and procurement opportunities.
Earlier this month, Stellantis was recognized by DiversityInc for its tireless efforts and commitment to diversity, ranking No. 30 on the publication’s prestigious list of Top 50 Companies for Diversity in the U.S., No. 2 on the Supplier Diversity specialty list, moving up from No. 3 in 2022, and No. 17 of top companies for Black executives.