Chamber Donates to Ivy Tech

The Greater Greencastle Chamber of Commerce presented a $10,000 check to the Ivy Tech Greencastle Campus recently. Pictured are Chamber and board members presenting the check to Ivy Tech personnel. They are (front, from left) Tammy Amor, Matt Welker, Laurie Hardwick, Amy Doan, Amber Bowers, Rod Lasley, Becky Miller, (second) Gayle Camonte, Beau Battin, Jennifer Bedwell Nancy Fogle, (third) Chris DiBenedetto, Andrew O'Hair, LT Taylor, Rick Alexander, Dick Speller, Dave Wells, Beth Flint, Bonnie Hanlon Keith Archer, (back) Thomas Miller and Daryl Taylor.

The Greencastle Campus of Ivy Tech Community College got another boost this week with a pledge from the Greater Greencastle Chamber of Commerce. Their gift, along with the Putnam County Community Foundation's match, totals $10,000 toward Ivy Tech's $1.9 million Changing Lives...Building Futures capital campaign.

"The Greater Greencastle Chamber of Commerce is very excited to be able to make this donation to the Ivy Tech project. We feel the mission of Ivy Tech aligns very well with our mission at the Chamber. The new Ivy Tech campus will help with the recruiting and training of the workforce for our local businesses and we are very excited to be a part of it," said Matt Welker, 2008 Chamber Board President.

Back in 2007, the Putnam County Community Foundation committed $375,000 to the Ivy Tech Greencastle campus project in the form of an unrestricted endowment. A portion of the endowment provides matching funds to generous donors, like the Greater Greencastle Chamber of Commerce, who provide gifts toward this initiative.

In late 2008, the addition of a $300,000 donation by Greencastle's Citizens Advisory Commission for Industrial Development (CACFID) provided opportunities for businesses serving Putnam County additional matching opportunities. The group's hope is the additional dollars they have added will encourage more gifts from local business.

"During these challenging times, this community continues to show its commitment to education," Ivy Tech Wabash Valley Chancellor Jeff Pittman said.

"Ivy Tech could not change the lives of our residents and strengthen Indiana's economy without the leadership and perseverance this community continues to provide," he continued.

Rod Lasley, North Salem State Bank president and Ivy Tech campaign chair believes, "The Greater Greencastle Chamber of Commerce continues to show a tremendous amount of leadership in Greencastle and Putnam County. They are truly focused on stimulating the local economy and they see the vision of how Ivy Tech can help the local businesses which the Chamber represents."

The Greencastle Campus of Ivy Tech is within $390,000 of its original $1.9 million goal.

"The Greencastle community is very proud to be the home of this new Ivy Tech campus and we are most excited about the educational opportunities the college brings to our citizens," noted Greencastle Mayor Sue Murray.

For more information about fund matching opportunities to support student scholarships, technology, or faculty for the new Ivy Tech location in Greencastle, please contact Becky Miller, executive director of Resource Development, at (800) 377-4882, ext. 2361.