When the Putnam County Community Foundation board of directors decided to participate in Ivy Tech's Changing Lives…Building Futures campaign, they saw their contribution as an investment in their community's future. The organization believed in the project so much, in fact, that they made Ivy Tech the single largest beneficiary of unrestricted endowment funds in the Community Foundation's history.

Elaine Peck, executive director of the Community Foundation, says that the $375,000 grant given to Ivy Tech reflects the community's excitement about the project. "The Community Foundation sees the enormous benefit to the community provided by a larger

Ivy Tech campus," she states. "Our citizens will benefit by having more post-secondary education opportunities close by. Business and industry benefit by having a skilled workforce. And our local retail will benefit by students and faculty traveling into the county from other areas in our region."

Thanks to donors like the Community Foundation, the Changing Lives… Building Futures campaign is well on the way to reaching its $1.9 million goal. In 2008, Ivy Tech broke ground for its new facility on land located in Rokicki Park that was donated by the City of Greencastle. The majority of the Community Foundation grant funds - $200,000 - has been designated to go toward the building fund.

An additional $95,000 from the Community Foundation will fund an endowment for the Greencastle campus. The endowment will help sustain the long-term financial success of the campus by ensuring that funds are available down the road for technology upgrades and facilities improvements. The remaining $80,000 will be set aside for a matching grant, where contributions from individuals and businesses will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Community Foundation. This provides a significant incentive for donors like North Salem State Bank to get involved in the campaign.

Ivy Tech's new facility in Greencastle will give students access to the latest technology.

"North Salem State Bank believes in the betterment of the communities we serve and is willing to aggressively show our commitment to such efforts," says Rod Lasley, the bank's President and CEO and Chairman of the Changing Lives…Building Futures campaign. "We know this is a huge commitment by Ivy Tech, and the matching opportunity provided by the Putnam County Community Foundation will provide tremendous opportunities for the residents of Greencastle, Putnam County, and west central Indiana."

The new facility will be 30,000 square feet and well-equipped with the latest technology. Online and other distance-learning amenities are a special focus, giving students the option of completing a degree on a schedule that meets their needs.

These types of options, all designed to help students succeed, will ultimately lead to a stronger workforce for Greencastle and its surrounding counties. Greencastle business owner and North Salem State Bank board member Brian Pershing is among those who is looking forward to seeing Ivy Tech change lives and build futures in his community. "This facility will provide opportunities to many individuals who otherwise would not obtain any form of postsecondary education," he says. "NSSB in conjunction with Ivy Tech and the Community Foundation are excited to be a part of such a community asset."