Author: Morgan Ellis

Mission 25 Announces Major Expansion with New Shelter Services Building

Posted on by Morgan Ellis

PRESS RELEASE: Wednesday, April 24, 2024

Mission 25 Announces Major Expansion with New Shelter Services Building

New facility estimated at more than $5 million investment in Whitley County

COLUMBIA CITY, Ind. (April 24, 2024)—Mission 25, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting recovery and wellness in Whitley County and Northeast Indiana, is thrilled to announce a significant expansion with the construction of a new facility set to increase their capacity to serve more individuals. The facility, named Mission 25 Shelter Services, aims to extend the impact of Mission 25 within the community by providing enhanced recovery support and care.

“We are incredibly excited about the transformational impact that our new building will have on our community. With our increased capacity, we can expand our services and help more individuals in need,” Mission 25 Board Chair Matt Shipman said.

Mission 25 Shelter Services will serve as a level 3 recovery residence, enabling Mission 25 to support more individuals in the next level of recovery care. Additionally, the facility will introduce a new service line to support single fathers with children and increase the number of beds available for single men and women. The trauma-informed space has been meticulously designed to foster long-term success for those served.

The facility is slated for completion in early to mid spring of 2025 and will be located at 615/623 N. Opportunity Dr., Columbia City, Ind. 46725.

Mission 25’s ambitious project has been made possible through the generous support of several organizations. The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA): Division of Mental Health and Addiction (DMHA) awarded Mission 25 the largest grant in the State of Indiana through the Opioid Settlement Matching Funds, valued at $3.2 million. In addition, $2.1 million in contributions between the Community Foundation of Whitley County (CFWC) and United Way of Whitley and Kosciusko County (UWWK) has been instrumental in financing the large-scale project.

“The Community Foundation of Whitley County has a trust-based relationship with Mission 25 for one reason – the grant dollars we’ve invested in the organization through the years have consistently resulted in impact,” Community Foundation of Whitley County CEO September McConnell said. “Day by day, the Mission 25 team chips away at the hardest issues facing our community: homelessness, addiction, mental illness and abuse. It’s the hard work that so many people choose not to see or think about until someone they love needs their help.”

In 2021, the CFWC convened local leaders to map out Next Level Whitley County, a cross-sector collaborative initiative to identify and address the most pressing needs in the community. As a result of that work, funds were raised to acquire land for the new facility as well as contribute toward the costs of construction.

The construction of Mission 25 Shelter Services is being led by Michael Kinder and Sons, with oversight from the building committee chaired by Todd Jones. The committee also includes Matt Shipman, Scott Allison, Cassie Bumbaugh, Kim Slater, John Lefever and Greg Matney.

“[Mission 25’s] services are vital to the overall health of our County,” McConnell said. “Where would we be without them?”

Prior to the conception of the Mission 25 Shelter Services building, the Mission 25 Recovery Engagement Center (REC) was remodeled in the fall of 2022 with programming launching in the spring of 2023. The REC is a dedicated community center that offers a supportive environment for individuals seeking recovery from addiction. With a range of recovery meetings, resources, and trained recovery coaches, the REC equips individuals with essential tools needed for their journey to sobriety. In the spring of 2024, the REC is celebrating its one-year anniversary of providing multiple pathways to recovery in a safe space in Whitley County.

 

For more information about Mission 25, visit Mission25CC.org.

Click here to view the rendering of the new Mission 25 Shelter Services Facility.

Media Contact: Morgan Ellis | morgan@mnepr.com | 260.610.6247

10 unique ways of volunteering for Mission 25

Posted on by Morgan Ellis

Time, treasure and talent is all we need

 

When we look to our community for support, we’re not just asking for monetary donations or managing a booth as a volunteer at our events. We’re also asking for unique talents. We’re asking for creative ideas. We’re asking for connections made with other humans. We’re asking for other meaningful ways of volunteering.

Instead of putting a callout to volunteer at an upcoming event, we invite you to think creatively about volunteering with Mission 25! In our true form of non-conventional thinking and innovative problem-solving, we hope you’re inspired to think the same way.

Three things to remember when considering a volunteer opportunity with Mission 25: time, treasure and talent. What time can you share with us? What treasures can you share with us? What talents can you share with us?

In our years of coordinating volunteers, we’ve stumbled upon several inventive ways to stay connected with our mission. Here are 10 unique ways of volunteering for Mission 25.

  1. Creating something tangible to sell.
    The hearts and souls of our community’s littlest innovators inspire us always. In 2024, we’ve connected with several local kids who have hosted their own fundraising events on behalf of Mission 25. One little girl in particular, Miss Olivia D. crafted pot holders to sell at her grandma’s garage sale. Miss Raelynn and Miss Evy sold lemonade, cookies and popcorn alongside State Road 109 for the Fourth of July.
  2. Coordinating a garage sale.
    Going through a spring cleaning phase at home? Consider a generous donation of your earnings to Mission 25 or any of our services. Our friends, the Tabitha Sisters, host an annual garage sale to show their support. With those funds, they generously donate other items that we need at our locations such as homegoods, foods, big items needed, laundry baskets and toiletries.
  3. Providing transportation for our clients.
    Our clients are always needing transportation to get to and from their appointments, place of employment, running errands and other jaunts like that. Most recently, a connection was formed in the front seats of a van from a veteran client to the veteran driver. Providing that service while connecting with another human is irreplaceable. Finding things in common with those we serve make for interesting conversations and connections.
  4. Coming back to the “classroom” at Mission 25’s Miami Village Community Center.
    Are you a retired teacher looking to get back in the “classroom” without actually getting into a classroom? We could use your elementary or junior-high education expertise at our Miami Village Community Center. There, we foster meaningful relationships with young minds and hearts while providing academic support and guidance. Some young minds could use a little extra help and encouragement. Listening to a child read their favorite book or work through word problems could end a tough day on a good note.
  5. Sharing empathy and commonality with our clients who come from hard places.
    The individuals we serve come from hard places. Hard places with hard pasts. In a world of stigma, we’re working to break them, one human connection at a time. If you have a story of your own, breaking your own barriers, connect with our clients and remind them that they are not alone.
  6. Hosting an event for our clients.
    Volunteer events don’t have to be boring! This past summer, a fourth and fifth grade group from First Church of God visited with our clients and hosted a “water day” outside in that sweltering summer heat. Water balloons, squirt guns, slip and slides and sprinklers riddled our lawn and cooled everyone off while laughing the whole time.
  7. Preparing meals for our clients at Mission 25.
    There’s nothing better than sitting down for a home cooked meal, especially when the table is full of friends and family alike. To prepare a meal for our clients would continue fostering relationships inside our doors among those we serve. And those are relationships that can last a lifetime.
  8. Taking a client out to coffee.
    Coffee and conversation make the best connections! We encourage engaging with our clients outside of our facilities, cultivating a meaningful, supportive, long-term relationship for the days after our clients leave our facility. Helping those we serve build their community through a cup of coffee will build a lasting impact.
  9. Conducting a perishable or non-perishable food drive.
    To keep our clients from going hungry and always allowing parents to put food on the table for their kids means having fully stocked pantries, shelves, fridges and freezers. It takes a community to build that nutritional wealth and we can’t do that on our own. Friends from the community generously built, installed and frequently stock a “Blessings Box” at Miami Village Community Center, which is tapped into daily.
  10. Toilet paper.
    Toilet paper and toiletries are crucial for our clients. Feminine hygiene products and bathroom essentials never stay on our shelves.

For Mission 25, nothing is done in a conventional way. Our team works to dismantle inequities among individuals who face risks of housing displacement, mental health challenges, substance use disorder, domestic violence and barriers to success. Providing pathways for recovery, prevention and support in a holistic way means that we consider every aspect of those individuals’ lives. These 10 innovative ways of volunteering for Mission 25 help us maintain our mission while covering every aspect of our clients’ lives.

If you’re interested in volunteering for us and have any questions, contact our team at info@mission25cc.org, give us a call at 260.244.5266 or head to Mission25CC.org/donate to make a donation.

Mission 25 has so much to be thankful for

Posted on by Morgan Ellis

We’ll start with what we’re most thankful for: Our community

Like every nonprofit organization in every small town or booming city, we have so much to be thankful for, starting with our community.

Mission 25 leans far into the support of the community of Columbia City, and even Northeast Indiana. For instance, at our Miami Village Community Center this summer, we were able to provide an entire summer’s worth of experiential programming for 38 kids! These events and opportunities weren’t just organized at a conference room table and put into action. These events and opportunities came with many thoughtful conversations with our community partnerships and collaborations with local businesses, other nonprofits and generous supporters.

We especially want to thank Image of Hope Ranch, Fahl Aquatic Center, Bones Theatre, Columbia City Pizza Hut, Shoe Sensation, Columbia City Dairy Queen, Columbia City Parks Department (Morsches, Eagle Park, Kids Dreamland and Devol Field), Ligonier Burger King, Dutch Creek Animal Park, Camp S.T.E.A.M. Ahead, Wake the World: Lake James, Marion Splash House, City Chevy and City Ford, WCCS Transportation Department, Deputy Prosecutor Lindsey Grossnickle, Indiana State Police, Officials from Whitley County Probation Department, Columbia City High School’s boys and girls soccer teams, Columbia City Fire Department, Columbia City Police Station, Mayor Ryan L. Daniel, Brew’ha, Vintage Blessed and the Columbia City Post Office.

It’s an “oldie, but a goodie,” but we can’t let this one go uncelebrated! Travel back with us to reminisce over the annual Knights of Columbus Fish Fry in March, where this fundraiser garnered $5,000 to support our services! We can never believe our eyes when the lines for this Fish Fry form as early and span as long as they do. So yes… it’s an “oldie, but a goodie,” and we’re still humbled by the rallying support of this community. You can see what these dollars help us accomplish here.

And we can’t just stop there! In the midst of all of these activities and fundraisers this year, other community members reached our programs in ways we find so unique and so kind.

The Tabitha Sisters harnessed the power of Spring and the love of Jesus by providing Easter Dinner, traditional Easter Baskets and outfits for our families. And as an annual tradition, the Tabitha Sisters also hosted their giant garage sale as a fundraiser for Mission 25. In the same vein, Miss Olivia D. crafted pot holders to sell at her grandma’s garage sale. Miss Raelynn and Miss Evy sold lemonade, cookies and popcorn alongside State Road 109 for the Fourth of July.

Monthly, we share our much needed prayers and anticipated praises with prayer warriors in our community. And monthly, they come together to do just that, pray and celebrate.

And finally, a special thank you goes to those who have either shipped needed items directly to Mission 25 (such as toilet paper, cleaning supplies, kitchen supplies and food) or who have been hand-delivering generous donations, homemade goodies and homegrown produce from their own gardens.

Thank you, from the deepest depths of our hearts, for your generosity, your time, your energy, prayers and so much more. We genuinely cannot do what we do without your support, in all the ways, shapes and forms that you share them with us.

Shelter Services: A Note on “Hope” from Shawn Ellis

Posted on by Morgan Ellis

Mission 25 Shelter Services helps us show love together

When Mission 25 opened its Shelter Services doors in February 2000, we anchored everything in one belief: there is hope for every person who walks through our doors.

Over the years, I’ve witnessed that hope take shape in ways that still leave me speechless.

Individuals arrive focused on survival in mind and leave with vision, confidence, and purpose. Residents earn their GEDs and go on to college. Former clients build fulfilling careers, including a successful real estate agent and a highly regarded boxing manager. They become homeowners, debt-free adults, licensed drivers, vehicle owners, spouses, parents, and active contributors to our community.

And the list keeps going. These individuals are not just success stories I tell, but lives re-written.

Why Mission 25 still exists more than 25 years later

Every person is issued two certificates in their lifetime: a birth certificate and a death certificate. Mission 25 holds a small, but critical window between those two moments—roughly 8–12 months for the individuals we serve. That window is sacred, and it is why we pour everything we have—time, structure, accountability, compassion, and resources—into each person during their stay. What happens during this season can change the direction of an entire life.

Mission 25 does not “fix” people. The individuals who walk through our doors do the hard work. They make the decisions and they choose growth. Mission 25 provides the time, space, support, and tools that make change possible. We operate as a launchpad by giving people the chance to step out of survival mode and move forward with purpose and hope.

The impact of Mission 25 extends beyond the individual.

Shelter Services strengthens our community

Mission 25 strengthens Whitley County. When people leave our program, they don’t disappear. They stay, work, build families, serve, and contribute to their community. The trajectory of their lives now intersects daily with our schools, workplaces, churches, and neighborhoods.

I sometimes ask myself…

What would our community look like if Mission 25’s Shelter Services didn’t exist tomorrow?

And the answer is sobering.

This work matters and the support behind the work we do matters just as much.

At Mission 25, hope is not abstract. People live it out every day. Donors, partners, and community members like you make it possible by investing when the need is urgency and the outcome changes lives.

There is hope for every person who walks through our doors. Together, we keep that hope within reach.

Your support directly impacts the outcomes of our Shelter Services.

Click here to make a donation toward Mission 25’s Shelter Services.

 

Recovery Engagement Center: A Note on “Hope” from Joy Wagner

Posted on by Morgan Ellis

Mission 25’s Recovery Engagement Center helps us show love together

It’s been said that if you “do what you love,” you will “never work a day in your life.” Don’t get me wrong—I admit that it can feel like work every Monday through Friday. Some days are just plain exhausting when working in the recovery sector of social services. However, here is my absolute truth: I love the job I get to do every day. My passion for helping people rebuild their lives on their recovery journey is what fills my proverbial cup.

Working with Individuals in Recovery

People often ask me if it’s hard to work with “people like that.” It’s not usually intended to be an offensive, or marginalizing question. What I think they mean by asking me this, is “people who have come from hard places who are working to improve their lives.” The Mission 25 Recovery Engagement Center (REC) is truly the place for that healing work to happen.

I know people in recovery who consistently attend our 9:30 a.m. Monday morning journaling group, despite having worked the night shift, all for their own accountability and health.

I know people in recovery who have quit their life’s dependency on an extremely powerful synthetic drug, all so their child can come back home to live with them, entirely changing the trajectory of both their lives.

I know people in recovery who have completed all 4 levels of Mission 25’s Resident Program, moving into their own home through our Supportive Housing service line, and remain engaged within our recovery programming.

I know people who never, for one second, forget that Mission 25, and the REC, is their safe space during their recovery journey.

“Those people” fill my work calendar with meaningful meetings, appointments, sessions, groups, and plain-old chats over coffee. They make my job so much more than just a job.

What does the REC do?

This beautiful space, a sanctuary of hope and worship, modified to be a sanctuary of hope and healing, holds an important role in our community. The REC does the meaningful work of giving individuals and families a safe space. This space, full of support and accountability, helps people who are struggling with trauma and addiction. Community and compassion are what bring people in recovery back to this building.

The REC brings different pathways of recovery to Whitley County and Northeast Indiana. Each pathway is enriched with a schedule of recovery groups, bringing people together and meeting them where they are. And it’s no secret that all of these groups share one thing in common: people in recovery.

Those who attend our recovery groups and events can be fighting the same battles or climbing the same mountains as those sitting to the right of them. And each of those individuals understand and empathize with each other through those shared experiences—where paths of addiction set them back and paths of recovery lead them forward.

In all of recovery’s highs and lows, people know that peer support is available here at the REC. Whether in the beginning chapters or personal maintenance stage, we believe that community and connection are roots within the recovery journey.

My “Why”

“Giving individuals a positive, naturally lighted, plant-filled space to build a whole new, healthy community is ‘my why.’”

I, along with the entire Mission 25 team, value the shared experiences hosted within these walls. The promoted empathy and kindness work together to reduce shame and stigma.

Within These Walls

Within these walls, families undergo restoration. Strangers become comfortable with being vulnerable. Stories of personal journeys spark genuine inspiration. Friends find extreme joy and happiness. Individuals come together to help, support, love, and uplift one another until they each find their way out of the darkness. And despite some beliefs that those feelings wouldn’t be possible again, the REC proves them to be possible.

Mission 25’s work floods our community with hope. And the REC nurtures that hope with strong, healthy, sustainable connections beyond its walls.

Your support directly impacts the outcomes of our Recovery Engagement Center.

Click here to make a donation toward Mission 25’s Recovery Engagement Center.