The Power House Youth Center is one organization supporting students in Allen County, offering afterschool programs to 7th-12th graders in New Haven and Fort Wayne. Each day, students are bused from New Haven Junior and Senior High Schools to The Power House, where they have a safe place to spend the evening hours.

Greta McKinney has served as MLK Montessori School’s Director since 2012. Her professional experience is rich in social services, having worked with a variety of audiences, including those with developmental disabilities and aging populations.

Foellinger Foundation exists today because of the generosity of the Foellinger family. But how did the Foellinger family generate their wealth? Their family values of integrity, accountability, responsibility, and results—plus a commitment to civic involvement—led to successes for both the family, and all of Allen County.

Bloom Project, Inc.’s mission is to build youth into the next generation of leaders in their community, with a focus on mentorship and character development. Bloom Project’s Project King emphasizes group mentoring for young Black males ages 12-18. Participants are matched with a male mentor and go through a series of workshops focused on character development, professional development, emotional intelligence, civics, and more with a unique cultural lens.

Foellinger Foundation Board of Directors and staff extend our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Janae McCullough-Boyd.

Gail Doran, Board Chair of Super Shot, was recognized as the 2022 David A. Bobilya Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership Award recipient at an award ceremony on September 28, 2022. Congratulations, Gail!

Fort Wayne Dance Collective (FWDC) continually evolves to best serve our community as a nonprofit arts organization whose mission is to inspire people of all identities, abilities, and stages of life through movement arts. One way they accomplish this is through their unique model as a makerspace for movement.

Please join us in welcoming David Bennett as Foellinger Foundation’s interim President and CEO.

Kandace Kelly has worked to uplift our community’s citizens for more than 25 years at Positive Resource Connection. Kandace was drawn to working there because she is passionate about helping people, especially those who are often overlooked.

Andrew served as the Executive Director of Mad Anthonys Children’s Hope House from 2013-2019, and in 2019 he assumed the role of CEO at Habitat for Humanity of Greater Fort Wayne.

Gail Doran, Board Chair of Super Shot, was recognized as the 2022 David A. Bobilya Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership Award recipient at an award ceremony on September 28, 2022. Congratulations, Gail!

The University of Saint Francis (USF) Jesters program uses multi-disciplinary performing arts to enhance quality of life for people with mild to severe intellectual/developmental disabilities. Individuals participate in arts education activities to help them develop self-expression, self-esteem, socialization, and other life skills.

Over the last 14 years, Amanda Shepard has played a pivotal role in advancing the Fort Wayne Museum of Art. Joining the Museum in 2008 as the Assistant for Adult Education, her leadership continued to grow—to Director of Adult and University Programs, then to Deputy Director of Administration and Programs, and now to Vice President & COO.

Centered in successful communities, are successful families, whose structures vary greatly. By providing families with access to resources that help them move from dependence to independence, our nonprofit organizations help Allen County residents thrive.

Foellinger Foundation rallies around community partners, programs, and initiatives that enable Allen County residents to thrive. Our investments in community interests and development stem from well-informed research and best practices. Community development efforts have been part of philanthropy since the mid-1990’s, when the asset-based community development model was developed by John L. McKnight and John P. Kretzmann at the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University.

In 2021, Great KIDS make Great COMMUNITIES celebrated the retirement of Allen County Superior Court Judge Charles Pratt, who led the program since its inception in 1999.

As part of our Five with Foellinger series, we’re proud to introduce new videos that highlight important leadership topics.

Nonprofit leaders and board members are encouraged to share these videos directly with board members or watch together during a meeting. Each video has a complementary PDF with follow-up prompts and exercises for reflection. Check back for more videos as they become available!

Nonprofits in Allen County uplift our residents, empowering them to move from dependence to independence. But what enables our citizens to succeed isn’t just their self-reliance. Individuals need to recognize their interdependence—understanding that as family, friends, neighbors, and fellow citizens, they are dependent upon one another’s successes, too. When individuals help others help themselves, our entire community thrives.

An organization in Fort Wayne that demonstrates this impact is the Euell A. Wilson Center. Founded in honor of Euell A. Wilson, a standout athlete at Bishop Dwenger High School who passed away at 19, the Center serves youth and families through education, engagement, and empowerment programs and services that nurture the whole person.