Valparaiso Magazine Fall 2021

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PROUD TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY APPLY NOW! Mike Anton Jim Anton Serving Valparaiso for over 60 years. Customized insurance coverage for all of your needs and now part of one of the largest independent agency families, with access to over 200 carriers. 2600 Roosevelt Rd., Valparaiso | 219.465.6530 155 S. Calumet Rd., Chesterton | 219.926.8681 antoninsurance.com 14 VALPARAISO MAGAZINE | FALL 2021
THE INTERNATIONAL ORDER OF ODD FELLOWS & SUNRISE KIWANIS >> THE INTERNATIONAL ORDER OF ODD FELLOWS & SUNRISE KIWANIS may not have as many members as the Valparaiso Noon Kiwanis and Rotary clubs, but they HAVE BIG IMPACT Greg Simms is Noble Grand of The International Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF), which means he’s the group’s leader. The odd name of the organization derives from the members’ eagerness to do odd jobs to help the less fortunate, including widows and orphans, Simms explained. The Valparaiso club was founded in 1848, just 11 years after the county was organized. “We’re one of the oldest service organizations in Porter County,” Simms said. The club never went out of existence. In the 1800s, the group’s mission included burying people who couldn’t afford a grave. “Over time, society picked up the slack,” Simms noted. Foster care has replaced orphanages. Medicare and Medicaid are available to help the elderly, low-income and some other populations pay for health care. Township trustees can help pay for burials, along with some other poor relief. The Odd Fellows’ mission has shifted, but it hasn’t been erased. Members still enjoy helping others. Among the club’s major projects is bike giveaways. “We buy some,” Simms said. “But the vast majority are donated.” The group collects donated bikes or ones purchased at garage sales and refurbishes them. “Every time we give a bike away, it’s mechanically sound,” he said. The bike might not look new, but it’s safe to ride. The group has also sponsored suicide awareness signs and ones that warn people to slow down because of children playing or dogs being walked. The group has donated to food banks, homeless shelters, 4-H scholarships and to Dressed for School, the clothing closet at VALE School, located at the former Hayes-Leonard Elementary School. “They took a couple of classrooms and turned them into what looks like a clothing store,” Simms said. The Odd Fellows also donate toiletries to school’s hygiene closets. That’s helpful when a child needs help from the school nurse because they lacked supplies that day or might need some deodorant because their body is changing, among other examples. “School nurses call when supplies are running low and they get restocked within days,” Simms said. The group helped refurbish the “tween” room at the Chesterton Boys and Girls Club, helped run concessions at Sunset Hill Farm County Park for a big band performance and donated to the Rotary Library Garden in downtown Valparaiso. >> WE WANT TO BE MORE VISIBLE IN THE COMMUNITY... THERE’S NOTHING ODD ABOUT HELPING PEOPLE. — Greg Simms, Noble Grand ValpoChamber.org 15
Page 1 and 2: VOL. 21 ISSUE 4 | FALL 2021 DEBBIE
Page 3 and 4: FEATURES... Valparaiso Club VALPARA
Page 5 and 6: photo provided “THE PROJECT CELEB
Page 7 and 8: Hospice, a pavilion at Gabis Arbore
Page 9 and 10: BUILDING UP to Better Serve You! Th
Page 11 and 12: photo provided Scholarships are off
Page 13: CAN I TURN MY HOBBY INTO A BUSINESS
Page 17 and 18: Members help with Café Manna, a we
Page 19 and 20: Porter County Est. 1996 COMMUNITY F
Page 21 and 22: OCUS All through life, we look forw
Page 23 and 24: ANNIVERSARY A showcase of member in
Page 25 and 26: Put Your Business on Display Every
Page 27 and 28: publishers, content providers, and
Page 29 and 30: At PLFG our goal is to provide you
Page 31 and 32: Thinking of senior living? This is
Page 33 and 34: project, so it’s great to take a
Page 35 and 36: members of Chaplain Brown Post star
Page 37 and 38: BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT >> > BUSINESS SP
Page 39 and 40: TAKE TIME & ENJOY THE SEASON... WIT

Valparaiso Magazine Fall 2021

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