Speakers

This special day will feature a pre-lunch live music by a quartet from the Concord High School Symphonic Orchestra and our normal program time will feature the Elkhart Central High School Show Choir.

 

Sharon Sarber, Volunteer Engagement Specialist at Elkhart and Goshen Community Schools, In Partnership With United Way of Elkhart County presents the Read United initiative - - learn about this great program and the opportunities to serve as volunteers in our community.

Read United is a special program sponsored by the United Way of Elkhart County and consists of three programs:

1. Real Men Read runs every October to November - - This program places positive male role models in Goshen and Elkhart elementary school classrooms to read aloud to their assigned class.
2. Reading Camps run every January to March - - This program provides extra one-on-one tutoring and reading practice for elementary students who are falling behind their peers.
3. Spring Into Reading runs every April to May - - This program places volunteers into elementary classrooms to read aloud to classes of children.

Read United is starting to recruit for their next program, Reading Camps. The program matches a community volunteer with a 1st-3rd grade student identified as being just below grade level for reading skills. Students are invited to meet with mentors after school twice a week over an 8-week period.  Volunteers may sign up for one or both sessions, or participate in the Sub Pool. Volunteers are provided a brief training the week before the start of the program. All materials are provided as well. Volunteers meet with students in a supervised setting at their respective schools. Reading Camps in Elkhart Community Schools include Bristol, Eastwood, Mary Beck and Mary Daly. Sessions meet T/Th from 4:00-5:00, starting Jan. 27th and running through March 19th. Reading Camps in Goshen Community Schools include Chandler, Model, Parkside, Waterford and West Goshen.  Sessions meet T/Th from 3:00-4:00pm. Over the course of the hour, volunteers read to students, then students read to volunteers, followed by an enrichment activity. The last 15 minutes are spend playing a skill-building game (usually the favorite part of the hour!). All Camps culminate in a celebration on March 19th for students, families and volunteers. NWEA test scores show the benefit of this program through increased “camper” scores. It is the most challenging Read United program regarding volunteer recruitment.

Community Foundation of Elkhart County President Dr. Pete McCown and Elkhart Greater Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Levon Johnson present the planning work they have been co-leading related to the future of the Tolson Center and Park.

Inspired to act by the alarming dropout rates, drug use, and gang involvement throughout schools in his community, Seth Maust co-founded Five Star Life, a not-for-profit organization (in Elkhart, Indiana) with a mission to change the face of education by changing the mindsets of students. Five Star Life’s academic, character, mental health, and leadership programming focuses on reaching students from 5th-12th grade through afterschool programs, a proprietary Video Curriculum, and experiential learning opportunities at its 300-acre training facility in Union, Michigan.

Five Star Life was started fifteen years ago with fifty students and a handful of dedicated volunteers. Although the dream started small, it has grown exponentially to reaching more than 10,000 students last year with nearly 600 volunteers.

Seth has over twenty years of experience teaching and training students, educators, and volunteers. Five Star Life’s curriculum is based on the five Core Values of respect, responsibility, integrity, sacrifice, and courage. By injecting these values into students’ lives through intentional mentoring and teaching, their mindsets change. As mindsets change, their grades begin to rise. As their grades continue to rise, their entire future opens up and the possibilities are endless. 

As President and Executive Director, Seth, along with the Five Star Life staff and a host of volunteers, is on a mission to help students throughout the country build the necessary mindsets to live a Five Star life!

Five Star Life is now growing substantially through the development of Five Star Life Video Curriculum. Classrooms across the nation are beginning to implement this program to develop students’ mindsets, academics, character, mental health, and leadership skills.

 

 

Steven Van Scoik is a Rotary Past District Governor of District 6540, a member of the Concord Rotary Club (and past President!) and the Principal agent at Holmes Insurance Agency, one of the few remaining independent agencies in Elkhart, Indiana, established 1964. Steve has 37 years of insurance experience and is a Certified Insurance Consultant (CIC). 

As well as being highly involved with Rotary International and his home club, Steven is highly involved in his community, serving on numerous boards including Faith Mission (NFP food kitchen), Boy Scouts of America, National Association of Insurance and Financial Planners, National Association of Health Insurance, First Baptist Church of Elkhart, and Twin Lakes Camp and Conference Center. The agency also sponsors soccer leagues, baseball leagues and the band program thru Concord High School, as well as sports programs with other area schools.