We are partnering up with local organizations and/or businesses throughout the year to spread the word on the work they do in our wonderful city. These organizations/businesses will be ones that are making a positive impact in our city and want to grow in what they do.
We hope to share their stories and connect them with members of our community that can join the efforts and/or at least connect them to groups and people that can advance their efforts further.
This page exists to highlight those organizations/groups that we collaborate with.
Who We Have Collaborated With
Click the respective logo to visit each organization's website
Pandemic Parenting- a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization that acts as a platform for providing the resources parents and caregivers are desperate to find. Since August of 2020, they have presented 15 topic-based live/recorded webinars, emailed regular digests that offered topic-based advice, explanations, and additional resources, shared dozens of short, 2-3 minute videos ("snack clips") that reveal quick answers to frequent questions, and launched its own podcast that releases new episodes every couple of weeks. Some of the topics include teen mental health, coping with lost sports seasons, raising anti-racist children, reimagining holidays,
grandparent engagement, supporting your child through grief/guilt, building resilience, single-parent and working mom challenges.
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Housing Opportunities- Housing Opportunities is a HUD-approved and state-certified housing 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that prevents homelessness by coaching clients on the road to self-sufficiency. They resolve homelessness for adults, children, and seniors in our community by offering emergency housing and affordable rentals. Above all, they provide hope to clients experiencing homelessness and its effects, and have been doing so since 2008. In 2020 alone,
Housing Opportunities was able to provide housing for 296 children and 591 adults, and operated 187 housing units.
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Valparaiso Creative Council- a 501(c)3 nonprofit whose mission is to enrich the community by promoting, developing, and advocating for and with local arts efforts, artists, and organizations by providing educational, programmatic, and marketing support. Their vision is simple: when people come together to create, explore, and celebrate art, culture and innovation, communities thrive.
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Our Greater Good- an organization that strengthens families and work to ensure every child in Porter County receives the skills they need to achieve their full potential, and live a fulfilling adult life. The organization focuses on the prevention of at-risk behaviors in children through various mentoring programs across multiple ages. They work to strengthen families through Parenting the Love & Logic Way Courses and their Growing Great Kids Activity Guide for parents with children from birth to 5 years old. They believe children and families who find safe places to learn and grow gain
self-confidence, better relational connections, and positive self-concepts. These traits then give them the ability to make positive, pro-active decisions that enhance their lives, and subsequently the lives of their fellow community members.
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Food Bank of Northwest Indiana- a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Merrillville and has been providing critical food assistance to individuals and families in need since 1982. The Food Bank sources food and distributes food into the community, and supports 110 partner agencies (which are soup kitchens & pantries) in the area to keep their shelves stocked and businesses running. Their mission is “to feed people today, and end hunger tomorrow by inspiring and collaborating with our community,” and their vision is “a community free of hunger.” It is the ONLY food bank serving Lake and
Porter counties, and has been serving the Northwest Indiana community since 1982. Through their partner agencies and direct distribution programs, they were able to distribute roughly 11 million pounds of food in 2020. Of this, over 1.6 million pounds of food were distributed in Porter County, which provided over 1.3 million meals to Porter County residents.
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Vidette Makes-“a community of technology professionals and enthusiasts who enrich the world through meaningful educational and social projects.” This organization makes skills and information based in the general technology field more accessible in a fun and sociable environment, and sponsors projects that advance technology fields further. They have a clear interest in creating sustainable practices in technology as a whole, and actively work on/support projects that do so! They also like to work with university groups/departments, and local projects.
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Dressed For School- provides new clothing at no cost to Porter County elementary students whose families are in need or in crisis, and does so in a store-like environment. DFS has a store front where children are allowed to shop for a number of items twice a school year, after making an appointment:
-5 tops
-4 bottoms
-5 underwear
-5 pair of socks
-2 bras for girls, if needed
-Once per school year, students can also select a new pair of gym shoes.
Dressed For School works directly with the community and also through public schools to get students the clothes they need.
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Fill out the form below to help us find groups to collaborate with!
If you are part of an organization or know of one that would like to team up with us to expand their network, reach out for volunteers, raise money for a fundraiser, or just want to get word out on what they do, please fill out the form below! We will reach out to you or whomever you list as a contact to talk about what we can do to help.
Click the button to follow it to the Google Form Interest Survey we have created to show your interest in collaborating. If we feel your organization aligns with ValpoNEXT's Vision Plan, we will reach out with further steps Thanks in advance!!