WAYNE COUNTY, Ind. – St. Vincent de Paul is opening a new thrift store in Wayne County, with a mission to provide affordable goods while helping support efforts that guide families toward independence.

“It’s shopping with a purpose and that purpose is to help other people,” said Tony Talbert, president of St. Vincent de Paul. “All of it is geared towards helping people. And you might be sorting through clothes or putting price tags on clothes, but in the end, what you’re doing is going to help hundreds of people here have better lives.”

Located at 440 S 9th Street in Richmond, the store opened Saturday, March 21, with a “soft opening” to establish processes before operating regularly Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with plans to expand hours as needed. “We’ll be open every Thursday through Saturday from ten to four. And then we’ll look and see how it goes. We’ll potentially expand days beyond that,” Talbert said.

The shop relies on donations of furniture, clothing, household items, and décor. Items are cleaned and prepared before being placed for sale.

“We have a room in the back. We do the cleaning. We get it ready to go out onto the floor,” Talbert said. Right now, furniture makes up a majority of the inventory.

Talbert said the store is designed to benefit the broader mission of the organization, with its success helping drive current and future programs focused on stability and self-sufficiency.

Those programs include life skills classes such as cooking, budgeting and GED support, striving for individuals to build a stronger foundation.

 “We really only have those three programs right now…life skills to help them that they haven’t been taught before…We do that, they start seeing and they start thinking differently,” he said.

The organization also works with individuals facing challenges like employment and access to healthcare, navigating barriers that can come with financial progress.

“Our goal is to help people in need, families in need to get out of their current situation, to put them on a new path, a path of independence. Instead of enabling them to stay in their current situation, we’re empowering them to see a new path that’s going to make their life better,” he said.

A key part of that approach is mentorship. Volunteers work directly with families, visiting homes, identifying challenges and connecting them with resources and community partners.

Rather than offering one-time assistance, Talbert said the focus is on long-term relationships and lasting change.

“It’s not a transaction. It’s an interaction,” he said.

By working alongside other local organizations, St. Vincent de Paul aims to maximize its impact without duplicating services.

Ultimately, Talbert said the mission is about helping people rediscover themselves after hardship.

“They get lost through drugs, through mental illness, through financial hardship,” he said. “We’re trying to help them find that person again.”

WAYNE COUNTY, Ind. – The Wayne County Foundation has named Becky Jewison the recipient of the 2025 Charles A. Rodefeld Award and Lee Ann Adams the recipient of the 2025 Ruth J. Wickemeyer Award, the organization’s highest honors.

The Rodefeld Award recognizes lifetime achievement in philanthropy, while the Wickemeyer Award honors excellence in nonprofit leadership and service.

Jewison has dedicated decades to volunteerism, board service, and charitable giving, supporting more than 15 local organizations. This includes Every Child Can Read, Reid Health and the Reid Foundation, Girl Scouts, Tri Kappa, A Better Way/Genesis, and Richmond Civic Theatre. She and her family also established the Jimmy Miller Fund, a donor-advised fund at the Wayne County Foundation, created in memory of her brother to promote inclusion and joy.

Jewison was nominated by Every Child Can Read.

Adams spent much of her career at Indiana University East’s School of Education, leaving an impact on thousands of students. She now volunteers nearly 20 hours a week at Richmond Friends School, supporting early literacy through reading and music at Trueblood Preschool. She also works with the Independent Living Center of Eastern Indiana and the Wayne County Literacy Coalition to empower individuals with disabilities and teach adult literacy.

Adams was nominated by Richmond Friends School.

WAYNE COUNTY, Ind. - Girls Inc. is seeking community support after recent damage forced the closure of their building.

The community can help by donating the following items to these drop-off locations:

Needed Supplies:

Clorox wipes, trash bags, paper towels, toilet paper, paper, construction paper, coloring books, crayons, glue markers, colored pencils, band-aids, first aid kits.

Drop-off Locations:

All Phillips Drugs locations, Richmond Family YMCA, Richmond City Building Police Dept. Lobby, Wayne County Jail Lobby.

LIBERTY, Ind. – The Union County Public Library reopened to the community in January 2026 after a major renovation aimed at transforming the space into more than just a library.

Discussions about updating the library began in 2020, as staff researched the community’s needs and the library’s history.

“We started putting feelers out there, started reading a lot of data, a lot of research, a lot of surveys that had been done countywide,” said Library Director Julie Jolliff. “We really started to hone in on what do we think Union County needs?”

In the process, staff discovered historical documentation from the library’s 1915 cornerstone ceremony. Jolliff recalled, “In one of the speeches it said, ‘This library is a community center. It should house books for reading, for fun, for pleasure, for bettering one’s life, but it should also house education, recreation and entertainment.’ I mean, it was just so clear.”

This sentiment became the guiding mission of the renovation.

The planning phase involved architects, bond counsel, and county officials. Jolliff described the process, “It took a couple of years to get to that point, and then we had to present in front of our county council. We got a unanimous vote that everybody voted yes. So, after that, it was really game on.”

During construction, the library continued offering services from two temporary locations across the street, allowing staff to monitor the project while serving the public. “We moved out to two little locations across the street, which worked out beautifully because I could still monitor the construction and just walk across the street,” Jolliff said. Construction took about two years to complete.

The redesigned library centers on three pillars: learn, move, and connect.

“We want people to learn here,” she explained. “We want people to move here. We want there to be opportunities to move your body, make yourself feel better. And we want people to connect.”

To support these goals, the library now features an indoor walking track, gymnasium/event space, office space, and an updated kitchen, among other features. The gym floor can be used for sports, activities or community meetings. The kitchen is now accessible from an outside ramp, allowing the library to continue hosting weekly meals aimed at addressing food insecurity.

The renovations still honor the library’s history. “The history of the library was probably the paramount decision-making through the whole design process,” Jolliff said. “We wanted to make sure this building looks seamless from its historic beginnings through its renovation to where it is now… We went with all clay tiles. We took the four-pattern window that runs through the front of the library and carried it through the addition as well.”

The library aims to serve all residents, even those who might not have visited before. Jolliff emphasized this importance, “I want them to come in, even if they’ve never come in before... just to experiment with something. I just want them to come in and sit next to somebody and talk with them for a couple of hours,” she said. “We didn’t make this for us; we made it for them.”

Early responses have been overwhelmingly positive, with people actively coming in to utilize the space in ways that meets their needs. “We have a couple in their 90s that are walking here almost every day, and they were just so tickled to tell me about how they would walk a lap and rest, walk a lap and then rest… now they walk two laps and then rest,” Jolliff said. “That tells a bigger story than just the construction.”

Jolliff said reading has also been a personal outlet throughout the process of the library's transformation, particularly nonfiction that helps her think through leadership and long-term planning. She referenced a book titled Gradually, Then Suddenly, which explores how meaningful change often builds slowly before reaching a turning point. 

"Basically all things happen gradually... then suddenly," Jolliff said. "I kept saying that with the library. Gradually one brick at a time, one piece of drywall at a time, and then suddenly we have a library."

As the library settles into its new role, staff are lexpanding programs and services while continuing to build on its long tradition as a trusted community resource, dating back to its 1915 roots. “We just want our community to know we’re for them,” she said. “They’re the hero of the story.”

Although the library has reopened, Jolliff said staff plan to celebrate with an official grand opening in the spring as the final touches are completed. 

Find more information on the Union County Public Library Facebook page.

RICHMOND, Ind. - The Boys & Girls Clubs of Wayne County announced the recipients of its Impact Awards throughout the community.

Richmond High School sophomore Warren Guess II was named the 2026 Boys & Girls Clubs of Wayne County Youth of the Year. He received a $1,000 scholarship and will advance to the state competition.

Richmond High School senior Madison Benns received the Jack Reed Memorial Scholarship and will get $2,000 to pursue higher education.

The Club also awarded two $250 scholarships to Northeastern High School sophomore Brylei Hatfield and Richmond High School junior Courtney Curtis as Youth of the Year runners-up.

Being recognized as Youth of the Year is the highest honor a Boys & Girls Club member can receive.

During the celebration, the Club also recognized community members and organizations whose support over the past year has made a significant impact.

Award recipients included:

Earl & Kathryn Mayer Award: Logue’s TLC Pet Hospital

Rookie Board Members of the Year: Becky Dimick Eastman, Sarah French, & Emily Schaeffer

Board Member of the Year: Brad Barrett

Bob Rosa President’s Award: Cathryn Dickman

Debra Edelman Champion of Youth Award: Jera Schwer

Richard E. Jeffers Legacy Award: Eldon Harzman

Stacey Steele Service & Devotion Employee of the Year: Eli Howell

Volunteer of the Year: PJ’s College of Cosmetology

INDIANA - 3Rivers Credit Union Foundation has awarded $69,400 in grants to 22 nonprofit organizations across northeast and central Indiana and Ohio.

The funding will help expand programs serving individuals and families across the region.

Organizations receiving funding in this cycle include:

· Alternatives Incorporated

· Blue Jacket, Inc.

· Camp Red Cedar

· Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana

· Communities In Schools of Wayne County

· Covenant Concepts, Inc.

· Fort Wayne Dance Collective

· Good News Habitat for Humanity

· Healthier Moms and Babies

· History Center (Allen County – Fort Wayne Historical Society)

· Homebound Meals, Inc.

· House of Pins Adaptive Recreational Venue Company

· Judy A. Morrill Recreation Center

· Lutheran Social Services of Indiana

· McMillen Health

· Mental Health America of Northeast Indiana

· Science Central

· Servants at Work (SAWS)

· Teach Our Children Fund Inc. dba Fort Wayne Center for Learning

· Women's Fund of Greater Fort Wayne

· Wood Block Press

· Yorktown Community Schools Foundation

WAYNE COUNTY, Ind. – Morrisson-Reeves Library is bringing back mobile service after a 17-year break.

The new MRL Express Book Truck will begin monthly stops in March at seven locations, including Abington, Boston, Fountain City and Greens Fork.

The purchase of the truck was made possible through a grant from the Wayne County Foundation. Beyond its practical purpose, the truck carries historic significance, marking the revival of a program that served the community for 43 years, from 1966 to 2009. Its return symbolizes the library’s ongoing commitment to its residents, as MRL Engagement Manager Josh Imhoff explained.

“It will ensure equitable access to library materials and resources for all the communities we serve,” said Imhoff. “We are establishing regular stops in communities outside Richmond for people who may otherwise have a difficult time visiting our building.

The MRL Express will also appear at festivals and community events. Imhoff noted the truck has already been welcomed at the Richmond Farmer’s Market, Depot Wine Walk, and various school events.

“Community members can expect a mobile library experience,” Imhoff said. This includes a curated selection of books for all ages that are available for browsing and checkout, assistance with applying for a library card, information on upcoming library programs and events, mobile wi-fi availability and story times. The library is also open to suggestions on additional services to offer.

Two staff members will accompany the MRL Express, providing a hands-on, mini-library experience to local communities. The truck's colorful wrap is designed to stand out. Unlike a traditional bookmobile, where patrons enter the vehicle to browse, the Express opens its sides, creating an inviting space for visitors right on the street.

“We couldn't be more excited to expand the library's reach to the entire community! Our goal is to serve communities and neighborhoods with a spirit of care and compassion, so the library's resources and support are accessible and tailored to meet you right where you are,” Imhoff said.

The current schedule for the MRL Express is listed below, with additional stops planned in the future. Visit MRL’s website for more information.

Image Source: Morrisson-Reeves Library