Celebrating 10 years of LIFTING Culver women
In 2011, the Marshall County Community Foundation announced the first affinity group associated with them to support a common cause –uplifting women for success.
Sixteen Culver women founded the LIFT group, an acronym for “Lending Inspirational Friendship Together.”
Their mission was geared toward sharing their skills and resources, as well as mentoring, to support other women who were striving to succeed or were on the edge of falling through the cracks and needed a lift.
The group itself comprised women from the town of Culver, the farm community, the academies and surrounding townships, whose expertise and history contributed a richness to the kinds of individualized help women needed.
Member Ginny Munroe expressed it this way: “We thought that if you could gather a group of women who could leverage their skillsets and experience, you could help other women who in turn would be of help to others. We liked the idea of paying forward the help they received.”
There was no clear roadmap to follow, but the initial 16 women were determined to build the road as they walked on it and create a map with a new hopeful landscape.
Current President Kathleen Daly Kline summed it up this way, “at one point in our lives we have all benefited from a helping hand, sage advice and a small kindness. The past year has highlighted the importance of a helping hand and a strong community more than ever. Since 2011 LIFT has provided mentoring, connecting women to local services, financial planning, selfcare gifts, and purchasing books for school and offering funds for business startups to remind women in our community that they are not alone.”
The application process is confidential and can be initiated by sending an email to liftculver@gmail.com.
Any interested woman is asked to fill out a form that expresses what specific kinds of help she needs and what goals she aspires to achieve.
This helps LIFT pair her up with members who have experience or expertise in those areas. Reports and updates are shared with the LIFT group.
LIFT has formally assisted 20+ women over the last decade and informally advised many others.
The age range extends from high school girls through women in their 40s and 50s, each case receiving a tailored approach that fits her specific situation.
Assistance can range from gift cards to more resource-focused things like extensive dental work; textbooks for classes or how to handle personal finances and create a budget; or how to find affordable health insurance or child care.
The LIFT group keeps in touch with those mentees who still live in the Culver area, and during the holiday season, check in with them to see how they are doing.
If needed, they receive gift cards for the family or gift certificates for local services which are donated through the LIFT membership.
Like any group, LIFT has evolved in its outreach as they have had more extensive experience with the community.
For example, having Karen Shuman as a LIFT member has given the group a deeper look into the community needs of students.
It also shows how LIFT might play a role in mentoring or supporting young women.
Culver Community School Counselor Missy Trent has been extremely helpful in identifying areas where LIFT could help families with specific targeted needs that fall within LIFT’S mission.
Most recently, LIFT members got involved with the World of Kindness initiative, making and delivering homemade cups of soup and cookies to nine families, professionals or people who were alone and needed nourishment or cheer.
This included the staff at Miller’s Merry Manor, who have worked tirelessly during the pandemic; Culver postal clerks; and some current LIFT mentees.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of a helping hand and a strong community even more this past year. More applications have been submitted that are linked directly to families’ lack of housing, heat, food, clothing, as well as reliable transportation and gas.
Since the Culver school system draws students from four different counties, LIFT members gathered information about the essential services that each county offers, as well as names, addresses and websites that LIFT applicants can use. It was a learning curve for the entire membership to see the wide range of services.
The work that LIFT has done during the pandemic has also drawn the attention of interested Culver residents – angels one might call them - who have stepped up and donated and contributed in a variety of ways – paying off or forgiving dental or medical bills, paying down college debt, and contributing to holiday gift cards for current and past LIFT mentees.
Those who want to support the LIFT mission of helping local women can contribute by going to the Marshall County Community Foundation website at www.marshallcountycf.org. Click on the LIFT fund and make a donation with a credit card. Checks can also be sent directly to the MCCF at 2680 Miller Dr Suite 120, Plymouth, IN 46563.
Linda Yoder, the Executive Director of the Marshall County Community Foundation and a current LIFT member, contributed her assessment about LIFT’S work the past 10 years, “It is an honor to support this affinity group through a fund at MCCF and a privilege to watch how their work over the years has touched the lives of women in Culver.
The growth of their endowment fund at MCCF is amazing and is also just one reflection of the immeasurable value of the relationships they have formed with each other and with the women they have wrapped around to support on their journey to improve their lives.”