Parke County Community Foundation

🏆 Way to Go! Grant for the Parke County Veteran’s Council 🏆

Parke County Community Foundation Board Chair Alisa Wilson proudly presented a Way to Go! Grant to Ray Leonberger in support of the Parke County Veteran’s Council! ❤️🤍💙

Way to Go! Grants are presented by PCCF Board, Committee, and Staff members to a nonprofit organization of their choice in recognition of the incredible efforts they've witnessed within our community. It's our way of celebrating the people and organizations making a meaningful difference in Parke County!

Thank you to the Parke County Veteran’s Council for your continued dedication to supporting and serving our local veterans. Your commitment to those who have served our country does not go unnoticed!

Calling All Local Retailers & Shoppers!

Want to be one of the local businesses selling a unique piece of Parke County history?

The Parke County Community Foundation is excited to announce the Limited-Edition Parke County Covered Bridge-Opoly Game!

This one-of-a-kind game celebrates the covered bridges, communities, businesses, and history that make Parke County so special. And the best part? Every game sold supports the Parke County Community Foundation's 2026 Fall Event, benefiting the Parke County Covered Bridges. ❤️

We're looking for local retailers who would like to carry the game in their stores and offer this unique keepsake to residents, visitors, families, and covered bridge enthusiasts.

🎁 Perfect for:

Tourists and Covered Bridge Festival visitors
Local families
Holiday shoppers
Covered bridge enthusiasts
Gifts and souvenirs
Anyone who loves Parke County!

Limited Edition = Limited Availability! Orders will be finalized soon so contact us ASAP for more details and to secure your inventory.

If your business would be interested in becoming a retail location for the Parke County Covered Bridge-Opoly Game, we'd love to hear from you!

📧 [email protected]

📣 Shoppers - Tag a retailer that you would love to support while buying your copy of this Limited-Edition game! Tagging not only helps us, but it helps the retailer as well because not all see our posts and know about this great opportunity.

Let's put a little bit of Parke County history on game tables across Indiana!

🌟 Collect History. Play the Game. Preserve Our Bridges. 🌟

🏆 Way to Go! Grant for the Buddy Bag Program 🏆

Parke County Community Foundation Board member Janett Allen proudly presented a Way to Go! Grant to Darlene Ayres in support of the Parke Heritage Middle School Buddy Bag Program at Rockville Christian Church! 🎒💙

Way to Go! Grants are presented by PCCF Board, Committee, and Staff members to a nonprofit organization of their choice in recognition of the incredible efforts they've witnessed within our community. It's our way of celebrating the people and programs making a meaningful difference in Parke County! 🌟

Thank you to everyone involved with the Buddy Bag Program for helping ensure local students have access to food and support when they need it most. ❤️

🎓✨ As summer comes to a close, we wish all students the very best as they head back to school! The Parke County Community Foundation is proud to support students in pursuing their dreams through scholarships, grants, and community investment. Your hard work today is building a brighter tomorrow for all of us. 💙📚

You can help make a difference too! Consider donating to a PCCF scholarship or education fund and support the next generation of Parke County leaders. Every gift, big or small, helps students achieve their educational goals.

https://www.parkeccf.org/donate/

*PCCF will be back to normal business hours (9:00am - 4:00pm) starting Monday, August 10th!

All board spaces have been claimed! But there is still time to get in the game!

We are still looking for sponsors for Community Chest and Chance cards!

💥Tag a business/agent who may be interested! 💥

You can do a 1-card sponsorship for $250 or a 2-card sponsorship for $300. The card(s) would have sayings relevant to your business and would include your business name in the wording!

Email [email protected] to secure your Community Chest and/or Chance Sponsorship!

We are completely AMAZED by the support of Parke County businesses, organizations and families for our Parke County Covered Bridge Monopoly fundraiser!!!! We knew Parke County is wonderful, but this is NEXT LEVEL!

We are down to only 4 spaces left on the board. That's right, ONLY 4!

Each of these options would include your business or family name on the board in the property space as well as on the Deed Card and all sponsorship locations.

▪️Gold Friends of Bridges ($400) - only 2 spaces remaining - with the following bridge options: Portland Mills Bridge, Crooks Bridge, Thorpe Ford Bridge, and Conley's Ford Bridge.

▪️Platinum Friends of Bridges ($500) - only 2 spaces remaining - with the following bridge options: Mansfield Bridge and Roseville Bridge.

There are unlimited of the Silver Sponsor options left. They are $500 and include a Chance Card that is customized to your business. And, if you choose to do a Friend of Bridges Sponsorship as well as a Silver Sponsorship, you will get Bronze Sponsor pricing for that ($250 instead of $500).

If you haven't reserved your sponsorship spot, we highly recommend doing so today! Availability is subject to change.

Contact Amy at [email protected] to get one of the last spots on the board!

🎉 Applications are officially OPEN! 🎉

The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship application is now available!

🏆 What you'll receive:
✔️ Full tuition to any 4-year public or private college or university in Indiana
✔️ Book stipend of up to $900 each year

📅 Application Deadline: September 14

📍 Who can apply?
High school seniors who reside in Parke County—even if you attend school outside of Parke County!

🔗 Apply Here: https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=parkeccf&utm_source=chatgpt.com

Tag a Parke County senior who needs to see this! 🎓✨

✨ New Grant Opportunity for Early Childhood Programs! ✨

Do you have a program or project that helps prepare young children for success in Kindergarten? This funding opportunity could help bring your ideas to life!

The United Way of the Wabash Valley is now accepting applications for its Kindergarten Readiness Grant, providing up to $10,000 for innovative programs and services that support children from birth through age 5. Funding is available for projects that strengthen early learning, improve childcare quality, expand literacy and language development, support social-emotional growth, provide parent education, and more.

🗓 Application Deadline: September 8, 2026, at 4:00 PM (ET)

Eligible applicants include nonprofits, schools, childcare providers, libraries, museums, faith-based organizations with non-sectarian programming, and other organizations serving young children throughout the United Way's six-county service area.

Every child deserves a strong start. 💙 If your organization is making a difference in the lives of our youngest learners, we encourage you to apply!

📲 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2026KRRFP

Engle Recognized as 12 Under 40 Honoree

The Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce has named Colleen Engle as one of this year’s 12 Under 40, for which she was nominated for her exceptional leadership, professional accomplishments, and unwavering commitment to improving the quality of life throughout Parke County and the Wabash Valley.

A lifelong resident of Parke County, Engle has spent her career investing in the community that helped shape her. She grew up in Rockville and graduated from Rockville Jr.–Sr. High School in 2007 before attending Indiana State University, where she earned a degree in Marketing and Psychology in 2011. Today, she serves as Executive Director of the Parke County Community Foundation (PCCF), leading efforts to connect charitable giving with meaningful community impact.
Since joining the Foundation in 2012, Engle has advanced through a variety of roles, helping expand opportunities for philanthropy, education, and community development. Under her leadership, the Foundation continues its mission of empowering donors and supporting initiatives that strengthen Parke County for future generations.

Colleagues describe Engle as an exceptional leader whose passion for service inspires those around her. "Colleen leads with both heart and purpose," shared Amy Edwards, PCCF’s Grants & Communications Administrator. "She has a remarkable ability to bring people together, build meaningful partnerships, and turn ideas into action. Whether she's working with donors, nonprofits, community leaders, or volunteers, she consistently creates opportunities that improve lives and strengthen our community. Her impact reaches far beyond any one organization."

“Being recognized among the Chamber’s 12 Under 40 is a reflection of Colleen’s hard work, dedication, and commitment to excellence,” said Alisa Wilson, PCCF’s Board Chair. “She consistently demonstrates the qualities of a leader and serves as an inspiration to those around her.”

Engle's influence extends well beyond her professional role. She is actively involved with Reading Neighbors through United Way, serves as Treasurer of the Parke County Learning Center Board, sits on the Leadership Academy of West Central Indiana Advisory Board, serves on the North Central Parke Community Career Readiness Advisory Council, and contributes as a Development PEER Leader for the Indiana Philanthropy Alliance. Through these roles, she advocates for literacy, education, leadership development, and philanthropic growth across the region.

Her commitment to serving others has earned recognition throughout her career, including being named the 2016 Parke County Young Leader Award recipient.

Community members point to Engle's collaborative approach as one of her greatest strengths. Whether supporting local nonprofits, advancing educational opportunities, helping secure resources for community projects, or encouraging charitable giving, she has become a trusted leader known for building connections and creating lasting impact.

In her nomination, Jonathan Eilbracht, Director of Strategic Programming with West Central Indiana Partnership, noted “Colleen is an exceptional leader who consistently demonstrates a strong commitment to improving the quality of life in Parke County and the surrounding region. Her ability to build meaningful relationships, lead collaborative initiatives and inspire others makes her an invaluable asset to every organization and initiative she serves.”

Outside of her professional and volunteer commitments, Engle enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and helping maintain her family's farm—activities that reflect her deep roots in the community she serves.

The Terre Haute Chamber's 12 Under 40 program recognizes emerging leaders who are making a significant difference in their professions and communities. For Engle, this honor is a testament to years of dedicated service, meaningful leadership, and a lasting commitment to making Parke County and the Wabash Valley stronger for all who call it home. This recognition serves as both a celebration of Engle’s accomplishments to date and a testament to the impact she will continue to make in the years ahead.

Engle will receive recognition as one of the 12 Under 40 honorees at the Terre Haute Chamber’s 113th Annual Meeting held on August 20th.