News

Legacy Foundation Grant Support for TradeWinds Sensory Room

Thank you, Legacy Foundation, for the $2,500.00 grant awarded in November to support TradeWinds Sensory Room. This funding will provide new equipment which will enhance the therapeutic and calming space for children and adults with varied abilities or with behavior challenges. Sensory play enhances learning through exploration, curiosity, problem solving, and creativity experiences to help build physical, language, and cognitive skills. We are committed to using these funds responsibly and effectively, ensuring that your investment in our mission produces positive outcomes for the community.

TradeWinds Services Inc. Three-Year CARF Accreditation Issued

This accreditation will extend through June 30, 2027. This achievement is an indication of our organizations dedication and commitment of improving the quality of the lives of the person served. Services, personnel, and documentation clearly indicate an established pattern of conformance to standards.

Crown Point Community Foundation

Grant Support for TradeWinds Community Pantry

Thank You, Crown Point Community Foundation, for the $10,000 grant awarded in September to support TradeWinds Community Pantry in helping to make a significant impact on our ability to provide nutritious food and essential resources to the residents of Lake County who are food insecure. The pantry is an opportunity for situational job training for our clients and volunteers from local community organizations and individuals to help provide community service. We are committed to using these funds responsibly and effectively, ensuring that your investment in our mission produces positive outcomes for the community.

TradeWinds Receives Art Project Support Grant

To Encourage Individual Creativity Regardless of Abilities

TradeWinds is honored to receive Arts Project Support funding from the Indiana Arts Commission for the fiscal year 2025. Arts & Crafts enrichment activities will help TradeWinds children, youth, & adults of varied abilities to improve functional skills and develop and express creativity. These enrichment activities are made possible, in part, by the South Shore Arts and the Indiana Arts Commission, which receives support from the State of Indiana and the National Endowment for the Arts. Thank you to the Indiana Arts Commission, Governor Holcomb, Lieutenant Governor Crouch, our elected officials, and South Shore Arts for supporting the arts and our mission.

Round-Up for TradeWinds Services

Strack & Van Til Food Markets

Thank you, to the customers of Strack & Van Til Food Markets for your compassion and generous support raising $26,015, during the “Round-Up for TradeWinds Services” from May 20 - June 2. These funds will help support so many programs at TradeWinds - such as Childcare and Summer & Functional Skills Camps for children of all abilities; and for our adults with developmental & physical disabilities - including Adult Day Activity & Training Program; Transitional Vocational Training, Pre-Vocational Training in Industries/Production, Sewing Manufacturing & Sign Shop; Employment Services for community employment; Respite services for families; and Deaf Services advocacy & Sign Language classes. Presenting the "BIG" check are (left to right) - Jeff Strack, President & CEO of Strack & Van Til Food Markets, Lisa Tatina, Director of Development & Marketing and Jon Gold, CEO of TradeWinds Services. A VERY BIG” THANK YOU to all the hardworking cashiers who helped make the Checkout Challenge possible, your support in this campaign will make a life-changing difference for TradeWinds children and adults with varied abilities. Congratulations to the top 3 cashiers: Large Tier Stores - Logan Jones of the Schererville store, Medium Tier Stores - Debbie Scott of the Crown Point store and Small Tier Stores - Alexa Jeka of the Hobart store.

TradeWinds Services, Inc. Receives a Dollar-for-Dollar Matching Fund Grant from Legacy Foundation

TradeWinds Services, Inc. has received a matching fund grant totaling $100,000 from Legacy Foundation, the community foundation for Lake County, as part of the eighth phase of Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT VIII). TradeWinds Services, Inc. will use the funding to help support TradeWinds Community Pantry to serve Lake & Porter County residents who need a helping hand due to food insecurity. Qualifying matching funds raised for TradeWinds Community Pantry will be eligible for a $1(grantor)-to-$1(grantee) match. “The award of these matching funds will help support the TradeWinds Food Pantry program for years to come. It will help cover more food pantry expenses, so we do not need to reallocate funds from our other services provided to individuals with varied abilities. The TradeWinds Community Food Pantry has been a great addition to TradeWinds' wrap-around services. Our food pantry offers an array of foods and necessities for people who struggle to make ends meet every month. With the help of donations to this matching grant fund, we will be able to purchase the food needed by many in our community. Without this additional support, we could not be as successful.” – Lisa Tatina, TradeWinds Director of Development & Marketing Through GIFT VIII Legacy Foundation is working to build unrestricted endowments supporting Lake County, to partner with local nonprofits to support community projects and programs, and to build internal capacity. The foundation allocated $1.687 million toward supporting community projects and programs run by Lake County serving nonprofits. Legacy Foundation President and CEO, Kelly Anoe, said “As trusted stewards of these funds, Legacy Foundation will be partnering with organizations that have a history of providing transformative services to all our Lake County communities, so that we will be able to have a positive impact on each and every resident.” For over 55 years, TradeWinds Services has continued to meet the increasing need for the variety of services we provide - making a direct impact on the lives of local children of all abilities and adults with special needs, their families, and the Northwest Indiana community. In June 2022, TradeWinds Community Pantry (a Food Bank of Northwest Indiana partner) began serving Lake and Porter County residents who struggle with food insecurity. About Legacy Foundation Legacy Foundation is the community foundation for Lake County, Indiana. For over 30 years, we have transformed and empowered the community by providing strategic leadership and impactful philanthropic support to ensure equitable opportunities for every resident that we serve. Offering a personalized approach to giving that enables individuals, families, organizations, and businesses to create a charitable legacy, the foundation has been awarded over $50 million in grants and scholarships since its founding in 1992. Governed by a volunteer board of directors representing a diverse spectrum of business, education, and both nonprofit and public sectors, we will continue to create an equitable Lake County where all people thrive. Learn more at www.legacyfdn.org.

Indiana Arts Commission awards Art Project Support grant

to encourage individual creativity regardless of abilities.

TradeWinds is honored to receive Arts Project Support funding from the Indiana Arts Commission for the fiscal year 2024. Arts & Crafts enrichment activities will help TradeWinds children, youth, & adults of varied abilities to improve functional skills and develop and express creativity. These enrichment activities are made possible, in part, by the South Shore Arts and the Indiana Arts Commission, which receives support from the State of Indiana and the National Endowment for the Arts. Thank you to "Celebrate the Arts" license plate holders for supporting creativity in Lake County, and thank you to the Indiana Arts Commission, Governor Holcomb, Lieutenant Governor Crouch, our elected officials, and South Shore Arts for supporting the arts and our mission.

Whole Kids Foundation Garden Program

Supporting Health & Well-being

Thank you to the Whole Kids Foundation for the grant funding that will help provide learning experiences for our Functional Skills campers with mild to moderate disabilities (age 13-18) - helping build a new organic garden area at the front grassy section of our building. This project gives hands-on activities as they assist with developing this new garden into a teaching space for all TradeWinds participants of varied abilities - growing healthy foods and learning about nutrition & conservation. We plan to include vertical growing space, rain barrel water conservation, & plants to attract butterflies. These activities will aid in skills retention, personal growth for greater independence, physical activity, an “I can do it” attitude, lessons learned for improved nutrition, and life lessons, including teamwork, diversity, inclusion, & acceptance.

Crown Point Community Foundation

Grant Support for TradeWinds Community Pantry

Thank You to Crown Point Community Foundation for supporting TradeWinds Community Pantry, serving Lake & Porter County residents who need a helping hand due to food insecurity. This grant funding will help hundreds of local families and provide additional hands-on training and community interaction for TradeWinds program participants with varied abilities. This partnership strengthens the CPCF mission: Enriching the quality of life in South Lake County and TradeWinds goal: to improve the lifestyle, health, and well-being of those we serve and to educate on inclusion and diversity.

Strack & Van Til CheckOut Challenge “Round-Up”

Thank You for Supporting TradeWinds Services

Thank you, to the customers of Strack & Van Til Food Markets for your compassion and generous support raising $23,388, during the “Round-Up for TradeWinds Services” from July 10 to 23. These funds will help support so many programs at TradeWinds - such as Childcare and Summer & Functional Skills Camps for children of all abilities; and for our adults with developmental & physical disabilities - including Adult Day Activity & Training Program; Transitional Vocational Training, Pre-Vocational Training in Industries/Production, Sewing Manufacturing & Sign Shop; Employment Services for community employment; Respite services for families; and Deaf Services advocacy & Sign Language classes. Presenting the "BIG" check are (left to right) - Jeff Strack, President & CEO of Strack & Van Til Food Markets, Lisa Tatina, Director of Development & Marketing and Jon Gold, CEO of TradeWinds Services, and Dave Wilkinson COO of Strack & Van Til Food Markets. And a “VERY BIG” THANK YOU to all the hardworking cashiers who helped make this possible, your support in this campaign will make a life-changing difference for TradeWinds children and adults with varied abilities. Congratulations to the top 3 cashiers: Large Tier Stores - Kenna Katona of the Schererville store, Medium Tier Stores - Mandy Moses of the Cedar Lake store and Small Tier Stores - Ava Sabaitis of the Lowell store.