Not a winter has gone by in which Northwest Indiana has gone untouched by cold weather. Over the years, Hilltop Neighborhood House has done a great job of accommodating everyone in need during the rough months. On the evening of Tuesday, February 17th, Hilltop Neighborhood House held “Heartwarming Soups and Hometown Entertainment" at Christ Lutheran Church.
Jennifer Wright, Chief Executive Officer of Hilltop Neighborhood House said, “This is our 16th Annual Soups Dinner. All of the money raised goes straight to the kids in the form of scholarship money. It’s all hands on deck! We have over 100 volunteers here, everyone from regular Hilltop volunteers to Boy Scouts. This event is our biggest fundraiser.”
Hilltop serves the citizens of Valparaiso in more ways than one. Their contributions range from food donations to childcare. The event was a community dinner that served as a fundraiser to raise money for scholarships for the children attending the Hilltop Neighborhood House.
The event has become a signature event for Hilltop, with around 15 different Valparaiso restaurants to participate and donate signature soups, breads and desserts. The food was provided by several local restaurants, including Blackbird Café, Bon Femme, Pikk’s Tavern, Panera Break, Strongbow, Viking Chili Bowl, Family Express, Campbell St. Café, Silver Spoon, Figure Eight Brewing, Round The Clock, Culver’s of Valparaiso, Duffy’s Place, VAPS, Don Quijote, Pestos, Wild Flour Bakery, Main + Lincoln, First United Methodist Church, and Valley Kitchen & Bar. Attendees had the opportunity to taste all the different kinds of soup that were available.
Karen Seykowski, member of Christ Lutheran Church, has played a vital role in the organization of the event. Seykowski said, “Last year we served 700 people and 5,000 bowls of soup. In the past we’ve made over $20,000 with this event. In order to do the same this year, we have volunteers working in three shifts. It’s a cooperative effort to make this all possible.”
All proceeds from this event will be used to provide childcare scholarships for the 79% or more of enrolled children. In 2014, Hilltop provided over $230,000 in childcare scholarships to low-income families here in Porter County, and provided top quality childcare to 118 children with the accredited child development program.
Volunteer Thomas Gooding said, “It’s great to see people from different backgrounds come together for a common goal.”
Gold sponsors of the event included Christ Lutheran Church, Family Express, Indiana Beverage, Project Neighbors, 1st Source Bank, M.E, Simpson Co., Culver’s of Valparaiso, Simko Signs, Ivan and Patricia Bodensteiner, Ed and Pat Swanson, Joanne Urschel, Greater Valparaiso Group Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Family Therapy and Development Centers, Inc. & Neuro-Psychology Consultants.
Silver sponsors included Blachly, Tabor, Bozik & Hartman, First Trust Credit Union, Soft Touch, Martz & Lucas, Group7even, CSI, TCU, Duncan Decorating, Hodges Davis, Risetter Doxey, Regional Federal Credit Union, Servpro, nwi.com, Porter County Roofing, Porter Starke Services, Raymond James, Kiwanis Valparaiso Sunrise, Ken and Mary Hill, and the Douglas Family.
Bronze sponsors included AC Incorporated, Athletico Physical Therapy, Comber Grils, LTC, BoyConn Printers Inc., Bucher Teachnologies, Burke, Costanza, & Carberry LLP, Cartronix, Centier, Chuck Welter and Donna Howell, Circle R Mechanical, Elegan Customwear, Jeremy Telman, Karl and Beth Keller, Mark and Zina Conner, Minakshi Ghuman RE/MAX Pace Realty, Phillips Ace Hardware, Reder’s Auto Service Center, Scott and Amy Ochander, Strack & Van Til, and Valparaiso University.
It is clear that this fundraiser was a joint effort among many companies, organizations, and individuals on behalf of all benefiting those in need within the community. Dedicated and eager volunteers are what make Hilltop’s programs a success.
For information about volunteering opportunities, visit www.HilltopHouse.org.