With almost 13,000 square feet, the Healthcare Foundation of La Porte (HFL)’s Conference & Learning Center (C&LC) offers the perfect space for local nonprofits and HFL partners and staff to meet, learn, retreat, and plan.
The C&LC opened its doors in July of 2021 and presents a variety of options for organizations to utilize the space.
“Nonprofits have been using our space quite often. They gather here for a meeting or ‘to learn, to retreat, to plan,’ that's how we put it,” said HFL President Maria Fruth. “We have government entities such as the city, the county, and even the state that use our facilities to gather people for the same purposes as well.”
The C&LC is divided into three separate conference rooms that, when combined, hold up to 223 people. Individually, each conference room is about 1,000 square feet and can be set up as needed.
“We have a variety of arrangements that attendees or guests can choose from, such as whether they want seating to be in rows like a classroom style, if there's a presentation and they want the seats to face the speaker, or if they would rather have a U-shape to facilitate communication and discussion,” said HFL Communications and Education Manager Erica Kanney. “We really try to cater the use of the space to what the group that’s using it needs.”
The conference rooms were named after three La Porte city lakes: Clear Lake, Pine Lake, and Stone Lake. “When all three conference rooms are together, we jokingly call it Lake Michigan because the lakes together create one large space,” Fruth said. An additional Lily Lake Conference room also provides space for board-style meetings.
No matter the space they choose, visitors can always expect a welcoming atmosphere inside the C&LC. Its spacious rooms and large ceilings allow each room to be flooded with natural light. Additionally, each conference room is equipped with features such as quality audio and visual equipment, Wi-Fi, video conferencing, and an outdoor patio. A warming kitchen is also open for all guests to use.
How the C&LC came to be
To bring the ideal conference center to life, Fruth noted that she and the HFL Board of Directors spent months planning and researching locations and office layouts to find the options that would best work for those utilizing the space. This included mapping out certain areas in the county and talking to those who have been on similar journeys themselves.
The final location came to be 140 East Shore Parkway in La Porte, beside the La Porte Chessie Trail.
“We did a lot of research throughout the country to be able to best understand what we needed. We talked and Zoomed with a lot of different people, as well as toured similar locations that have created space such as this,” Fruth said.
A great resource for the La Porte County community
The C&LC has been open to the public for almost two years now, and in this amount of time, it has already proved to be a major hit within the community.
For the first six months the C&LC was open, it saw 1,939 people, 109 meetings, 30 unique organizations, and a total of 303 hours utilized. In 2022, HFL saw those numbers increase drastically from an already solid start, reaching 2,738 people, 163 meetings, 41 unique organizations, and 570 hours utilized. This year has also proven to be off to a wonderful start for the C&LC as well, seeing 823 attendees, 51 meetings, 26 unique organizations, and 185 hours utilized just between January 1-February 14 of 2023.
Local organizations love that they now have a go-to space for meetings, seminars, and workshops.
“As an organization, Paladin utilizes the C&LC for various functions, including board member and staff training,” said Paladin President/CEO Steve Hobby. “Scheduling a room at the conference center is easy and provides many options available for providers depending on the needs of the specific meeting.”
Dr. Chris Alber, vice president of the Excel Center of Goodwill Industries of Michiana, also appreciates how beneficial the C&LC Center has been for his organization, both because of the space itself as well as those who run it.
“Selecting the right location for a meeting is a critical step to the success of the meeting,” Alber said. “It is important to find a location that includes a friendly staff, a beautiful facility, the requisite technology, and spaces that will accommodate large groups. HFL’s C&LC checks off all of the boxes and is my primary location for hosting meetings in my network. I highly recommend it.”
The C&LC welcomes nonprofits, schools, and government organizations within La Porte County to utilize the Center.
How to reserve the C&LC
Those interested in reserving a space in the C&LC are encouraged to visit HFL’s website at https://www.hflaporte.org/hfl-conference-learning-center and scroll down to the Reserve a Meeting Space section. From there, Fruth noted visitors can follow the step-by-step instructions on the site to find the space within the C&LC that works best for them.
Please refer to the eligibility guidelines on HFL’s site to determine if your organization qualifies to use the C&LC.
Those with additional questions can also call the C&LC at 219-326-2471 or email contact@hflaporte.org. From there, Lisa Heddens, HFL operations associate for the C&LC, or another staff member will be more than happy to walk through any inquiries requested. Please note that reservation requests must be approved by HFL and are not officially scheduled at the time of request.
For more information on Healthcare Foundation of La Porte, visit hflaporte.org.