Friends of Marquette Greenway NWI Fund

Purpose

The Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC) is committed to finishing the Marquette Greenway, a regional, non-motorized trail facility spanning 60-miles in length along the south shore region of Lake Michigan from Calumet Park in Chicago, Illinois, eastward through the heart of Northwest Indiana, and into downtown New Buffalo, Michigan.

Donate Today to Support the Marquette Trail!

Contact

Legacy Foundation, Inc.
370 E. 84th Drive, Suite 100
Merrillville, Indiana 46410
Tel 219-736-1880
https://legacyfdn.org 

Lake County Local Food Fund

When You Donate to the Lake County Food Fund Your Gift Will be Matched $1-for-$1!

Support the Lake County Local Food Fund and your donation will be matched by Legacy Foundation $1-for-$1, up to $30,000.

Double Your Impact, Donate Today!

Purpose

Food insecurity and residents’ access to healthy and affordable food is directly linked to the health of our community. Legacy Foundation established the Lake County Food Fund as an endowment to show our long-term commitment to creating a better food and farming system in Lake County. The Lake County Food Fund is a step in our journey to end hunger and promote local food access in Lake County. Legacy Foundation will partner with the NWI Food Council to help carry out the mission of the fund.

The Lake County Food Fund will focus on addressing root causes of food insecurity, sustaining local farms, and lowering barriers to access healthy food. Legacy Foundation will work with community-based organizations and growers whose requests encompass at least one of the following elements of a resilient food system:

  • Build agricultural knowledge and skills.
  • Increase access to healthy foods.
  • Improve facilities or productivity of a farm.
  • Incentivize support of locally grown food.
  • Provide technical assistance and training to farmers and growers.
  • Address root causes of food insecurity

Share Your Harvest, Support Your Community

Farmers and landowners now have the opportunity to build a better Lake County by making a gift of grain to Legacy Foundation! Visit our Gift of Grain webpage to learn more about this unique giving opportunity. 

Contact

Legacy Foundation, Inc.
370 E. 84th Drive, Suite 100
Merrillville, Indiana 46410
Tel 219-736-1880
https://legacyfdn.org 

Books, Brushes, and Bands for Education Fund

Donate to the Books, Brushes, & Bands for Education Fund

Purpose

The Fund provides support to the charitable organization Books, Brushes, & Bands for Education (BBB4E). Your  financial commitment will increase awareness for the arts, collaborations with community members, and bring hope for a brighter future for families served by BBB4E.

Books, Brushes & Bands for Education was founded by a mother seeking a high-quality community band experience for her sons. As a practicing artist herself, Michelle believes exploration and knowledge in the literary, visual and musical arts are essential to the development of every child. This commitment has resulted in over 23 years of community art for students and families from any zip code.  

Over the years, BBB4E has created several innovative arts education programs including Midwest Youth Music and the Book Brigade. Through the Midwest Youth Choir, Band and Orchestra thousands of students ages 5-18 throughout NWI have engaged in a variety of unique performance opportunities. The Book Brigade has distributed over 23,000 free books to families in and around Hammond. BBB4E is committed to creating opportunities for students to experience the mental and social benefits of art. 

The impact we strive for is to create caring and creative communities. Art is a way to develop relationships with families and help families create healthy relationships with each other. It is important to BBB4E that our youth, particularly the underserved, have access to fine arts education experiences. For many, these opportunities are not generally accessible to them and for others, BBB4E offers additional programming beyond their schools.   

Contact

Legacy Foundation, Inc.
370 E. 84th Drive, Suite 100
Merrillville, Indiana 46410
Tel 219-736-1880
https://legacyfdn.org 

Dr. William and Margaret Morris Scholarship

Donate Today

Dr. William and Margaret Morris Academic, Athletic, & Service Scholarship

Dr. William (Bill) and Margaret Morris were married for 58 years and leave behind a legacy of service. Among many accomplishments, Bill established the Pediatrics Department at the Hammond Clinic. Margaret helped initiate the Gifted and Talented Program within the Munster School Corporation, was a long-time member of the Service League of Northwest Indiana, and volunteered extensively.

The couple hailed from North Carolina and spent time in Baltimore, while Bill completed his residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital. After residency, Bill entered the Army Medical Corps at Fort Rucker, where he established the pediatrics department at the base hospital. While at Fort Rucker, Margaret and Bill’s first two children were born: Ann Elizabeth (“Beth”) and William Harold (“Hal”) Morris III. In 1965, Margaret and Bill left Fort Rucker for Munster, Indiana, where they welcomed their third child, Robert David (“Bobby”) Morris and lived the remainder of their long, impactful lives.

The Morris’s were their children’s biggest cheerleaders through baseball games, swim meets and music recitals. Their unflinching encouragement reflected their values and made indelible impressions on the lives of their children and grandchildren. Hal and Bobby became professional baseball players, with Hal winning a World Series with the Cincinnati Reds in 1990, and daughter, Beth, was a competitive swimmer.

The Dr. William and Margaret Morris Academic, Athletic, & Service Scholarship will continue to encourage the values they espoused by recognizing high achieving students who are active in sports and community service.

Donate Today

Contact

Legacy Foundation, Inc.
370 E. 84th Drive, Suite 100
Merrillville, Indiana 46410
Tel 219-736-1880
https://legacyfdn.org 

Building the Future Vocational Scholarship

Donate Today

Purpose

The Building the Future Vocational Scholarship supports scholarships for Lake County residents to attend a public or private institution to earn a certificate or vocational/trade school degree with the intent to gain local employment.

Contact

Legacy Foundation, Inc.
370 E. 84th Drive, Suite 100
Merrillville, Indiana 46410
Tel 219-736-1880
https://legacyfdn.org 

Town of Merrillville Inclusion Scholarship Fund

Donate Today

The Town Council approved the Town of Merrillville Inclusion Scholarship Fund at the Town Council meeting held on April 12, 2023. The scholarship is being made possible using proceeds from the Inaugural Black History Celebration Dinner held this year in February 2023.

Students must be graduating high school seniors from Andrean or Merrillville High School and must be accepted into a 2 or 4-year accredited college or university, vocational, or trade school. A minimum GPA of 2.5 cumulative; preference is given to students with a 2.5 to 3.5 GPA. Students must demonstrate financial need.

Contact

Legacy Foundation, Inc.
370 E. 84th Drive, Suite 100
Merrillville, Indiana 46410
Tel 219-736-1880
https://legacyfdn.org 

NWI BizHub

Donate Today

Purpose

NWI BizHub’s mission is to help small businesses in northwest Indiana thrive. We provide entrepreneurs and small business owners with free, easy access to the vital assistance, resources, and information they need—when they need it.

Contact

Legacy Foundation, Inc.
370 E. 84th Drive, Suite 100
Merrillville, Indiana 46410
Tel 219-736-1880
https://legacyfdn.org 

Joseph and Marla Dernay Future Teacher Scholarship Fund

Donate Today

Purpose

The purpose of this fund is to provide scholarships to graduating seniors from Griffith High School with demonstrated intentions of pursuing a degree in elementary/secondary school education field.

Contact

Legacy Foundation, Inc.
370 E. 84th Drive, Suite 100
Merrillville, Indiana 46410
Tel 219-736-1880
https://legacyfdn.org