Lilly Center for Lakes & Streams to Benefit from $10 Million Grant from Lilly Endowment
WINONA LAKE, IND – Grace College has received a $10 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help the Lilly Center for Lakes & Streams kickstart a new program to revitalize Kosciusko County lakes.
Since 2007, the Lilly Center has created innovative education programs and conducted applied research on local lakes. Now, with new funding, the Lilly Center will launch Lake RX™, a program to create custom, holistic prescriptions to address the health challenges facing lakes. This initiative will focus the center’s efforts on the most strategic solutions to each lake’s health challenges to ensure its wellbeing and the wellbeing of its surrounding communities.
Kosciusko County is home to more than 100 lakes, most of which are open to the public for recreation. Seven public beaches provide free access to the entire community and to visitors. Research shows that the lakes contribute more than $400 million annually to Kosciusko County’s economy. Healthy lakes increase business, tourism, employee retention, home values and quality of life.
But elevated levels of E. coli and blue-green algae toxins in lakes pose a threat to human health and therefore limit the community’s access to lakes.
Lake RX projects to improve community wellbeing fall into three categories:
- Solutions on land: agricultural best practices, wetland revitalization.
- Solutions in the water: blue-green algae research, ecosystem rebalancing, weed management.
- Solutions in the community: water literacy, responsible boating, native shorelines
By following Lake RX prescriptions, Lilly Center scientists will work to improve the health of local lakes and anticipate outcomes that include increased lake access, reduced health threats and increased economic value. The Lilly Center will work carefully to help residents and local businesses, including farmers, and other stakeholders understand the benefit of healthy lakes and ensure that the prescriptions are beneficial to all.
"
Lilly Endowment sees Lake Rx as an important effort that enhances our communities
— Dr. Nate Bosch
“Lilly Endowment has a long history of supporting efforts that improve the quality of life in communities across Indiana,” said Dr. Nate Bosch, Creighton Brothers endowed director at the Lilly Center. “It’s exciting that Lilly Endowment sees Lake RX as an important effort that enhances our communities through the care of lakes and streams.”
While this generous gift will have an immediate impact, the Lilly Center’s mission includes making lakes healthy for future generations. Under the grant agreement, of the $10 million gift, $8 million will be allocated to an endowment to support on an ongoing basis Lake RX as a permanent addition to the Lilly Center. The remaining $2 million will seed the initial on-the-ground and in-the-water projects.
“Lilly Endowment’s founders cared deeply about the wellbeing of communities in Indiana and had a special connection to Lake Wawasee in Kosciusko County,” said Ronni Kloth, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for community development. “We are pleased to support the Lilly Center for Lakes & Steams’ comprehensive, research-based efforts to ensure that future generations of Hoosiers and visitors to the area can enjoy the lakes of north central Indiana.”
“Collaboration is at the heart of Lake RX,” said Rusty Martinez, assistant director of marketing at the Lilly Center. “We look forward to partnering on projects that are a win-win for the lakes and for our neighbors.”
Projects will include partnerships with lake stakeholders who share a vision for healthy lakes. Partners include lake associations, environmental nonprofits, local government, and state and federal agencies.
“The Lake RX grant is another great example of Lilly Endowment coming alongside Grace College and enabling us to serve our community better,” said Dr. Drew Flamm, president of Grace College. “The Lilly Center and Lake RX create a path for greater impact locally and across our region.”
The Lilly Center envisions implementing a variety of projects during the next five years. Not only will these projects improve local lakes and streams, but they will serve as a model to guide the improvement of waterbodies throughout the state and country. The Lilly Center anticipates sharing project updates and findings from its research with stakeholders, the public and fellow scientists to help improve lakes throughout Indiana and the country.
About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private foundation created in 1937 by J. K. Lilly and his sons, Eli and J.K. Jr., through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with its founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion. The Endowment funds programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion, and maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.