Grace College’s Center for Lakes and Streams is now the Lilly Center for Lakes and Streams. This new name acknowledges the substantial leadership gifts to the center’s endowment fund from Lilly Endowment Inc. and the Lilly family through the Ruth Lilly Philanthropic Foundation.
The Lilly Center for Lakes and Streams has been making the lakes and streams of Kosciusko County clean, healthy, safe, and beautiful since 2007 through research, education, and collaboration. Due to the center’s work, Kosciusko County lakes are the most thoroughly studied in the state.
The Lilly Center’s new endowment fund is a critical, sustainable funding source. Endowment income will join existing income sources including annual donor gifts, business sponsorships, operational support from agencies and organizations, and grants and donations for specific projects.
Dr. Nate Bosch, director of the Lilly Center for Lakes and Streams, said, “We are honored to now be affiliated with the prestigious Lilly name, which carries a legacy of local lake research and a strong commitment to excellence. I am grateful for this generous support that allows us to expand the Lilly Center’s work and groundbreaking research.”
Lilly family connections to lakes in the region stretch back more than a century. Col. Eli Lilly, founder of the pharmaceutical company, helped establish a local research station that benefited several lakes in Kosciusko County. His grandson, Eli, who helped found Lilly Endowment, was personally involved in several research efforts on Lake Wawasee. Today, Col. Lilly’s descendants continue to own summer homes on Lake Wawasee.
Altogether, the Lilly Center for Lakes and Streams has received gifts and pledges from 78 individuals, businesses and organizations representing 12 lakes in the county totaling more than $5 million for its endowment fund to provide ongoing support for the Lilly Center into the future.
Grace College President Dr. Bill Katip explained, “Over the past decade, the Lilly Center for Lakes and Streams has become a well-respected research organization and community collaborator. Under the leadership of Dr. Bosch, both the local community and the scientific community have come to rely on their excellent work. I’m delighted that the Lilly Center can broaden its influence and impact even further with Lilly Endowment and Ruth Lilly Philanthropic Foundation gifts.” –– from grace.edu