A Portage Life in the Spotlight: Dawn Wolf

Dawn Wolf has a heart for volunteering and a passion for Portage. Growing up, she attended the Portage School Corporation. Though she lives in Valparaiso now after moving due to her husband’s work, she’s regularly involved with activities in Portage.

Wolf served as president of Family Promise of Porter County, an organization that helps families at risk of or experiencing homelessness find shelter and other resources, for several years. While the organization has both a men’s and women’s shelter, much of her focus was on increasing family housing so that family members did not have to be separated from each other during their stay with Family Promise of Porter County.

Wolf looks back at her time with Family Promise of Porter County fondly and is very proud that its family housing initiative continues to expand even today.

“I’m so thankful for the group of people I worked with,” Wolf said. “They are a wonderful group of people that truly want to improve their community. It was a pleasure to serve with them.”

Wolf is also a member of the Kiwanis Club of Portage. As a Kiwanis Club member, she works to advance their mission to help children maximize their potential. As part of this effort, the Kiwanis Club has a teacher supply closet that any teacher can use if they have a need. Not only is this open to Portage Public Schools, but to local Portage private schools like Portage Christian School. This closet has supplies for students too.

“If there’s something specific teachers would like to do in their classroom and can’t afford it, we will try and provide whatever materials they need for that,” Wolf said. “Typically, every child in third grade in the area gets a dictionary, and we work with the teachers to facilitate the dictionaries. They have certain lessons in third grade that the students need a dictionary to complete, so they get their own personal dictionary with their name on it. The work is so rewarding for me.”

Wolf helps the Kiwanis Club with the Christmas parade each year as well. For Wolf, it’s a holiday tradition.

Wolf also works with Portage Event Partnership (PEP), a local volunteer group that helps organize family-friendly events in Portage. These events include the Fourth of July Parade, Light Up the Gourds, Community Carving Night, Mistletoe on Main, the Memorial Day Program, and the Hometown Heroes Appreciation Banner.

“I really encourage people to join PEP,” Wolf said. “The group meets once a month and you can learn more about PEP online.”

Wolf and her husband have three sons, a daughter-in-law, and two granddaughters, ages 2 years and 7 months.

“My granddaughters and their parents live in Portage,” Wolf said. “I love spending time with my granddaughters, and I get to babysit them often!”

Additionally, Wolf’s father still lives in Portage in the same house in which Wolf grew up. She visits him often.

“It’s so wonderful to see how much Portage has grown and developed since I grew up here,” Wolf said. “It’s very encouraging, and it will forever hold a special place in my heart.”