Ivy Tech Community College celebrates annual Spring Fundraiser Event with 1940s Mystery Dinner 

On Friday, March 13, Ivy Tech Community College came together for a celebration with its campus community for the 22nd annual Spring Fundraiser Event at Aberdeen Manor. The venue was loaded with plenty of decorations to accompany the theme of a 1940s mystery dinner.

Along with the dinner, some of the events included raffles, an online auction, and live mystery entertainment. The Northwest Indiana Mystery Players, joined by some local celebrity volunteer actors, took charge of the acting. The mystery actors in the lineup this year included Stewart McMillan of the McMillan Family Foundation, Chris White of United Way Northwest Indiana, Monica Rubio of Old National Bank, Mary Anne LaHayne of LaHayne Funeral Home, Eric Evans of First Financial Bank and Chelsea Whittington of CWHITT PR. 

“The event we have in the springtime is always theme-based and our guests have a lot of fun and dress based on the theme. The last couple of years we had a jazz band. We’ve had a Victorian Tea, one act plays and a while back, we had a Mystery Dinner, and decided it was time to bring that back,” said Executive Director of Resource Development Cindy Hall. 

The event net proceeds will benefit students and provide financial assistance to those who are working towards degree completion across Lake County and the Valparaiso and Michigan City campuses. It’s a special feeling for the Ivy Tech community when they can pull together to support these students in their pursuit of the best educational experience possible.

“We’re a community college and we have a lot of career path options and open our arms to everybody,” said Hall. “Our biggest program is nursing. However, we have large cybersecurity and advanced manufacturing programs, as well.  At the end of the day, we’re all about helping students get to the finish line. Sometimes they run out of funding, so they apply for additionally financial aid and see if the foundation can assist them with any other funding. That way, they can complete their degree criteria and then graduate.” 

Another benefit to Ivy Tech’s Spring Event is the opportunity it allows the students, staff, and local community to come together and recognize the core values that the college seeks to deliver for its students. This includes values of empathy, integrity, accountability, agility, and connectivity. 

“It’s all about the students,” said Hall. “The foundations mission is to raise money to support college programs and the students we serve. All of the net proceeds from tonight’s Mystery Dinner support student academic success.” 

As Ivy Tech students in Indiana earn 50,000 high-quality credentials each year that are aligned with the needs of the workforce and communities, the college is motivated to be a diverse, open-access facility. Maintaining a culture of innovation that can empower the students to learn and succeed is the most important thing, and events like the Spring Event have continuously made that possible.

“I look forward to this event every single year,” said Jared Riddle, Dean of Art, Science, and Education at the Lake County Campus. “Cindy Hall does a fantastic job of bringing people together. It is always a good time and always entertaining. Aberdeen has fantastic food. Overall, it was just a wonderful evening, and it’s great to see your friends in the community come together for a good cause. It’s a highlight on my calendar.” 

For more information about Ivy Tech Community College, you can visitivytech.edu.