AUBURN — A big part of Sarah Blanton’s job is seeing people when they are having horrible days.
Blanton works in Community Action of Northeast Indiana’s DeKalb County office in Auburn. Through CANI’s energy assistance program, Blanton can help people when they can’t afford to pay their heating bills. So she often sees clients when they’re in panic mode, in danger of having their electricity shut off.
But with a few phone calls, Blanton can make the problem go away. The energy assistance program helps CANI clients pay a portion of their heating bills in the winter. It’s fulfilling to be able to help people every day, Blanton said.
“People are relieved to talk to a real person,” she said. “That look of relief is something you’ll never forget. You don’t get that with most jobs.”
CANI is celebrating its 50th year in 2015. It’s a private, nonprofit organization that provides economic and community resources for people in northeast Indiana, helping them gain access to opportunities they might not have otherwise.
CANI serves 12 counties — Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Elkhart, Grant, Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wells and Whitley. It’s affiliated with the Indiana Community Action Association, which provides services in each of the state’s 92 counties.
In addition to its energy assistance program, CANI provides child care vouchers for parents, housing assistance for the homeless and disabled, and support services for veterans and their families. CANI offers classes on college and career preparation and financial education, and even offers small business loans.
Although CANI has programs that help individuals, it also seeks to improve communities as a whole, said Steve Hoffman, CANI’s president and CEO.
“We love to work in communities on a broad level and make big changes,” Hoffman said. “Our mission is very broad.”
Deb Brown, who works in CANI’s Angola office, said her job can be very stressful, but at the end of the day, it’s rewarding. The resources CANI offers help people get out of poverty, she said.
“We’re able to provide a light at the end of the tunnel for the people who come here,” Brown said. “Sometimes they walk out of our office in tears, but they’re happy tears.”
Recently, Gov. Mike Pence’s Healthy Indiana Plan 2.0, which uses Medicaid funds to help people get private health care benefits, has assisted some of her clients in obtaining medical care they didn’t have access to previously, Brown said.
Christine Koegler coordinates the Jobs for America's Graduates, or JAG, program through CANI at Kendallville’s Impact Institute. The program aims to keep students in school through graduation, and provide college or career training opportunities.
“It’s a great way for students to get a leg up as they move into the workforce,” Koegler said.
When students enroll in JAG, they are required to donate time to community service projects. Koegler said those projects have made a difference in Kendallville.
A few years ago, the Beds and Britches Etc., or BABE, store in Kendallville was in desperate need of help, Koegler said. The store provides resources and services for parents so they can have healthier pregnancies and children. CANI held diaper drives for the BABE store, and Koegler said that helped get the word out about the store.
Even though its mission already was broad, CANI has aimed even higher in the past few years by adding lending services and housing assistance, Hoffman said. But he said the organization hasn’t lost sight of the vision that started half a century ago.
“It’s really important work that we do,” he said. “It’s very rewarding to be able to work with people and help them overcome barriers so they can live better. That’s why we do what we do.”