GOSHEN, Ind. — Despite a sudden federal decision to halt AmeriCorps funding nationwide, the City of Goshen is ensuring completion of key local projects and honoring its commitment to five AmeriCorps members who have served the community since August 2024.
Five of the 15 AmeriCorps colleagues working across 10 Northern Indiana service sites this year are based in Goshen. These individuals were already eight months into their 12-month service terms, with original completion scheduled for August 2025.
Recognizing the risk to taxpayer investment and operational continuity, City officials acted swiftly to reallocate existing Forestry Grant funds to cover the final four months of work. Goshen is hiring the AmeriCorps members — who were ordered to stop reporting to their service sites — as temporary City employees through August.
“In Goshen, we finish what we start,
— Mayor Gina Leichty
and we protect the public’s investment.”
Program to continue as GoshenCorps
Rebranded as GoshenCorps, the program ensures project completion and protects taxpayer investment with minimal strain to the general fund.
“This isn’t complicated,” Mayor Gina Leichty said. “I can’t think of anything more operationally inefficient or wasteful than throwing away almost a year’s worth of work just a few months before these projects are completed. Our department leaders and AmeriCorps colleagues have invested eight months of hard work to assist the City with important research and planning initiatives. It makes zero sense to toss that much taxpayer investment into the garbage.”
Leichty said Goshen is fortunate to have alternative funding to continue the AmeriCorps projects as planned. She notes many Indiana communities lack that option. Some programs ended midstream, and students lost salary and promised education awards.
“In Goshen, we take our responsibility to the public seriously,” Leichty said. “We’re going to finish what we started, and we’re going to stand by both our residents and the young professionals who chose to serve our city.”
Goshen demonstrates that local commitment, careful stewardship, and practical leadership still moves communities forward in an era of shrinking federal support.
Five AmeriCorps service members are working directly with City departments to deliver results, strengthen operations, stretch taxpayer dollars, and protect local investments.
Goshen’s AmeriCorps Collegues
- Lee Strader-Bergey, a Goshen College graduate, is maturing the City’s native tree nursery operations, strengthening the public orchard, and leading the Backyard Habitat program. Strader-Bergey’s work reduces long-term tree procurement costs, avoids supply chain disruptions, and builds local capacity to meet Goshen’s tree-planting goals without outside dependency.
- Ollie Freshour, a senior at the University of Arizona, is finalizing an energy-use dashboard for municipal departments and advancing updates to Goshen’s tree preservation practices. Freshour’s work empowers departments to track and reduce energy costs, prioritize low-cost efficiency upgrades, and protect investments in public infrastructure.
- Lucy Kramer is completing a gap year from Colorado College. She is developing a sustainable land management plan for City-owned spaces. Kramer’s plan reduces long-term mowing, fuel, and chemical costs, frees up maintenance staff, and ensures Goshen’s public spaces remain efficient.
- Benji Wall is a communications graduate. He is strengthening the City’s forestry operations and expanding food forest planning resources for churches and community groups. Wall’s work improves urban forest survivability, minimizes future replanting costs, and supports community-driven food production without adding burden to City budgets.
- Jordan Gibbs, began with the City as a GIS intern. She maintains critical infrastructure data and leads analysis of streetlight energy efficiency. Gibb’s work improves utility data accuracy, identifies billing corrections and energy savings, and guides more cost-effective infrastructure planning.
These projects exemplify fiscal discipline, operational efficiency, and a strong commitment to protecting public investments. They ensure Goshen’s continued success in a challenging fiscal environment.
“In Goshen,” Leichty explained, “we finish what we start, and we protect the public’s investment.”
About AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps began in 1993 to connect people with service opportunities across the United States.
Each year, more than 200,000 AmeriCorps members and volunteers serve in education, public health, disaster relief, and environmental projects. AmeriCorps strengthens communities and helps members build skills in leadership, service, and collaboration.
In April 2025, the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency canceled $400 million in AmeriCorps grants — 41 percent of the annual budget. The cancellation impacted more than 1,000 organizations and 32,000 AmeriCorps members and volunteers across the country.
Many local programs stopped midstream, wasting taxpayer dollars and denying education awards to students. Goshen responded quickly to keep local projects and service efforts on track.
AmeriCorps Members Keep Promise to Goshen
Less than 12 hours after learning the federal government canceled their contracts, Goshen’s AmeriCorps members arrived at Shanklin Park on Saturday, April 26, 2025, to support the City’s annual tree giveaway.
AmeriCorps supervisors instructed them not to report to work and informed them they would not be paid. The members volunteered anyway, distributing more than 600 trees to residents and advancing one of Goshen’s most visible environmental initiatives.
“Whether or not the federal government kept its word, they kept their word to us,” Mayor Gina Leichty said. “This is the caliber of young professionals we are privileged to welcome through the AmeriCorps program. And this is why I believe we owe them more than thanks.
“We owe them the opportunity to finish what they started.”
Leave a Reply