Gavin Scherschel walks a small piece of wood over to a tabletop circular saw and carefully trims it to the perfect length. He is on a team building a model home in the construction trades program at the North Lawrence Career Center. 

A year ago, the process of trimming a piece of wood was not so simple. Drills and saws in the classroom were aging, and the career center did not have the resources to purchase new equipment. 

Fortunately, things have changed.

Hoosier Energy presented $5,000 to the Lawrence County Economic Growth Council to help fund enhancements at the North Lawrence Career Center located in Bedford. CoBank, a national cooperative bank, matched Hoosier Energy’s investment with an additional $5,000 through its Sharing Success Matching Grant program. 

Combined, the $10,000 put the career center on track to finance new equipment. 

“This grant has been instrumental in helping us purchase equipment that is helping advance our students through hands-on experiences,” said Paul Sanders, director of the North Lawrence Career Center.

Students see the impact new equipment can make.

“Without the new tools, we wouldn’t be able to build what we have this semester,” Scherschel said. “The best thing is that we can work more efficiently.”

The equipment is also helping students work safely. Instructor Matt Olson sees the safety improvements firsthand.

“The new cordless tools we have purchased through the grant help me train students how to be safe with simple hand tools before we move on to advanced tools,” Olson said.

From the classroom instruction to the community benefit, this grant helps show Hoosier Energy’s commitment to local communities.