Luncheon Spotlight: Women Making A Difference

Nearly 200 women in our community recently attended the Women In Philanthropy event as we celebrated the many ways they have been changing our community for the better! We heard the stories of Sue Mock, Cindy Zehr, and Kelly Heckaman as they took the stage to inspire us to write our own stories with courage, purpose, and grace.

Meet Sue (daughter of Neal & Joy Carlson)

From humble farm roots near North Liberty and Brookston, Neal and Joy Carlson built a life grounded in faith, service, and deep love for their community. Their story began at Purdue University, where a chance meeting at a dance sparked a love that would last a lifetime. Though Neal lost a coin toss for the chance to walk Joy home that first evening, he ultimately won her heart.

After marrying, they built their family first in Wolcott and later in Warsaw, where they planted lasting roots. Neal served the community through banking, while Joy’s calling as a nurse led her to help establish vital local services, including the Well Child Clinic, hospice, and home health care programs.

Their lives were forever changed by the tragic loss of their daughter, Jo Ann, at just seven years old. Though grief was quietly carried for many years, Neal and Joy chose to honor her memory by creating The Neal M. Carlson and Joy M. Carlson Charitable Endowment Established in Memory of Jo Ann Carlson. In doing so, they transformed heartbreak into hope, creating a legacy of generosity that supports the causes they cherished most: faith, youth development, and preserving local history.

They also established the Carlson Family Educational Fund, which has awarded more than $78,000 in scholarships to aspiring educators, reflecting the family’s deep belief in the power of teaching and mentorship.

Neal and Joy’s legacy is one of living life forward that turned love into action, loss into purpose, and ensures future generations will flourish through the gift of giving.

Meet Cindy

For Cindy Zehr, giving back has never been about recognition. It has always been about living out her faith through service to others.

Rooted in the close-knit community of Silver Lake, Cindy’s story is one of deep family ties, steadfast faith, and a lifelong commitment to lifting others up. Together, Cindy and her husband, Cliff, built a life centered on hard work, family, and generosity. As they raised their daughters and helped lead the family business, they also made time to invest in what mattered most: their community.

For more than two decades, Cindy quietly served as a hospice volunteer, offering comfort and compassion to families during life’s most fragile moments. Alongside Cliff, she dedicated countless hours to serving local organizations, mission work, and ministries that brought hope and healing to others. Their belief has always been simple yet powerful: when we serve others, we create ripples of goodness that extend far beyond what we can see.

That belief inspired them to establish the Be Beautiful Feet – Romans 10:15 Fund, named from Romans 10:15: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” Through this fund, their generosity continues to support organizations doing meaningful work that align with their faith and that share hope throughout the community.

Their support of the Kosciusko County Community Foundation reflects their trust in the power of local philanthropy to strengthen lives for generations to come.

Cindy’s story reminds us that the most lasting legacies are often built through quiet acts of kindness. Through their giving, Cliff and Cindy are leaving more than a financial legacy. They are leaving a blueprint for a life well lived: one rooted in faith, guided by compassion, and dedicated to making the world brighter for others.

Meet Kelly

For Kelly Heckaman, philanthropy is deeply personal and a way to honor the values, lessons, and love passed down through generations.

Raised on the principles of hard work, compassion, and service, Kelly learned early from her mother, Sonja, that true success is measured not by what we keep, but by what we give. Sonja’s life was marked by generosity, quiet strength, and a deep commitment to helping others. She taught her family that giving back is not just an act of kindness, it is a way of planting seeds for the future.

When Kelly established the Sonja Easterday Fund at the Community Foundation in her mother’s memory, it became more than a tribute. It became a living legacy.

Created to support youth educational and developmental opportunities in agriculture, the fund reflects the values Sonja held dear and the passions that shaped their family’s story. Through support for programs like 4-H and FFA, Kelly’s gift helps young people discover confidence, leadership, and purpose.

This story is a beautiful reminder that even after loss, love continues to grow.

At the Community Foundation, stories like Kelly’s remind us that when generosity is rooted in love, its impact reaches far beyond a single lifetime.