Community Impact

The Barr Street Market is Back for 2008!

Every Saturday 9 a.m.-1 p.m. July 12-September 27,  
 
More than just a produce stand, the market is a destination. Live music? You got it. Fresh pastries and hot coffee? Check! Organic flowers, local art, and kids’ activities? Check, check, check. Saturday mornings in the summer, downtown is the place to be.  
 
Want to help? Contact impact@ylni.org 

Meetings & Time Commitment: The Barr Street Market Task Force is already in full swing!  Check the weekly email for news about our next meeting.

Want to be a vendor? Click here!

What makes us tick:  We live for fun new ideas for northeast Indiana.  Scratch that.  Not just ideas, action.  Community Impact goes to the heart of our mission to make our region the kind of place where people want to live.  It all started at our kick-off event in May 2005 when we asked attendees to scribble their ideas on walls, on tables, on bars (all covered in paper, of course).  Those ideas turned into the revival of the Barr Street Market, a bike race in Woodburn, a whole group committed to the development of downtown Ft. Wayne and a Rivers Task Force.  There’s more to come, we just need to your ideas and more paper. 
 
Meet Molly Jordan, our hard-working, talented, all-around fabulous leader!  Got an idea to make northeast Indiana just as cool as it can possibly be or want to make your own impact on this committee with like-minded YLNI-ers?  Send her an email to impact@ylni.org. 
 
What we’re known for:  Remember when Saturdays downtown were a lonely sight to see?  Try them on a summer Saturday when the Barr Street Market is in full swing!  The Community Impact Committee brought the market back to Ft. Wayne in summer 2005.  Last year, we completed an amazing third summer series with nearly 400 attendees each week for a 10 week run (Whew!  We're tired.)  An off-shoot of our committee, the Rivers Task Force, has been an integral part of brainstorming future uses of our rivers with various committees in the area.  We also claim fame for the YLNI Woodburn Bike Race which helped raise over $7000 for the Woodburn Fire Department and had over 200 participants.  
 
What’s next:  Well, what turns you on?  The committee will be tackling these ongoing projects as well as a new opportunity to form alliances with area organizations, but our greatest successes come from passionate people with ideas (and time, and energy, and dedication, and … well, you get the idea.) 
 
Passion and Persistence Needed!  You can’t change things overnight, but you can in a few months.  You’d be amazed how fast we can organize things when we’ve got people with energy and commitment.  To learn more about getting involved with Community Impact, contact impact@ylni.org.