ELKHART —  The Life Center Institute of Technical Ministries, led by Director Joe Wisler, is providing opportunities for education and demonstrating a dramatic reuse of vacant properties. Founded in March 2008, the faith-based alternative school is located at the former Bayer complex.

"This was kind of a dream of Scott Tuttle’s," Wisler said. "When he sold his shares of Heartland RV, he wanted to make a place where at-risk kids could get job skills and life skills."

Tuttle, who helped found Heartland RV and has since opened Wakarusa-based Livin’ Lite RV, started a foundation that became the major funding source for the first year and a half of its operations. In a press release from the school, he said the main thrust behind the school’s efforts is to train and equip young men and women with vocational skills and share biblically based principles for success in all areas of life, including finances, relationships, anger management, character traits and parenting.

"We are doing more than just giving them skills," Tuttle said. "We are sharing with them how to live a life that matters. This is what it takes in order to combat the generational dependence on government assistance, as well as positively improve young couples’ odds for staying together and raising their children in a two-parent household."

School property

One of the first uses of the funds was the purchase of a 20,000-square-foot building and five acres of land at the former pharmaceutical company’s property from Chicago, Ill.-based Hilco Realty, which offered the property at a reduced price because of the school’s not-for-profit status.

Following several months of negotiations after the purchase, Hilco went a massive step further and donated five more buildings and 30 more acres of land to the school, retaining some frontage for potential future uses. One of the buildings they haven’t been able to enter yet is a sprawling 170,000 square feet.

"It was pretty exciting when they decided to do that," Wisler said, noting in a press release that "We are very appreciative of Hilco’s generous contribution of both land and buildings as we move forward in our mission and goals to improve our community one life at a time."

Partnerships

Life Center partnered with Work One for the first eight-week session of classes.

"We proposed to them that we could handle welding, auto tech, office administration and computer tech," Wisler said. "In conjunction with that, if they don’t have a diploma or GED yet, we have a GED class."

There are 21 students currently enrolled between those four courses, which each have four weeks remaining. All students at the school are also given leadership and customer service training. Through its partnership in the programs, Work One is helping fund the school. Wisler said its participation in the program is unique.

"This is the first program like it that Work One has done with youth in the state in the 17 to 21 age bracket," Wisler said.

He is already working with the organization on a new contract that would involve all sessions in 2011.

Life Center has also partnered with The Crossing, serving as a sort of alternative career center, as well as Vincennes University. Students who complete their courses will earn credits from the college.

The school recently announced a new partnership with Teen Challenge, an international live-in addictions treatment program. Wisler said the organization is leasing roughly 6,000 square feet of space for a facility that will house up to 16 men starting in June.

Future expansion

Wisler has big plans for the future of the school, evidenced through his own comments as well as statements on its Web site.

His concept is to use the entire campus as a teaching tool. One of the buildings is a 4,000-square-foot restaurant that was remodeled in 2004 that may be used to teach culinary arts. He has also had contact from a man who wants to use the buildings to teach maintenance and others who own nurseries and lawn care companies who want to teach classes on that subject through upkeep of the landscaping on the property.

The school’s online presence, at LifeCenterProject.com, proposes future courses on RV manufacturing, audio engineering, video production, construction/carpentry, keyboarding/data entry, commercial driver’s license (CDL) training, carpet laying and forklift training.

"Since we have it, we want to use it the best we can," Wisler said. "God provided it. We want to be wise stewards."