(LAGRANGE) – A LaGrange County organization is in the running to possibly receive money from the State.

The LaGrange Economic Development Corporation is thrilled to announce that it has been selected as one of four statewide finalists in the Stellar Pathways Program. This prestigious recognition underscores the EDC’s commitment to sustainable growth, economic prosperity, and community enhancement in LaGrange County.

In addition to LaGrange County, Dearborn, Wabash, and Warren Counties are also in the running for this award.

The Stellar Pathways Program, a multi-year, multi-million-dollar initiative led by the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA), works with communities within a county boundary on a shared vision for community and economic development. It promotes local and regional partnerships and assists in implementing sustainable solutions to challenges facing Indiana’s rural communities.

Emilee Fincher, regional project manager for this effort, emphasized the importance of partnership and collaboration in achieving the Stellar Pathways designation. She says the collective efforts underscore the unity and determination of LaGrange County. She says they are prioritizing collaborative and transformative projects that prioritize talent attraction, housing, childcare and quality of place to create a strategic roadmap that will guide our community's progress for years to come.

As finalists, each region will receive $50,000 to develop its final strategic investment plan over the coming months, and a customized one-day workshop with Ball State University's Indiana Communities Institute in August to discuss project alignment and continued planning efforts.

Those Strategic Investment Plans will be evaluated after their submission in November with two winners announced in January of 2025.