SOUTH BEND, Ind. (July 11, 2025) – The South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership brought the community together to celebrate 10 years of community building through the Regional Cities Initiative during its annual “Rally the Region” event held July 9 at Hotel Elkhart. The organization also debuted a new award, honoring champions of regionalism, named the Ember Award in honor of the inaugural winner, Regina Emberton.

“Tonight is about more than updates or metrics – it’s about momentum,” said Bethany Hartley, President and CEO of the South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership. “And this year, we have a special milestone to reflect on: ten years since the launch of the Regional Cities Initiative. Ten years ago, this region came together and said, ‘We can do more, together.’ And we’ve been proving it ever since.” 

In 2015, the South Bend – Elkhart region was one of three awarded $42 million through the Indiana Economic Development Corporation’s Regional Cities Initiative (RCI), catalyzing cross-county collaboration and unlocking over $338 million in additional public and private investment. The initiative supported transformative projects such as South Bend’s Howard Park, Hotel Elkhart, Plymouth’s REES Theatre, and Mishawaka’s Ironworks. RCI also led to the creation of the Northern Indiana Regional Development Authority (RDA), which continues to drive regional progress through funding initiatives like READI 1.0 and 2.0.

At this year’s Rally the Region event, it was announced that the region has now distributed 72 percent of its READI 1.0 funds, totaling over $34 million in investment to date. The event also highlighted that the region’s arts and culture planning process is well underway, with public input events happening throughout July. More information is available at sbeartsandculture.com.

The event included a discussion of RCI’s impact featuring Aaron Perri, Vice President, Community Impact at the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County, Tim Sexton, Associate Vice President of Public Affairs at the University of Notre Dame and the Chair of the RDA, and Allie Shook, Executive Director of the Marshall County Lifelong Learning Network.

The Regional Partnership announced the creation of a new award. Named for the inaugural winner, Regina Emberton, CEO of ChoiceLight, Inc., the Ember Award looks to celebrate champions of collaboration and regionalism. Emberton, previously the President and CEO of the Regional Partnership, led the process for RCI and READI.