"The Winning Communities program has injected a new spirit of "can do"
attitudes in our community. Our location in East Central Indiana has been somewhat depressed and attitudes are down. We have seen a renewal of enthusiasm and cooperation among a wide cross-section of our population that is very encouraging. Through this process we have been able to identify areas needing improvement, and put a plan of action together to address those areas in the next few years."

Ted Leas
President
Pacesetter Bank,
Hartford City, Indiana

" We found Jim Dittoe to be well-versed in the area of self-assessment - external and internal. His leadership style employed encouragement, kindness and guidance towards the areas needing to be developed. As our consultant, Jim was able to make the Board of Directors aware of our present status as well as to define, develop and implement our goals for the future. His help, advice, input and insight were invaluable to our community foundation."

Marcia McLelland
Executive Director
Huntington County Foundation

"I want to thank you for your assistance with the Wells County 2004 planning effort. With your leadership and enthusiasm, we had over 100 community leaders participate in a 5-year master plan in June and we have already made substantial progress on a number of items."

Keith P. Huffman
Planning Chairman and Attorney
Bluffton, Indiana

"Jim has a good sense of community — and communities — and is able to remain focused, and pay attention to details without sinking into a morass of minutiae."

Mary Aiken
Former Executive Director
The Greene County Foundation

"Bringing the whole community together to focus on assessing needs and developing a vision and action plan was no small task. It was most rewarding to see a community come together for common goals. The foundation was pleased to be a major funder of the Wells County 2004 Plan. The success of the project was without question due to Jim's facilitation."

Bette A. Erxleben
Former CEO
The Wells County Foundation

"Mr. Dittoe is a proven leader in the facilitation of groups. I strongly urge you to consider him for your work of planning and implementation."

Alan Kaufman
Mayor
City of Goshen, Indiana

"All of this would not have been possible without your professional guidance. You kept us on track. You kept us moving from one subject to another. You kept us from being bogged down in endless and meaningless discussions. You were so important in giving us the confidence to proceed with a challenging, yet attainable plan for the future of LaPorte."

Carl E. Krentz
Former Mayor
LaPorte, Indiana

"The real value in what Winning Communities has brought to our community is unfolding on a daily, weekly and monthly basis."

Gregory A. Gordon
Planning Chairman and Former President
Greater Crown Point Chamber of Commerce

"What Jim did for our community foundation went way beyond what many expected. His insight into community organizational methodology contributed significantly to an action plan that our board members understood and are committed to carrying out. Jim's strength lies in producing results that do not gather dust on some bookshelf."

W. Early Taylor, CFRE
President
Elkhart County Community Foundation