Caring in Action: The Chamberlain Family’s Vision for a More Generous Future

News & AnnouncementsCaring in Action: The Chamberlain Family’s Vision for a More Generous Future

As the Duneland Family YMCA prepares to break ground at the new YMCA Healthy Living Campus on Tuesday, September 10th, the organization is thrilled to announce the generous donation from Mr. and Mrs. Mark & Staci Chamberlain and family towards the project. Capital Campaign Chair Mark said that contributing financially to this project in the heart of downtown Chesterton was an easy decision. “When I started my business here in this community in 2001, the people here lifted me up and supported me, which supported my family then and still does today,” recalled Mark. “Their support allowed for my business and family to flourish so giving back is repaying that debt. That and I truly believe giving back where you can is a duty we can all take part in.”

The family feels so strongly about giving back that it has become a way of life both at home and in the office at CAPTRUST Chesterton, where Mark serves as a principal and is joined daily by his daughter, Elizabeth Adcock and her husband Aaron. While CAPTRUST has ingrained a strong culture of caring in the workplace with incentives such as paid days off when volunteering, the concept of being creative with generosity isn’t new for the Chamberlains. Elizabeth, along with her sisters Leslie Havner and Taylor Chamberlain, was raised to understand that giving back to her community was a learned habit, but an expected habit, nonetheless. Mark ensured that as he was raising and developing the next generation of family philanthropists that they were taught that treasure wasn’t the only way to spread their community efforts, but that they could spread their time and talent as well. It was Elizabeth’s dedication of her time and talents to the YMCA Board of Directors that ignited the family’s dedication to the organization’s mission and programming.

With the arrival of twin daughters, Madeline and Emelia Marks, Elizabeth sought out reliable, affordable, quality childcare and found just that at Forchetti Family YMCA Center for Early Learning. It was from that experience that proud grandfather Mark found his passion project in early childhood education. “My grandkids really accelerated my interest, I mean twins that was double the cost,” explained Mark. “At the time we were in the midst of a CAPTRUST employee baby boom and I saw all these mothers having to make hard choices about expensive childcare, sometimes just babysitting because early childhood education was a luxury!” Since then, Mark has found himself becoming increasingly involved in early childhood education and advocating for both its availability and affordability within not only Northwest Indiana, but throughout the state as a whole. His involvement has snowballed from first serving as a co-hort member on Purdue Northwest’s Strosacker Early Learning Fellowship in 2018, to his involvement with Porter County’s First Things First organization, to eventually being picked by the governor’s office to now partake in their Early Learning Initiative to better provide gold-standard early childhood education to children across the state. Having given his time and talents to these groups over the years, the YHLC donation by the Chamberlain’s isn’t the first time Mark has given of his treasures. After bearing witness to the outstanding education his granddaughters were provided at the Forchetti Center, the family made a substantial contribution to the facility’s kitchen to provide quality nutrition to the young learners as well. “I watched my granddaughters learning different languages, like learning Spanish and other languages at a young age while at Forchetti and when they went to kindergarten they were so ready for school because they hadn’t received just childcare, but they had been a part of this education process that was so impressive,” recounted Mark. “I’m just so excited to be involved with the possibilities now at Healthy Living Campus because we are talking about doubling that capacity for kids in our community.”

It is the hope of both Mark and Staci that their continued involvement in community giving, both here locally and in Staci’s beloved hometown of Las Vegas, will cause a ripple effect of generosity for generations to come. “I try to keep it fun for my grandkids, like I did with my own and I think Elizabeth is trying to do the same with them as well, to make volunteering an enjoyable privilege to be able to do now and as they grow older,” said Mark.

The Duneland Family YMCA is thankful for the Chamberlain’s support and the example their generosity sets for the community. “Mark and Staci’s financial support has been instrumental to the development of the Healthy Living Campus and the Duneland YMCA,” said Dave Kasarda, Duneland Family YMCA CEO. “Their contributions have not only provided critical funding but have also demonstrated a strong commitment to the community’s well-being. The Chamberlains’ dedication has been a cornerstone in making these projects a reality, ensuring that the YMCA can continue to offer vital programs and services that promote health, wellness, and community engagement. Their generosity has set a powerful example of how individual philanthropy can drive significant positive change in the community.”

While the Chamberlain Family looks forward to welcoming visitors to the new campus for years to come, with their donation benefitting the construction of the ‘Welcome Desk’ in the main lobby, they also hope their donation inspires others to invest in the health and wellness of the community’s future as well. Those interested in supporting the YHLC Community Campaign and/or keeping up to date with progress at the campus can visit https://yhlcduneland.org.

The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits, strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. Across the U.S., 2,700 Ys engage 21 million men, women, and children – regardless of age, income, or background – to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. Anchored in more than 10,000 communities, the Y has long-standing relationships and a physical presence not just to promise but to deliver lasting personal and social change. More information can be located at www.dunelandymca.org.

At the Y, we believe that when we devote our full strength to our mission and cause, work in partnership with others, and build on our commitment to the children, families, and underserved people of Duneland, we can address the most pressing issues of our community unlike any other organization. The Healthy Living Campus is combining adaptive reuse and new construction to create a new community hub and park in the heart of Chesterton. With the inclusion of multiple non-profit and healthcare partners, we are building more than just a YMCA. The campus will be an innovative space fostering collaboration within a one-stop-shop capable of addressing a variety of community health and wellness needs.

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