By STU CLAMPITT
Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch spent most of her day in Hamilton County on Wednesday. From Fishers to Westfield to Cicero, Crouch covered the county to hand out well-deserved accolades to local restaurants and one very important non-profit project.
The Reporter caught up with Crouch at Portillo’s Hot Dogs, 870 State Road 32, Westfield, to talk about her various stops around the county.
Westfield’s Shamrock Project
Thanks to a grant program begun by Crouch, The Shamrock Project is making a difference in the lives of residents with unique challenges. Last year they received a big boost in the form of grant money from the federal CARES Act and other sources.
(From left) Westfield Washington Schools Superintendent Dr. Paul Kaiser, Finn McKenna, and Westfield Mayor Andy Cook. (Reporter photo by Kent Graham)
“The pandemic has disrupted the lives of all Hoosiers,” Crouch said. “But our citizens with disabilities have become more isolated and the unemployment rate among that population is over 70 percent. This federal CARES Act funding to these non-profits helps remove some of the social divide COVID-19 has caused.”
The Community Connections for People with Disabilities (CCPWD) grant program, which was offered through a partnership between the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) and the Indiana Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services (DDRS), is where the Shamrock Project got its assistance.
Through two rounds of grant applications, CCPWD has given out more than $3 million to help Hoosiers with disabilities deal with their unique challenges during the pandemic.
“One of the requirements for the grants was that the city had to partner with a non-profit,” Crouch told The Reporter. “The non-profit is within the Westfield Schools. We had two rounds and we awarded over $3 million. We only had 20 cities in those two rounds actually apply.”
Lt. Gov. Crouch speaks with Westfield Mayor Andy Cook and Reporter Publisher Stu Clampitt. (Reporter photo by Kent Graham)
The City of Westfield partnered with Westfield Washington Schools and the Shamrock Project to apply for their CCPWD grant.
“Kudos to you, Mayor Cook, for your leadership and putting a priority on that,” Crouch said.
Westfield Mayor Andy Cook told The Reporter the thanks should go to the state for their fiscal responsibility.
“Thank you, Lt. Governor, for putting together a state that can generate the kind of funds that you and the legislature are willing to reinvest back in our communities,” Cook said. “That is wonderful.”
The Shamrock Project is an after high school graduation transition program for young adults with disabilities that focuses on full community integration for a successful life after high school. The program does this by providing real-life work experience combined with training in employability and independent living skills to help students with disabilities make successful transitions from school to a productive adult life.
Best Tenderloins in Indiana
Lt. Governor Crouch was also touring Hamilton County for a very delicious duty of the office.
Last October, Crouch, the Indiana Culinary Trails Taskforce, Indiana Destination Development Corporation, and the Indiana Foods Alliance promoted the ‘Tenderloin Trail’ to celebrate Hoosier pork production during ‘Porktober.’
Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch’s first stop on Wednesday in Hamilton County was at Four Day Ray Brewing in Fishers to sample one of the state’s Top 5 breaded tenderloins. (From left) Matt Keller with Indiana Soybean Alliance, Jeanette Merritt with Indiana Pork, Amy Howell with Visit Indiana, Four Day Ray Brewing owner Brian Graham, Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, and Lindsey Skeen with Indiana Foodways Alliance. (Photo provided)
Part of that promotion involved a contest to determine who had the best breaded pork tenderloin in the state. When the results were in, two of the five best tenderloin sandwiches in Indiana were found right here in Hamilton County.
“It has been our sort of unofficial state sandwich since the early 1900s,” Crouch said. “Having two of the top five restaurants with breaded pork tenderloins being from Hamilton County just speaks to how popular it has become. It was very regional to southern Indiana for a long time, but now everybody wants breaded pork tenderloin.”
Four Day Ray Brewing, 11671 Lantern Road, Fishers, and Erika’s Place, 40 W. Jackson St., Cicero, each won tops spots on the Tenderloin Trail contest.
“They each get a $1,000 cash prize from the Indiana Pork Association, they get $1,000 worth of high-quality cooking oil from the Indiana Soybean Alliance, then they get all the accolades and promotion from the Indiana Foodways Alliance, which touts the Tenderloin Trail,” Crouch said.
According to Crouch, Four Day Ray’s tenderloin was not the massive item where the meat is larger than the plate. She spoke highly of the flavor, texture and thickness of their offering.
Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and Hamilton County Councilman Steve Schwartz took time for photo while picking up some award-winning tenderloins from Erika’s Place in Cicero. (Photo provided by Rhonda Gary, Town of Cicero)
Later in the afternoon she visited Erika’s Place in Cicero to sample their offering as well.
County Councilman Steve Schwartz met Crouch in Cicero to share his pride in Hamilton County cooking and his love of small, family-run restaurants.
“That’s were some of the best tenderloins comes from – small shops,” Schwartz told The Reporter. “They take the extra time. Unlike the big box stores, these small shops take the extra time and they enjoy what they’re doing to help create the best tenderloin around.”