Resident Highlight: John Frischie

I grew up in Southern Indiana in a land full of watermelon, cantaloupe and hills, graduating from high school in 1965.

As I look back on my years as a child, it all feels like a dream. I was able to work on my uncle’s farm when I was 9 years old. I also worked for a neighbor and a local cooperative fertilizer plant. I was active in school, FFA and played basketball— all the typical things a young person would do back in the 1960s. Where I grew up was much like Kentland. It was friendly, safe, and quite a warm community. I graduated from Purdue University in 1969 and became an Ag teacher at South Newton High School. Sue and I were married in 1970 and have two daughters, Stephanie and Kim. The girls received a great education at South Newton and are graduates of Purdue.

I taught for about 28 years and then became director of secondary education.

As an Ag teacher, I worked with high school students, helping them write speeches, teaching them how to do Agri-business Management spreadsheets and what skills are essential for entrepreneurship. I even taught welding, mechanics and carpentry. At the end of the day, I loved teaching students leadership skills.

As Director of Education, my job was to write grants and start new programs. I got several programs funded, one of which is still going today. It’s called Project Lead the Way. We were one of the first schools in Indiana to start this program. Since its inception, it has grown into what’s referred to as STEM. During my years in this position, I also launched a public safety program where students could gain a first responder’s license. They worked with local law enforcement, firefighters and EMTs to receive real-life training.

There’s a lot to be said about my current involvement with the Rotary Club in Kentland. We are a very active group! We often donate our time and financial resources to various activities in the community. We invest in youth programs that help athletic teams go to conferences, future business leaders that go to international conventions, FFA members who are seeking to acquire GPS mapping equipment and drone pilot licenses. The list goes on.

We help a great deal with community organizations in need of funds. Through a district grant, we were able to put up one of the ‘Welcome to Kentland’ signs. We did work at Cast Park on the Depot. This past year, even with Covid-19, we were able to raise $4,500 to purchase welding supplies for South Newton. Rotary, with the help of Jasper Newton Foundation, was also able to donate money to the art department at South Newton. We even distributed $20,000 to our local food pantry and the South Newton backpack program. The Kentland Rotary is supporting the Kentland Jefferson Twp. Fire Department’s trailer purchase with a grant and funds raised at a pancake breakfast.

The Kentland Rotary Club really doesn’t have trouble giving its money away. More than $250,000 has been raised for scholarships at South Newton via our truck raffle. This includes high school scholarships for seniors in the Spring, and we have applications for adult scholarships as well. We partnered with Monicals to purchase $2,500 in gift coupons to distribute to the firefighters, police, dispatchers and EMTs. Amazing acts like these make me so proud to be involved in Rotary.

My involvement with Rotary started back in 2006 when I retired from South Newton. I looked at this move as an opportunity to do real good in the world. I went through a whole list of positions in Kentland Rotary and in our district. In 2017, I was elected to be District Governor. Our district includes about 2,200 Rotary members in 56 clubs. I’ve been to 262 virtual club meetings already and have spent 300+ hours on Zoom, training with people from all over the world. We have an active Zone Group that involves Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and it reaches all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico. I am fortunate to have numerous friends in these geographic areas. We participate in a project called Heart to Heart, where we focus on Mexico City (District 4170). We’ve sent thousands of dollars there to fund kidney transplants, pacemaker implants and other various surgeries. In Mexico, the poor don’t have access to medical care. Wheel chairs and walkers are repaired and distributed through the World Access Project. (pictured below)

My days start about 6AM and I devote around 12 or 14 hours a day to my work with Rotary. I’m thankful for the opportunities that my involvement in this club has provided. My wife and I have been able to travel to amazing places like Mexico and Germany. My training to become a District Governor required me to spend a week in Montgomery, Alabama, a week in Fort Wayne, Indiana and three months online.

Everything that I am today, I owe to my parents. They were both volunteers. My mother was a caseworker in the welfare department when I started high school. They gave their time as volunteers for the Red Cross. They both taught me financial management, saying it’s not how much money you make, it’s how much money you spend.

My career in Kentland also had a huge hand in shaping my life journey. I was continually going to the community, asking for support for our Ag program. I wanted to give students knowledge, advice and also financial support. I remember back in the 80s, cooking pork chops with the Rotary, and I did this because I wanted to teach the kids the importance of giving back to the community.

The Rotary philosophy is to do good in the world. Our current motto is Rotary Opens Opportunities. I believe in leadership and giving of my time and talents. My high school Ag teacher taught me how to help people in the community. I carried these memories with me into my career.

Living in the area since 1969, I think the greatest contribution people can make in Kentland is to invest in the community’s current initiatives, or they can get involved in Rotary events where we raise money for wonderful causes, such as helping the 4H building, or providing equipment to the Fire Department.

Looking back, there are a lot of important moments I’ve experienced here in this town. I was a 4H volunteer sports fishing leader, and I remember encouraging children and their parents to participate. We had 48 children and their parents, fishing together, growing in this activity together. I remember watching the children help other children learn how to fish. I’ll never forget it. And when it comes to Rotary, I have moments every day that enrich my life. To pick one would be totally unfair. There are too many amazing moments.

I want Kentland to be known for its safety, caring spirit and friendliness. As a town, we do a great job at this, and as more people move here, we should always be ready to extend a warm welcome and help them get involved. My goal, and I hope this for you as well, is to help make Kentland a great place to live. Let’s help others take an active role in helping our community to always be this kind of town. Let’s all move “Boldly Forward”.