Located in The Village at Winona Lake, the Garden of Hope honors those who have survived cancer and those who did not. It also serves as the perfect location for cancer survivors and loved ones to reflect.
Lois Niemier, former chairman and committee member at the Kosciusko County Gala and Golf Outing, helped start the Garden of Hope three years ago for the gala.

Dr. Dane and Mary Louise Miller donated the land and sidewalk next to the Boathouse Restaurant at The Village for the garden. A brick walkway, which was donated and installed by Wihebrink Landscape Management Inc., is the main feature in the Garden of Hope. The first set of bricks were placed in April 2011.

The bricks are personalized to the cancer victim or the family who bought it. The engravings present on the bricks were completed by Patten Monument Company of Warsaw.

Bricks may be purchased for cancer survivors and victims at any time. Standard-sized bricks allow three lines of type — with 14 letters and spaces per line — and are sold for $250 each. Funds go to the Kosciusko County Cancer Care Fund, which is administered by the K21 Foundation.

Money raised by the KCCCF goes back into the community to provide financial assistance to the residents of Kosciusko County who are suffering from cancer. So far, the Garden of Hope has raised approximately $10,000 for the fund, through the sale of commemorative bricks.

To order a brick, call Lois Niemier at 574-265-5088. Bricks may also be ordered online at the K21 Foundation website, k21foundation.org.