A newly formed non-profit organization is hoping to bring some positivity to Downtown Jasper.
The Heart of Jasper Board of Directors announced Kate Schwenk as their director last week.
Schwenk says that she is humbled to lead the team.
“I’m excited and grateful for the opportunity. There’s a lot of exciting things going on with the city, and with the board and committees, and I’m just happy to be a part of it,” Schwenk says.
The organization had its first focus group and open house with small business owners on Thursday. Schwenk says doing this helped them figure out what their starting goals are.
“Right now, it’s just getting group organized, keeping them on track, and organizing their work to get a lot of tasks accomplished. We’re also working towards prioritizing our goals and to ultimately help the downtown businesses be as successful as they can be,” she says.
Schwenk says she hopes the new non-profit can help the small business owners in a huge way.
“We really hope to be a good partner with the local small businesses and get a better understanding of what their needs really are. We also hope to collaborate with a lot of other groups that are in the area, such as Dubois Strong and the Jasper Chamber of Commerce,” she says.
Schwenk says she hopes to have more of these focus groups in the near future.
“We hope to have more of these focus groups so we can educate local businesses about what events and activities are coming up. We really want to hear their thoughts and hopefully get a better understanding of what their needs are,” she says.
The Heart of Jasper’s Office is located on the second floor of Jasper City Hall.
For more information, visit HeartofJasper.org or call (812)-482-4255.
