Fort Wayne – Accelerate Indiana Municipalities (Aim) announced Union City has earned an Aim Program Innovation Award for Vision Corner Learning Center. The city was honored with this award on Wednesday, October 10th during the Annual Awards Luncheon – presented by Baker Tilly Municipal Advisors, LLC during the 2024 Aim Ideas Summit in Fort Wayne. Union City won in the under 10,000 population category.
The Vision Corner Learning Center in downtown Union City opened in April 2024 and is the result of a collaboration between Randolph Eastern School Corporation and city leadership. Transforming a former blighted building into a beacon of innovation, Vision Corner is designed to boost economic development by providing career-focused education. It offers students hands-on experiences in various fields, including business, healthcare, and media, while showcasing the opportunities available within their hometown.
Key features include a student-run enterprise, KISS Communications studio, and a pioneering e-sports program. The center also hosts a medical pathways curriculum in collaboration with Ivy Tech and Reid Health, addressing the area’s need for healthcare professionals. Vision Corner not only revitalizes a historic structure but also serves as a catalyst for community growth and educational excellence, symbolizing a new chapter of opportunity for Union City.
Aim CEO Matt Greller said, “When local schools and city leaders collaborate, great things come from it. Vision Corner is the kind of workforce readiness program that employers take notice of, and community members embrace. Municipalities are full of innovators and problem solvers. The Union City project is a perfect example of this.”
The Program Innovation Award honors communities that introduced and executed new ideas and methods to carry out municipal activities. Awards are presented in multiple population categories based on nominations received.
In its 48th year, the Aim Annual Awards program, presented by Baker Tilly Municipal Advisors LLC, recognizes communities and individuals in municipal government for excellence and outstanding achievement. A seven-member panel of qualified judges selected this year’s winners from a competitive field of nominees from around the state.
Conference Facts:
2024 Aim Ideas Summit
October 8-10, 2024
Grand Wayne Convention Center, Fort Wayne
Attendance: 1,000 (pending final registration count)
Further information: www.aimindiana.org
Since the 1890s, Aim, formerly the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns, has been an advocate for Indiana municipalities. Aim is the official voice of municipal government in Indiana, with more than 460 cities and towns as members. Our purpose is to foster, promote and advocate for the success of Hoosier municipalities as laboratories of innovation, hubs of talent and the engines driving our state’s economy.