Old Pierre Moran Mall breathes new life, new home to Goodwill Industries
ELKHART, Ind. -- The once booming Pierre Moran Mall in Elkhart is now breathing new life!
After the Sears store closed at the old mall in 2017, the space sat empty, until now.
A ribbon cutting event on Wednesday celebrated the new Goodwill Industries campus, taking up part of the old Sears store, in the Woodland Crossing shopping center.
The revitalization and transformation of the space was a cause worth celebrating!
"Fourteen months ago, when we stood in this spot, it was completely a blank canvas," says Dr. Chris Alber, Superintendent of the Excel Center of Michiana.
Goodwill's newest campus is providing wrap-around services to the Benham neighborhood and greater community.
"We could reach out to a wide audience in Elkhart, Elkhart County, all across Northern Indiana, to try and provide these services for our residents," Dr. Alber explains.
Underneath the new roof is the Excel Center School, the Academy which provides CTE training, and Goodwill's Mission services.
"We have eight classrooms right now in use, we have two additional classrooms that are ready as we continue to expand, we built with expansion in mind," explains Dr. Alber.
Better yet, all of its programs are free!
"If people are not aware of Goodwill, when you donate your used goods to Goodwill or you purchase in our retail stores, all that, the donations and the money go to fund our programs so they're free to community members," Dr. Alber says.
Leaders hope this new hub will continue to change people's lives, like Cheri Avery, who got her footing at the academy and is now a welder.
"If you keep pushing to change your life, those doors will open. God will make a way out of no way. And Goodwill did that for me," says Cheri Avery, a recent graduate of the Academy construction program.
Plus, folks who grew up in this neighborhood like Elkhart Mayor Rod Roberson can make new memories in the same place.
"This particular mall, actually this store, was the very first store I went Christmas shopping for my mommy as a five-year-old," shares Mayor Roberson.
With Heart City Health still looking to move their services right next door, the two will be a one-stop-shop for years to come.
"The partnership is really just a shared space and our commitment to the residents of Elkhart," says Dr. Alber
Heart City Health is still under construction. Leaders say they hope it'll be ready to open in the next 16-18 months.
For more details on all the services that Goodwill provides, click here.