THOR, Lifeline Ministries Dedicates Elkhart Training Labs – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
ELKHART, ind. – The good news of offering a variety of new vocational education pathways to the youth of Elkhart brought together local dignitaries, representatives from Thor Industries and Thor Motor Coach and the media April 17 at the Lifeline Youth Ministries’ “The Hub” to dedicate new training labs.
Expanding from its hands-on training origins in the building trades, Lifelines will now prepare local youth in basic training modules for the RV industry and also real world job experience in silk screening, embroidery, graphic design as well as sound/recording studio experience.
After presentations from Darrell Peterson, executive director of Lifeline Youth Ministries, Bob Martin, THOR Industries president and CEO, and Elkhart City Mayor, Rod Roberson, a dedication ribbon cutting of the newly designed THOR RV Learning Lab took place with tours of all the vocational training following. The HUB facility, a 54,000 square-foot building, includes all the vocational training areas along with over 45,000 feet of space for classrooms, youth activities and a state-of-the-art-gymnasium.
Peterson, who has been with the Lifeline Youth Ministries for 15 years, starting its original building trades program, spoke with RVB prior to the event about the privilege of experiencing the growth of Lifeline Youth Ministries and the impact it has on Elkhart and its community.
“We are primarily a youth after school program but we have branched out into vocational training,” he shared as over 100 cars lined up outside The HUB facility to pick up children in the rain yesterday afternoon. “But over on the south side of Elkhart we built three duplexes with building trades. We’ve also renovated six properties yielding 17 living units where our staff now stays. We have a staff of 26. Everyone must come up through an internship in this program first.”
He said when he started its vocational training construction program, he saw the hope it gave kids for a future and their life’s career. He shared that Bob Martin from THOR came and toured the properties and The HUB facility first when it was just concrete and steel in Aug. of 2022.
“We started talking to Bob and about all the businesses we planned to start to teach kids with the programs,” said Peterson, “there is the embroidery shop we have started and the sound studio, and now the RV training lab. In the Fall we will start another business that will be graphic design.”
He said the location on Prairie Street in Elkhart is key to the success of helping youth and families economically.
“If you draw a one and a half mile circle around this area on the south side of Elkhart, you will find 2,376 apartments and over 3,500 homes. So it’s a great location with over 400 kids registered now and a waiting list of 150.”
Bob Martin of THOR Industries summed up the strong commitment his company has for Lifeline Ministries with the common goal of training high school students to be work ready. With THOR’s help The HUB provides a variety of diverse business options in which Elkhart Academy students learn various aspects of a business while working alongside its qualified staff in these little startup companies.
“We have to thank Darrell for his vison,” said Martin to the crowd gathered for the dedication. “And for or us, we have a foundation at THOR and we thought this would be a great use of the funds. The RV room that we are going to see today will help teach young people skills for electrical, plumbing and others skills that can be used in the RV or housing industries. I was inspired by the guys at DJ Construction with their partnerships first. So for us, we saw this as a great opportunity for Elkhart and the team here. We thank you all for letting us be part of this.”
