About Heart of the City

Who we Are

Heart of the City is dedicated to addressing the issues of poverty, hunger and education in the central Fort Wayne community. While these are big issues affecting many, we believe that even a small organization can make a big difference in the daily lives of our neighbors. Formed in 2010 as a non-profit 501(c)(3) and located on Cass Street in central Fort Wayne, our programs serve downtown Fort Wayne with a focus on providing skills, mentoring and education for financially disadvantaged families. Our overall goal is to break the cycle of generational poverty.

Who We Serve 

Heart of the City serves those living in the heart of Fort Wayne. Our programs focus on several primary neighborhoods in Fort Wayne bounded by: West State on the North to Taylor Street on the South, and Leesburg Road on the West to Lafayette Street on the East.

These inner-city communities have been identified as high poverty, at-risk neighborhoods with a preponderance of rental homes, transient families and represent a food desert in that there are no full-service grocery stores within walking distance. Some of these areas have a median household Income of approximately $23,000. Heart of the City also serves all of Allen County as circumstances present opportunities.

2025 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Timothy L. Stauffer, MBA, Pastor, Mission Church — Chair

Amanda Anderson, CPA, Houlihan, LLP Certified Public Accountants — Treasurer

Jim Brockmann, 4KenyasKids.org Board Member, Retired, former owner of A Party Apart 

Jaime Holle, Owner, 4EOS & Safe House Cyber Security

Luke Meyers, Project Manager, Shambaugh & Sons

Jason Russell, DC, Executive Director of Sports Medicine, Optimum Performance Sports

Jessica Stauffer, Owner, J3Designs

David Whitney, Broadridge Financial Solutions 

Joseph Zehr, Owner, North Eastern Group

Curtis Smith, Executive Director, Do it Best Foundation — Board Member Emeritus, Master of Ceremonies

Laura Sievers, CFO, North Eastern Group — Outside Consultant