Civil and Municipal - Mar 2023

80 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 3 “You can come to a library for a book, or you can come to a library and check out crutches if you so need from our library of things,” Mullins explains. “You can get a KitchenAid mixer, or a hotspot if you need internet service. There are all sorts of things literally and figuratively that we offer.” Eckhart’s impetus for the library was to provide a community center that was welcoming for everyone. “He wanted to develop a place that was not for any particular class or group, but it was for every citizen,” Mullins says. “That’s the foundation the library was built on, and that really kind of goes through the whole city as well.” Eckhart’s legacy and philanthropy shine through almost every aspect of the city. Auburn is a place where citizens care about one another and want to help each other create a welcoming place, just like he did at the turn of the century. “This community supports themselves and gives back and has a lot of great initiatives and grassroots efforts that people are supportive of,” Mullins says. That can be seen through organizations like The James Foundation, which supports social platforms and provides educational and cultural opportunities within the city, as well as the Community Foundation DeKalb County, which provides endowments to various areas of the community. “Our community is so philanthropic,” Mullins says. “If you have a million dollars or $100 you can contribute. You can give your $100 to the Community Foundation to an endowment of your choice and it’s pooled with other money and just invested into perpetuity.” Auburn’s economic advancements, rich culture, and community-driven mindset have put the city on the map and have attracted many people to come to live, work and visit the area. It’s repeatedly been ranked in the top 10 safest cities in Indiana, and consistently ranks highly on quality of life indexes, Ley says. But what drives people to call Auburn home? Ley makes sure to ask that question every time he meets a new resident, and what often comes up is the quality of amenities, the cultural opportunities, and the kindness of its citizens. “We have world-class, top-quality venues and organizations that when you look at them you go, ‘Wow! This little town of 14,000 has this quality of entities in it. What’s that about? Think about that. You go into some other communities and you don’t see that. You have to wonder what’s here that’s hosting and keeping this here?” Ley says. “Obviously there’s a lot of things that go into what it is that drives people to move here, live here, work here, raise their family, but we care about each other, we care about our world. It’s a very caring community.” PREFERRED VENDOR/PARTNER n DeKalb Central Schools www.dekalbcentral.net Brandon Anderson