Taylor Flora resident Van C. Taylor is the new executive director of the Kokomo Rescue Mission. He assumed the leadership of the mission on March 1 following the retirement of Bob Cox.

In 2003, Taylor received recognition in Kokomo nonprofit circles when he was director of the Howard County Flood Recovery Team.

At a press conference last week, Taylor said, "My desire is to build on the foundation left by Bob Cox. I want to continue to allocate the resources of the mission in an effective and Godly way, maximizing the impact of this ministry on the hurting and homeless people in our community. As poverty in our country becomes more generational than situational, our challenge is to offer deeper, more long-term programs that include educational and vocational assistance.

"Lives that are transformed through the programs of Kokomo Rescue Mission are evidence that God is alive and working in the hearts of the men, women and children we serve daily through our shelters and outreach programs."

Taylor is the former owner of Kirk's Popcorn in Flora and Yoder's Popcorn in Shipshewana. He is a member of the Carroll County Extension Board of Directors and the Monroe Township Advisory Board.

A graduate of Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Taylor became a United Methodist Certified Lay Speaker/Servant in 2000. He is a member of Flora United Methodist Church, currently serving on the church's missions board.

Taylor and wife, Becky, are the parents of Susanna, 13, and Will, 10, both students in the Carroll Consolidated School Corporation.