Your Story. Our Community.

The Arts Council has a real focus and emphasis on issues of equity and diversity. We have a lot of diverse voices that present work in our spaces. I like to think of our gallery as a playground for artists. And to see some of the wonderful installations and allowing artists to go crazy, trusting in their process, enlivens our city as a whole. I foresee us being even more community-centered in the future. I hope we have an even more diverse collection of artists and views here.
–Dave, president and CEO of The Arts Council of Indianapolis

I started with La Plaza many years ago. My mom would come here for help with health insurance and learned about their free summer camp program for high school students. She enrolled me, and I attended camp from 10th-12th grades, which is how I learned about the Ambassador Program. They helped me with college and scholarship searches.

Being in and out of college, La Plaza has offered me some great opportunities to work here. I’ve been able to work on Fiesta Indianapolis, Passports to America and as a receptionist. They let me work and go to school, which is perfect for me.

La Plaza offers our community so many different services. There is a lot of relationship building. Just learning about our clients and their needs overall and then helping them make a plan for self-improvement.
––Sinara, community resource specialist & data steward at La Plaza

Here I got my first resume done, I found my first job. Horizon House is here for homeless people. There aren’t a lot of places that homeless people can come and hang out. They feed us, give us clothes, give us opportunities to find jobs and housing, help us with healthcare… a lot of stuff. They offer a lot of services that homeless people actually need.
–Manuel, neighbor at Horizon House

I feel as though when I’m swimming there’s a real oneness with the water. My instructor has inspired and motivated me through her teaching. It’s truly a ‘pool of hope.’ Recently while talking about swimming and my story, a woman approached me and asked if I had polio, and got quite emotional. I said ‘yes’ then she said that her mother had polio and had given up hope and used to love swimming. She asked if I’d be willing to meet with her, which I did.
–Judy, member at PrimeLife

I’m encouraged by the fact that we are a resource here, not just to help others in need, but also as a trusted resource for community and personal development. We’ve been doing this for 76 years starting in a tent on the west side of town, but we’ve moved several times in our history to be located where needs are.

The importance of funding from funders like CICF is showing that they’re investing in the community, that they trust agencies like us to carry out the work to improve the communities and take care of the residents through services and programs that will enrich lives in the neighborhoods we serve.
–Tysha, executive director at Edna Martin Christian Center

I started volunteering when I retired. I’m usually here twice a week for the morning shift. Usually I operate a tilt skillet and in that we make casseroles that will feed anywhere from 600-900 meals at a time. We volunteers might crank out up to 4,000 meals per day.

I was looking for a volunteer opportunity with an organization that was socially responsible. I was raised in the restaurant business, and I never wanted to do that as I saw my dad putting in a hundred hours a week. That being said, volunteering in a kitchen is a bit like coming home. Since 2004, I have amassed about 4,200 volunteer hours with Second Helpings.
–Richard, volunteer at Second Helpings