Southeast Leading Organizations for 2008

By: Jennifer Rice

As promised in the last issue of The Southeast Square News, this article celebrates the outstanding organizations and initiatives working in our neighborhood for 2008. The list was created by residents at the Southeast Neighborhood Gathering last year.

Friends & FACT is a neighborhood association that serves Fountain Square. Friends & FACT have years of experience in working at improving this neighborhood. They organize clean ups and beautification projects. Friends & FACT made Stacy Park a place many can enjoy. Their meetings are well attended and the group’s membership includes some of the area’s most engaged residents.

Great Indy Neighborhoods Initiative (GINI): the Southeast was selected as a demonstration neighborhood for GINI in 2006. The initiative is designed to support comprehensive community development, through development of neighborhood quality of life (QOL) plans. Residents and stakeholders worked hard to develop a revised QOL plan in 2007 and are now in the process of implementation, with ongoing support from GINI.

Indianapolis Churchman Avenue Neighbors (ICAN) started when a resident began to reach out to her neighbors, resulting in the formation of a successful block club. Members of ICAN united to clean up Churchman Avenue and the areas around their block. The group has grown into a neighborhood association and is making a difference both in their immediate area and throughout the Southeast.

Making Connections is an initiative of the Annie E. Casey foundation that focuses on building strong neighborhoods, strong families and strong children. Making Connections does work with resident leadership and engagement, school readiness for children and encouraging residents to build assets. However, this list of activities does not do justice to all of the work they do in the community. Making Connections is an engaged organization that is a vital part of the Southeast.

Salvation Army is a valuable asset in the Southeast. The Salvation Army provides support for residents in a variety of ways, including their food pantry and youth activities. As one resident put it, “This is an organization that has stepped up to help in a neighborhood that needed it.”

Southeast Community Organization (SECO) is an active neighborhood association in the Southeast with over 165 members. They work hard year round on neighborhood improvement by organizing clean ups, developing summer youth programs including a Little League. Residents look forward to their annual Christmas party and Easter egg hunt.

Southeast Community Services (SECS) provides many types of support for residents and has been in existence since 1972. They are dedicated to increasing self-sufficiency for low-income residents. SECS services include employment counseling and placements, life skills training and emergency assistance to name just a few. The community center is a hub of activity and a gathering place for numerous meetings and events.

Southeast Neighborhood Development (SEND) is a community development corporation. Their mission is to revitalize the Southeast side of Indianapolis and enhance the quality of life for its diverse spectrum of residents. SEND’s work is evident in the commercial revitalization of Fountain Square, in housing rehabilitation and neighborhood beautification projects. SEND’s Fab For Less event draws visitors from all parts of the city and suburbs, while making a significant impact on neighborhood block revitalization.

Spruce Street Squad started as a crime watch group and has grown to function as a block club. Led by a resident who is determined to improve her neighborhood, this group created their own quality of life plan. They are well organized and have several projects in the pipeline.