IN GOD’S ARMS Childcare Ministry Reaches out to Fountain Square with 2nd Annual FREE Santa Breakfast

INDIANAPOLIS—IN GOD’S ARMS Childcare Ministry, located at 1224 Laurel Street in the Fountain Square area of Indianapolis, hosted its 2nd annual FREE Breakfast with SANTA on Saturday, December 19th. The event drew more than five hundred children and their family members for a morning of fun and excitement.

The aggressive focus that Emmaus Lutheran Church has placed on children and caring for them at all ages, led to the planning of the 2nd Breakfast with Santa Claus. The event is offered entirely FREE for children, and they were not disappointed. Besides a FREE breakfast, there were FREE pictures with SANTA, cookie decorating, crafts and games. The South Marion County Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans helped to sponsor the annual event.

IN GOD’S ARMS Childcare Ministry was founded by historic Emmaus Lutheran Church which has been in existence for more than 105 years. Emmaus is known also known for offering a quality Christian education for elementary school students. The opening of the Christian based childcare ministry in 2008 was a natural progression for the church in its continued outreach to the community.

IN GOD’S ARMS Childcare Ministry celebrated its 1st anniversary in August of this year by expanding its facility. This expansion includes a new infant room and new space for 3, 4, and 5 year olds, which now includes Pre-K for 3 and 4 year olds as part of its offering.

The childcare ministry is available to children ages 6 weeks to 12 years of age and offers such amenities as a strong academic curriculum, before and after school programs, full day care, summer camps and field trips. Hours of operation are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. The ministry is registered with the Indiana State Division of Family Resources and the Indiana State Fire Marshall and accepts CCDF vouchers.

For more information call 317-632-1486 option #3, and ask for Kathy Moore, IN GOD’S ARMS Childcare Director.

Neighborhood Gathering

The Southeast Neighborhood Gathering was held on November 5 beginning at 5:30 pm at the Southeast Community Services Center. About 150 residents joined together for a pasta dinner provided by Aramark. Jennifer VonDeylen gave the opening presentation, “A Lot to Be Thankful For!” Then Jim Mulholland led three groups in a fun Jeopardy Game about Southeast Neighborhood facts and events. The winning group went for dessert first! Terri Garcia of SECS and Mark Stewart of SEND welcomed all to the event. Participants were then invited to give their input about neighborhood involvement and improvement at two successive breakout sessions. The topics were:

• Housing
• Community & People
• Beautification
• Commercial Viability & Workforce
• Infrastructure

The information gathered will be distributed to neighborhood organizations and partners early in 2010 and also published in the Southeast Square Newspaper.

This event would not be possible without he countless number of volunteer hours from residents and contributions from the following organizations: Aramark, Bates Hendricks Neighborhood Association, Citizens Gas, Friends & FACT Neighborhood Association, Great Indy Neighborhoods Initiative/Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Indianapolis Making Connections, and the Southeast Learning Partnership. Thank you all.

Get involved in your neighborhood! Look for the list of Neighborhood Association meetings in this publication (pg 9.) Start a Block Group or Crime Watch. Call the SEND offices for a list of committees and meeting times. Come assist the SELP in gathering data and documenting the neighborhood on the second Monday of each month at 5pm in the SECS 2nd floor meeting room. Your involvement is wanted and encouraged to make Southeast Indy the best place to live!