Our 2024-2025 IEPZ VISTA team members are nearing the end of their terms. They are the 9th and final cohort of AmeriCorps VISTA members to serve in the Promise Zone initiative as it reaches the end of its federal designation period (2015-2025). The IndyEast Economic Mobility District (IEMD) initiative will continue the Promise Zone’s legacy,
Liz Sheldon Named to ACLU of Indiana Board of Directors We are very proud to announce that the ACLU of Indiana has named Promise Zone Team member Liz Sheldon to its Board of Directors! Liz began serving her three-year term on January 18th. She also serves as the Community & Neighborhood Development Coordinator here at
We are excited to announce that five new AmeriCorps VISTA members joined the IndyEast Promise Zone this month. Please join us in giving them a warm Eastside welcome! IndyEast Promise Zone VISTA members will work with staff and committees for the next 12 months to achieve goals related to Community Engagement, Housing, Education, Public Safety, and Economic Development,
Rachel serves as the Communications Coordinator VISTA for the IndyEast Promise Zone. After working as a high school Spanish teacher, Rachel applied for this AmeriCorps VISTA position to continue working with her community but in a new and exciting capacity. She was drawn to the position because it allowed her to learn communication and marketing
As we prepare for our week-long celebration of Small Business Week, we wanted to take the opportunity to shine a spotlight on the eight businesses from the LISC Microenterprise Navigator Program located at Martindale Brightwood CDC and SEND that will be participating in our 4th and final small business week event: Pitch Night. These participating
Liz Sheldon is the Promise Zone’s Community and Neighborhood Development Coordinator VISTA. As an Indianapolis native, Liz is no stranger to the Eastside, and accepting the opportunity to spend her service year in the IEPZ was a no-brainer. “I decided to become a VISTA because I knew I wanted to work in public service, and
Abigael is the Economic Development Coordinator VISTA for the IndyEast Promise Zone. Her journey with AmeriCorps is driven by her passion for community organizing and a desire to work with government and non-profits. Having studied Political Science at Purdue University, her academic background and the influence of friends and professors who had positive experiences with
The community came together this past Saturday to set forth goals and expectations for the future of Brookside Elementary School (School 54). The school intends to follow the lead of another Near Eastside elementary school, Thomas Gregg Neighborhood School, and implement a community school model in the coming years. The Community School Model, which effectively
This week, Poetic Justice will begin recruitment as part of the Byrne’s Criminal Justice Innovation grant awarded to John Boner Neighborhood Centers, along with co-applicant Shepherd Community Center, in 2018. The Byrne’s Criminal Justice Innovation grant, as awarded by the US Department of Justice, supports, “the Department’s priority to reduce serious and violent crime, including
On Monday, September 18, Near East Area Renewal (NEAR) held a press conference emceed by NEAR Executive Director John Franklin Hay that brought Mayor Joe Hogsett, State Rep. Dan Forestal, James Taylor (CEO of the John Boner Neighborhood Center), John Hall from Housing and Urban Development, and Lacy DuBois, Agency Vice President at State Farm,