IUPUI Partners With Touring Comedians And Salvation Army To Help Central Indiana’s Homeless Children

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – IUPUI students and the Indianapolis community will be laughing for a good cause next week. The Department of Communication Studies along with the Department’s Communication Club in the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI have partnered with the Salvation Army to present Comics That Care, a charity event to benefit Central Indiana’s Homeless Children. The show will be held on Monday, March 8^th at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center at IUPUI. Some of the area’s funniest professional stand-up comedians are donating their time, including the headliner, a Bob and Tom Show favorite, Auggie Smith. Smith is original and very hysterical. He’s been doing comedy for over 15 years visiting clubs and colleges all over the nation. Other comedians performing are some if Indy’s funniest folks including: Troy Davis, Mel Fine, Marques Bunn, and Mike Polites.

In addition to performing stand-up comedy, Polites is also a Lecturer in Communication Studies at IUPUI. Polites says that “as faculty members at IUPUI, we pride ourselves on getting our students to realize the importance of helping out the community. With all of the comedians graciously donating their time, proceeds from the comedy show will assist in bringing much-needed resources to the growing homeless population in Indianapolis. I’m so proud of the efforts that my students have put forth in coordinating this very special and very funny event. In these tough times, everyone can use a laugh, so we hope to pack the house!” Tickets can be purchased by visiting the JagTag office in the IUPUI Campus Center, or at the door. The event organizers invite the entire Indianapolis community to join them for a night of fun and laughs!

For more information about this event, please contact Mike Polites, Comedian and Project Manager, at 317-417-3246 or mpolites@iupui.edu.

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Harriett* has been struggling with depression for most of her life. When she came to The Salvation Army four years ago, she had left a domestic violence situation with her husband and had overcome a drug addiction. However even though she was past the violence and the drugs, she still struggled with her mental health. During her first stay at The Salvation Army, Harriett rarely left her room and did not take any actions to improve her own life.

Harriett recently came back to the shelter for a second time, and she made great progress! She started to take control of her depression, and has been working on her independence and self confidence. She no longer stayed in her room, but made efforts to look for a part time job while applying for SSD and participating in the Shelter Plus Care program. Harriett also sees a counselor twice a month, which she would have never done before.

We am so proud of Harriett and the progress she has made. Even though she was nervous about moving out on her own, she knew that was the step in the right direction and that The Salvation Army was there still to support her. She has been clean for over 20 years and now has much better coping skills. She is part of our Continuing Support Program and continues to meet with her case manager once a week.

*Names have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the client.

Call to Care

Today we had some special visitors at the shelter:  Mrs. Steffen’s 4th Grade Class from White Lick Elementary School.  These children chose the Salvation Army Women and Children’s Shelter as the focus for their service learning project this semester.  The kids wanted to know how they could help after learning that there are kids just like them that are homeless.

The kids collected 261 cell phones which will be shipped to Shelter Alliance, a program that gives domestic violence shelters money in exchange for used cell phones.

The class also prepared 100 fleece blankets and 100 welcome packages for the kids living in the shelter.  Each welcome package included a personal card prepared by Mrs. Steffen’s students.

It was such a priviledge today to witness a group of kids with a servant’s heart hoping to make a difference in other’s lives!  Thank you to everyone who participated in this years “Call to Care.”

“If you can imagine it, you can acheive it; if you can dream it, you can become it.”
-William Arthur Ward

April Statistics

I am often asked to give statistics regarding the number of people we are serving, the average length that clients stay at the Social Service Center, etc.  Here are some statistics from the month of April:

We had 58 new adults and 22 new children come into the shelter in April.

51 adults and 26 children continued to receiving services from the previous month (March).

The average length of stay for April:  67 nights.  Some clients stay for one night and some for many months, depending on their individual situation.

Of the number of clients served in April, 107 of the women and children received shelter due to domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, isolation and forced prostitution.

The shelter served 6,586 meals in April.

Want to help us help others?  Click on “Donate” to see how.

-Julia

One Step Away From Success

Pam* came to the Salvation Army Social Service Center after living in a few other shelters and on the street. She struggled to find work and a place to live due to her poor credit. After a few months, Pam finally found a great job at the airport and a place to stay. Her new place will be great for her and her teenage daughter, who’s been through a few surgeries in the past month. Pam has stayed strong throughout the surgeries and continues to work full time.

*Names have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the client.

Project Linus Donates Homemade Blankets to the SSC

Project Linus is a 100% volunteer nonprofit which makes homemade blankets to donate to local hospitals, homeless shelters, foster homes, and camps for medically challenged children in the Indianapolis area.  This week the Salvation Army Social Service Center was lucky enough to receive some of these homemade blankets for our clients!

The mission of Project Linus is two fold.  First, it is to provide love, a sense of security, warmth, and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets, lovingly created by volunteer “Blanketeers.”  Second, is to provide a rewarding and fun service opportunity for interested individuals and groups in local communities, for the benefit of children. 

Thank you to everyone at Project Linus who worked on blankets for our clients here at the Social Service Center!

Starting Over

Cathy* moved to Indiana from out of state to stay with family members.  After some time passed her family members told her she could no longer stay with them and put her out.  She was not familiar with the area and did not want to return to where she came from.  That’s when she turned to The Salvation Army for help. 

Unfortunately Cathy had a felony on her criminal history background and as a result was having a hard time finding employment.  She signed up with PACE/OAR and began working with a case manager.  After several weeks of classes and regular attendance in groups she landed an interview with a company and was hired on for full time hours.

Cathy worked for several weeks and saved up some money.  She was finally able to find safe housing within her means.  She continues to meet regularly with her case manager and she received a promotion at the beginning of the month.

*Names have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the client.

Why We Are Here

N was two months pregnant when she came into shelter with her three children.  She had experienced health problems which had caused her to lose her job and home.  She had no family support but she wanted to stay in the Indianapolis area.  After meeting with her case manager and setting up child care for her children, N began attending job training courses with Career Corner and Horizon House.  After two months N found employment and housing.  Her health had also begun to improve.

N moved into an apartment and had a healthy baby girl.  She is now a manager at a bagel shop and has health benefits for herself and her children.  She continues to either meet or talk over the phone with her case manager weekly to update us on herself and her children.  The children are enrolled in school and the youngest in day care.  One of her children is currently receiving speech therapy at Riley and may qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance.

Have Used Cell Phones Lying Around??

Instead of throwing away your used cell phones donate them to us!  The Salvation Army Social Service Center sends donated phones to Shelter Alliance, a program which recycles used cell phones and then donates the money to us!

We can earn as much as $30 per phone.  Don’t worry if your phone is outdated or damaged, we still benefit from every phone that we recycle.

You can drop phones off here at 540 N. Alabama.  Questions?  Contact Julia Sipes at (317) 224-1067 or julia_sipes@usc.salvationarmy.org.