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.

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

Coats for Kids!

This year marks the 22nd year for our annual Coats for Kids givaway and once again this year it was a huge success.  October 11 WTHR Channel 13, Tuchman Cleaners, and The Salvation Army gave away over 7,000 coats to 4,400 children in need of a coat this winter. 

Thank you to everyone who donated a coat or their time to help us with this great event!

Fall Cleaning?

It’s hard to believe that we are almost 2 weeks away from the 22nd Annual Coats for Kids campaign!  As winter approaches The Salvation Army, WTHR Channel 13 and Tuchman Cleaners are again asking generous people from the city of Indianapolis to donate new or gently used coats, hats, gloves and scarves to help us with our campaign.  Donations can be dropped off at any Tuchman Cleaners where they will be cleaned before distribution day on October 11. 

This year interested patrons can also donate money online.  All funds collected will be used to purchase new coats for children in need this winter.

Click here to buy a coat for a kid.

American Sewing Guild Helps Prepare for Cold Weather

During the last two weeks members of The American Sewing Guild (Indianapolis Chapter) have been sewing hats at the Indiana State Fair for The Salvation Army.  The 190 donated hats will be used for our annual Coats for Kids campaign in October. 

This year will mark the 22nd year for the event which is put on each year through a partnership with The Salvation Army, WTHR Channel 13, and Tuchman Cleaners.  Coats for Kids distributes winter coats to Central Indiana children.  This year’s distribution date has been set for October 11 in the Northwest Pavilion of the Indiana State Fairgrounds from 8:00am-4:00pm.  The event is open to the public, but the child MUST be present to receive a coat!

Welcome to Our New Website

Welcome to The Salvation Army Social Service Center.  This is a work in progress so keep checking back to see what’s new.  To find out more about us click on “About” in the menu.