Comedians Troy Davis, Mike Polites, Mel Fine, Marques Bunn and Stan Chen perform at Comics That Care 2009.

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 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.

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

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

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.

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!