It’s obvious Edith Glover has a heart for others.
A retired nurse with a son who is autistic and owner of home services business for families with disabled loved ones, Glover has been a caregiver — both professionally and personally — her entire life. So it made perfect sense for Glover to buy a house, name it Harrison Brook Center and provide a safe venue for entertainment and socialization for those with developmental disabilities and senior citizens — two often overlooked populations, Glover said.
“When I first opened Harrison Brook Center, I did arts and crafts jazz and blues for the special needs population,” Glover said. “From there, I went on to do it for seniors and friends and families.”
Glover bought the house at 4002 Cornelius Ave. in the Butler-Tarkington neighborhood in 2005. She chose that neighborhood for Harrison Brook, a combination of Glover’s and her mother’s maiden names, because it of its prosperous past and historic significance to the Black community.
“I chose the area that I did because at one time it was where our affluent — our doctors and lawyers — lived,” Glover said.
Music is one of Glover’s passions as it helped her develop a special connection with her son, Lyle.
“I feel that I owe a lot to the music,” Glover said. “My son, who is nonverbal, he’s 44 now, I found that in talking to him he ignored me. If I sang the same thing to him, he paid attention. That’s why I feel I owe the music. The music was a bridge to reach my son. He’s a very avid lover of blues so I try to see to it that I get a little blues in there from time to time for him.”
On the second Monday of the month, Harrison Brook Center features a jazz and mocktail night for people with special needs. Kafé Kuumba holds an open mic night at 7 p.m. every Thursday.
Glover’s passion for caring for others hasn’t waned in all these years, friend Camille Thomas said. Instead, it grows as Glover tries to find more ways to support people with disabilities and seniors.
“What she does makes a difference in lives,” Thomas said.
For information on Harrison Brook Center, call 317-902-6709.
Contact Editor Oseye Boyd at 317-762-7850. Follow her on Twitter @oseye_boyd
