The 19th annual Mayor’s Celebration of Diversity will be held virtually 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Sept. 16. The awards recognize diversity within local organizations. Emcees will be Fanchon Stinger and Dan Spehler of Fox 59. The keynote speaker will be Janet Stovall, executive speechwriter, cultural change agent and TED speaker. Tamika Catchings, owner of Tea’s Me Cafe Indy and former Indiana Fever player and Olympic gold medalist; Sean Huddleston, president of Martin University; Angela Smith Jones, vice president of diversity and inclusion of Health and Hospital Corporation; and Derris Ross, founder of the Ross Foundation, will also speak during the awards.
For more information, visit https://employindy.org/connect/mcod/.
Grants support women and girls
Women’s Fund of Central Indiana, a Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF), distributed grants totaling $95,500 to organizations serving women and girls adversely affected by COVID-19.
Organizations receiving grants are:
Community Alliance of the Far Eastside, $9,000
John P. Craine House, $10,000
Dress for Success, $7,000
Domestic Violence Network, $10,000
Exodus Refugee Immigration, $10,000
Gennesaret Free Clinic, $10,000
Girl Scouts of Central Indiana, $7,000
Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis, $7,500
Indiana Institute for Working Families, $5,000
Indiana Women in Need, $10,000
Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky, $10,000
Conference for Women rescheduled
The Indiana Conference for Women rescheduled the 10 annual conference to Nov. 3, 2021. The largest conference of its kind in the Midwest, attracting more than 2,000 women from Indiana and nearby states, the one-day conference spotlights professional and personal development with workshops, seminars, keynote speakers and networking opportunities.
Organizers are working to reschedule keynote speakers Taraji P. Henson, Cynthia Germanotta and Betsey Johnson.
Indiana Conference for Women will offer webinars and podcasts throughout the year, starting at 2 p.m. Sept. 24. The podcast will feature Dr. Kristina Box, Indiana Department of Health commissioner; Dr. Jennifer Sullivan, Family and Indiana Social Services Administration secretary; and Dr. Virginia Caine, Marion County Public Health Department director.
Hotline open
The Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology homework hotline, AskRose, is open 7-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday during the school year. Rose-Hulman students are available to help students in grades 6-12 with math and science homework by phone, email or chat. Students can call 877-ASK-ROSE (877-275-7673) or visit AskRose.org. The homework hotline is free.
YMCA eLearning Labs
The YMCA of Greater Indianapolis has opened eLearning Labs to help students in grades 6-12 in need of internet service or a school-like setting to complete school work.
The eLearning Labs are available noon to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday at Avondale Meadows YMCA, Baxter YMCA and OrthoIndy Foundation YMCA. Up to two hours may be reserved at a time by registering here.
Students must answer health screening questions and maintain social distancing measures. Fifteen minutes is reserved between each two-hour block for cleaning and sanitizing.
Libraries receive funding to address racial injustice
Indiana libraries, schools, universities and nonprofit organizations received grants to buy books, digital materials and films that address racial injustice in America from the Indiana Humanities’ Advancing Racial Equity Collection Development Grants. One hundred and fifty nonprofit organizations in 60 counties received grants ranging from $290 to $1,000.
The Lilly Endowment provided Indiana Humanities $134,264 to distribute to libraries and add books to the Indiana Novel Conversations statewide lending library. Lilly Endowment also awarded IndyPL $140,000 to purchase titles about racial equality.
Indianapolis-area grant recipients:
Avon Washington Township Public Library, Avon, $1,000
Ben Davis High School, Indianapolis, $500
Brownsburg Public Library, Brownsburg, $1,000
Cardinal Ritter High School, Indianapolis, $500
Center for Inquiry 2, Indianapolis, $1,000
Center for Inquiry 27, Indianapolis, $831
Center for Inquiry 84, Indianapolis, $985
Center for Inquiry 70, Indianapolis, $1,000
College Park Elementary School, Indianapolis, $1,000
Covenant Christian High School, Indianapolis, $1,000
Decatur Central High School, Indianapolis, $991
Decatur Elementary Learning Center Library, Indianapolis, $285
Decatur Middle School, Indianapolis, $882
Eagle Creek Elementary School, Indianapolis, $993
Eastbrook Elementary School, Indianapolis, $995
Eman Schools, Fishers, $940
Franklin Central High School, Indianapolis, $1,000
Good Samaritan Episcopal Church, Indianapolis, $999
Goshen Public Library, Goshen, $1,000
Greenwood Public Library, Greenwood, $1,000
Guerin Catholic High School, Noblesville, $509
Harris Academy, Brownsburg, $998
Hasten Hebrew Academy of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, $881
Heritage Christian School, Indianapolis, $1,000
Holy Name of Jesus Catholic School, Beech Grove, $995
Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library, Zionsville, $1,000
Indiana School for Blind and Visually Impaired, Indianapolis, $1,855
Indiana Women’s Prison – Indiana Department of Correction, Indianapolis, $493
Indianapolis Metropolitan High School, Indianapolis, $1,000
IPS/Butler Lab School 55, Indianapolis, $1,000
IUPUI University Library, Indianapolis, $1,000
Ivy Tech Community College, Indianapolis, $1,000
Johnson County Public Library, Franklin, $1,000
Kennedy King Memorial Initiative, Indianapolis, $998
Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library, Indianapolis, $761
Madison Correctional Facility – Indiana Department of Correction, Indianapolis, $578
Miami Correctional Facility – Indiana Department of Correction, Indianapolis, $1,000
MSD Pike Township—Guion Creek Elementary, Indianapolis, $999
New Augusta Public Academy – South Library, Indianapolis, $1,000
Noblesville West Middle School, Noblesville, $962
North Central High School, Indianapolis, $997
Orchard Park Elementary, Indianapolis, $560
Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library, Plainfield, $711
Rockville Correctional Facility – Indiana Department of Correction, Indianapolis, $478
Rousseau McClellan, Indianapolis, $993
School on Wheels, Indianapolis, $997
Speedway Public Library, Indianapolis, $456
Stephen Decatur Elementary, Indianapolis, $285
Valley Mills Elementary, Indianapolis, $285
Walton Public Library, Walton, $108
Warren Central High School, Indianapolis, $956
Westfield Washington Public Library, Westfield, $1,000
Westlake Elementary School, Indianapolis, $999
Zionsville Middle School, Zionsville, $998
To view the complete list of recipients as well as the list of materials purchased, visit https://indianahumanities.org/racialequity.
Pre-K spaces available
The On My Way Pre-K program has spaces available for 4 year olds from low-income families. The program provides free access to high-quality pre-K education that provides preparation for kindergarten.
Education providers follow Centers for Disease Control recommendations during COVID-19.
Families must have an income 127% of the federal poverty level, parents or guardians must be working, going to school or attending job training and the child must be 4 by Aug. 1. Parents or guardians receiving Social Security Disability or Supplemental Security Income benefits may be eligible. Click here for more details about eligibility.
Those interested can apply online at OnMyWayPreK.org, or call 1-800-299-1627 for assistance.
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