Harvest Girls International awarded its Presidential Award to retired educator, athlete and Indy native Evelyn Sue Cosper for decades of transformative community service.
The nonprofit, founded in 2007 by Cris Meadows, recognized Cosper at its 2025 “If The Shoe Fits” White Party Gala at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Harvest Girls International empowers women and young girls through personal development programs, mental health education and scholarships. Its awards honor individuals who “step up to the front line” to drive change and inclusion.
Cosper, a 45-year Indianapolis Public Schools elementary teacher and retired U.S. synchronized swimming instructor, dedicated her retirement to multifaceted service. She ministers to senior communities through line dancing troupes (The Sassy Seniors, Young at Heart and Praise Up Line Dancers) and The Circle City Cloggers. Her work extends through Light of the World Christian Church, Girl Scouts and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Cosper and her sister Connie Dumas-Coleman are featured in the International Swimming Hall of Fame for breaking barriers for women of color in aquatics.
In 2024, U.. Masters Swimming recognized Cosper for swimming 700 miles. She mentors young swimmers with Indy Aquatics Masters, stating: “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord … my labor is not in vain.”
Harvest Girls International lauded Cosper as an “unsung hero” who embodies its mission of transforming communities through selfless action.
Contact Multi-Media & Senior Sports Reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846 or via email at noralp@indyrecorder.com. Follow him on Facebook at @HorsemenSportsMedia. For more sports, click here.
Noral Parham is the multi-media & senior sports reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest Black publications in the country. Parham has worked with various leagues to provide a diverse perspective in sports, including the Big Ten, Big East, IHSAA, IndyCar, MLB, NHRA, NFL, NBA, WNBA, WWE and the Olympics. Prior to joining the Recorder, Parham served as the community advocate of the MLK Center in Indianapolis and senior copywriter for an e-commerce and marketing firm in Denver.
