I first learned about Dotted Line Divas via my involvement with the Yelp Community and through Yelp…read moreCM Niki's support of the organization. Both personally and professionally, I filed it away in my "good to know" file and was pleased to learn about a dependable community resource meeting a unique, often unfulfilled need. As someone who has been homeless on two occasions in my life, a by-product mostly of having a significant disability that can create chaos at any moment, I've been in the position before of basically doing anything I can to survive. While it has been years since I've faced such challenges, having done so gives me a deep appreciation for those who address those needs and for those who find themselves in such a situation as it can truly happen to anyone. Dotted Line Divas is a faith-based non-profit organization (501c3) that utilizes extreme couponing methods to purchase personal care and hygiene items at a significant discount then turns around and gives these items to families in need. We're in the middle of a pandemic. There are a lot of families in need. Dotted Line Divas operates out of Mercy Road Church Northwest at 96th & Michigan Road. While the pandemic has impacted their once monthly pantry day on the third Saturday of each month, the pantry days go on but are treated as a "drive-thru" with people remaining in their vehicles when they arrive. The organization, which also teaches extreme couponing, opened its personal care pantry in 2016 and has grown in terms of families served and community awareness of the organization. They utilize at least 20 volunteers for each pantry day and are always seeking bilingual volunteers (especially Spanish and Burmese). Yes, Indy has a high Burmese refugee population. While I have donated to Dotted Line Divas, my review is actually based upon my experience helping a family access a pantry day and being able to successfully do so in a way that met the family's needs and did so with much love, respect, and dignity. While processes are in place for a reason and are incredibly necessary, I was impressed, and more importantly the family was grateful, with the kindness and compassion they received at a time when they'd found themselves in a serious financial challenge due to the pandemic and unable to meet their needs. By offering both goods and education about couponing, a nice combo undoubtedly designed by the founder who'd been through the experience herself, this organization offers more of a hand-up than simply a hand-out. This family needed some temporary support and, yes, it worked out ideally because with these hygiene items they were able to continue self-care, continue job interviews, and re-enter the workforce. I'm grateful that the founder has taken her own life experiences and is paying the good forward and I'm also grateful for the volunteers who support the organization and who gather to serve with their own individual gifts. I'm grateful that Indy is blessed by the presence of such an organization - as a community, I believe we're all responsible for one another and I'm absolutely certain Indy's a better community with Dotted Line Divas in it.

Dotted Line Divas was started by an incredible woman who, while going through a hard time a few…read moreyears ago, spent every Saturday driving to local pantries to collect items for her family. She quickly realized that most food pantries had almost no personal hygiene or home items necessary to sustain a family. She redirected her attention to couponing and became incredibly good at it. She now uses her extreme couponing skills to serve 100+ families each month. She opened a personal care pantry that offers the following: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, razors, toothbrushes, toothpaste, feminine care items, diapers, wipes, toilet paper, home cleaning supplies, detergent, deodorant, books and more. This pantry is located in the new Mercy Road church off of 96th and Michigan Road and is open for "pantry day" every third Saturday of the month from 10am-12pm. Families can register beforehand or show up and fill out paperwork. Volunteers will then call a family up, take them through the pantry and ask if there's anything our team can be praying for. If there are extra items in the pantry from 12pm-1pm, people who need it can pay $1 or $2 to snag additional items. There needs to be ideally 20 volunteers to make this nonprofit possible every third Saturday. Bonus points if you can speak Spanish or Burmese. Please sign up on their website sign up link before showing up to volunteer so they know you're coming. If you have a few extra hours, it'll mean the world to the families and you'll meet incredibly kind people that you'll feel honored to help! Everyone is so kind and sweet. I even learned a ton of Spanish thanks to the patient people who taught me while we shopped!

Much of the food I received was expired or no longer edible. As the food accumulated and continued…read moredeteriorating, I spent hours sorting through it, trying to determine what was safe to eat. I continued accepting the deliveries because I was confused and was trying to do the right thing. I should have spoken up sooner, but that does not change the condition of the food I received. This got to the point last Thursday where I was picking up a pineapple that was left at my home- the result tore up my back and now I am in incredible pain! And any kind of movement hurts. I'm telling you this not only for my own benefit, but because other elderly or vulnerable people may not be able to inspect everything carefully and could become ill.

The Northside Food Pantry is a food pantry that serves Washington Township residents in…read moreIndianapolis. Based out of Second Presbyterian Church, Northside Food Pantry offers food support to Washington Township residents up to twice monthly and is open three days per week. In order to utilize Northside Food Pantry, you need to take in a bill or some other mail received within the last 30 days indicating your address within Washington Township (zip codes 46220, 46228, 46240, 46250, 46260 or North of 38th Street in 46205 or 46208). Northside Food Pantry utilizes quite a few volunteers for positions such as client intake, client liaison, data entry, car loader, food delivery processing, and off-loading for Nora donations. Northside Food Pantry receives its items from a variety of sources including public donations, area residents, area businesses, Gleaners Food Bank, and others. I had the opportunity to visit the food pantry recently and was impressed with their organization and the variety of healthy foods available including fruits and vegetables actually grown by the children and youth of Second Presbyterian Church. They also offer a variety of personal care supplies including the always needed diapers. I was also impressed that they offered similar personal care items for adults in need. The process has changed due to the pandemic and individuals are actually served in their vehicles. It's an effective, efficient process that seems to work well. Church leaders are actively involved in the church pantry and it's not uncommon to see Senior Pastor Chris Henry driving the Northside Food Pantry truck. I also saw that they even had some books available for the kids! Northside Food Pantry serves approximately 17,000 people annually and over 400 families monthly.

Volunteering with HPNC at the Indiana Diaper Bank was such a rewarding experience! It was great…read moreworking together to support an organization that provides essential diapering supplies to families throughout our community. I always appreciate opportunities to give back, connect with others and make a meaningful impact right here in Indiana.

Indiana Diaper Bank is a nonprofit that collects diapers and distributes them to the community…read more Did you know: 1 in 2 families in Indiana struggle to afford diapers! Diapers cost $100 a month per child! No government programs help cover the cost of diapers! 57% of parents missed work because they didn't have diapers to send to daycare! These facts are straight from Indiana Diaper Banks website. I have been volunteering with them for about four months now. When I am there I open large packs of diapers and bundle them into packs of 25. We put a slip of paper in each pack telling the size. On their website you can sign up to give money, give diapers or give your time. They need all three. A lot of companies organized to come in as a group and volunteer for a few hours. I really enjoy volunteering with them. And know I am helping families that need a little help.

On this beautiful #ThankYouThursday, I want to share some gratitude for Random Acts of Flowers!…read moreThis nonprofit accepts fresh flower and used vase donations, then creates pretty bouquets that they deliver to people in healthcare facilities. They're making peoples' days all around the city and I think it's such a rad mission. If you have a wedding or big event, you should definitely donate your florals to RAOF instead of tossing them afterwards so they can continue to spread joy. If you don't have flowers or vases to donate, you can volunteer to make the bouquets or create an event for your office or friend group to craft bouquets while you chat. Super fun and simple!

Random Acts of Flowers(RAF) is an amazing non-profit started by a guy named Larson who saw a need…read moreand immediately took action. This random act of kindness turned into Random Acts of Flowers... This organization has since grown to have locations not only in Indianapolis but also in the Knoxville and Tampa Bay areas. Over the years they've aided in the improved well-being of over 481,000 bouquet recipients nationwide!! This.is.AmAzInG!! Yesterday, through work, I had the opportunity to help create bouquets to be delivered at Eskenazi Health. Our goal was 125 bouquets, we surpass our goal and I couldn't be more thrilled! Feeling extremely blessed to have been apart of something that makes such a positive impact! Being a nonprofit they rely heavily on donations. Please up cycle your extra vases and unneeded floral arrangements. Together we can make a huge impact on someone recovering!

Dear Girls Inc, You…read moregive me warm fuzzies and we're still just in the beginning stages of our relationship. All throughout college I thought to myself, "One day. One day, Brittany, you'll step up to the plate to be a Girls Inc volunteer like all those other cool professional ladies out there. One day." 'Tis the day where I get to hang out with teenage girls and talk about things like money management, being independent and doing your own damn thang. Fortunately, for my roller coaster of a schedule, you are not only extremely organized but manageable for those of us who fear taking on more than we can chew. You even have your own custom shoulder bags. How much more official does it get than that? Consider this a thank you note. A "thank you" for the opportunity and a "thank you" for all you're doing in the city. Yours truly, Britt

From the owner: Girls Inc.® of Greater Indianapolis inspires all girls to be strong, smart, and bold. We provide…read morehands-on programs that address the challenges that girls face today, such as self-esteem and bullying. We want girls to be healthy, educated, and independent. Girls Inc. partners with schools and community organizations and utilizes volunteers to deliver programs for girls.

About once a year, my office is gifted by our leadership with a visit from the Indiana Canine…read moreAssistant Network. Today, was that day. The Indiana Canine Assistant Network (ICAN) is a nonprofit organization that offers accredited service dog training and Indiana placement. This provides safety, friendship, and independence for children, veterans, and adults with disabilities and veterans with service-related trauma specific to PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and military sexual trauma. As an adult with a disability myself, I'm a paraplegic/double amputee and wheelchair user, I've long contemplated the idea of a service dog but have never felt like my needs rise to the level justifying it. ICAN utilizes three correctional facilities in Indiana and works with the inmates to train dogs. This includes Indiana Women's Prison, Pendleton, and one other one that completely escapes me right now. It costs $25,000 to fully train a service dog, however, ICAN charges the recipient only $2,500. For veterans, it's slightly different - There is no placement fee for veterans placed with a service dog that is assisting with symptoms of PTSD, traumatic brain injury, or military sexual assault. If the veteran needs a service dog for mobility as opposed to PTSD, MST, or TBI, the costs and programs may differ. There are multiple ways to volunteer for ICAN and multiple ways to support the organization. This information is available on their website. According to their most recent available numbers, they currently have 110 service dogs active, 58 dogs in training, 61 applicants awaiting a service dog, and an estimated 230 dogs have been placed since 2002. I also learned that they follow the dogs while they're active. In fact, it's possible to lose a service dog for reasons like not utilizing them for their intended purpose and/or not caring for them appropriately. It is very rare, but it has happened. They also have some dogs that will qualify for different settings - for example, a dog may not be appropriate for a home setting but could be a facility dog. Amazing work for an amazing Indiana non-profit.

ICAN is a phenomenal organization with a dedicated staff whose passion shines through in every…read moreinteraction--with volunteers, clients, and, most importantly, the dogs. As Indiana's only accredited service dog training program, ICAN upholds incredibly high standards, exceeding even national benchmarks. As a volunteer, donor, and corporate sponsor, I've felt truly appreciated at every level. But ICAN shouldn't be a hidden gem in our community--it deserves the spotlight! If you're looking to make a difference, consider getting involved as a volunteer, donor (every contribution helps!), or corporate partner. Your support changes lives--both human and canine.

Nexus Impact Center was the site of a non-profit fundraiser one of their tenants, Tellis Executive…read moreSearch, hosted. The Event Room has its own restrooms. There's an elevator or stairs leading to the large 2nd-floor space with windows facing I-465. Walking up the stairs or as the elevator opens there's a spacious kitchen area for co-working clients or business owners. There were nearly 50 people attending the event learning to design charcuterie boards. It was spacious enough for the group using a fraction of the total space including a wine bar.

From the owner: The Nexus Impact Center helps businesses and organizations overcome obstacles to create impact. We…read moreprovide economical SPACE that meets the needs of boot-strapped start-ups as well as established impact organizations. We are a COMMUNITY of like-minded, impact-driven pioneers who use their work for good. We ADVOCATE for social enterprises and the importance of impact being a part of the bottom line. We SUPPORT organizations and businesses that seek impact by providing programs, referrals, and tools that help you dream, build, grow, and scale your impact-focused endeavor.

Great people! They work hard for the kids. A lot of activities for the kids to do. Equipment is…read morecleaned to keep everyone healthy. Planned activities for overnight camping is an awesome thing to provide. Great job. Keep up the good work!!

My family attended open climb night in February and had a blast! Camptown staff were super friendly…read moreand encouraging. The facility is clean and not overwhelmingly large. Lots of positive encouragement from staff while kids work hard to climb! My middle school-aged daughters and their friends have asked to go back. This would be a perfect place for a birthday party, youth group event or spring break outing!

I suppose the KAO Headquarters might only be special to people like me, a KAO alumnae (from Indiana…read moreUniversity). I had reason to go to headquarters to view a special exhibition on display titled "Bettie & Her Family: Four Generations of her Family." I was made aware of the exhibition I think my being a dues paying member and thus receiving. regular KAO Foundation e-mails. Significant to only Thetas, it was really well done and presented amongst cabinets, cubbies, tables throughout the first floor conference room spaces. Noraleen Young, the archivist, did a great job. She also kindly showed us the exhibition herself and is a wealth of very cool information. We called in advance, so they would be aware we were coming. I would suggest doing so, for although the building is lovely, it is a working business. As such, KAO staff are busy and the unexpected visitor might not ensure the best experience. By calling in advance, we were afforded a visit of the building and its archive area. Although no pictures were allowed downstairs in the archive, photos can be taken throughout the building. We had to privledge of even pulling out our original pledge cards from the old school card catalog.

Used to be a wonderful place for sisterhood until legacies were cut in order to cow-tow to social…read morejustice warriors with an agenda to destroy the nuclear family. By eliminating legacies, they denied EVERY Theta sister the joy of a legacy connection with their daughters or granddaughters. Extremely dissapoin