Hoagies and Hops, a Philadelphia-style eatery in the heart of the Butler Tarkington neighborhood near the intersection of 40th Street and Boulevard Place, is taking a charitable step forward thanks to a holiday-driven fundraiser for one of Indianapolis’ busiest community centers.
"The IAAQLI [grant] will provide place-based funding for organizations and community partnerships that provide solutions to address critical issues facing Indianapolis’ African American community."
The Best Buy Teen Tech Center, a program designed to help high schoolers gain access to and excel in emerging technologies. The teens are being recognized for creating a water filtration system to help clean “industrial chemicals and slaughterhouse waste” from Belmont Beach in Indianapolis.
Years ago, Allison Luthe and others at the Martin Luther King Community Center heard from several families about the need for a place their kids to go after school. Hearing those requests, the group set out to create just that for the neighborhood youth, who largely hail from the Butler-Tarkington area. They planned for kids to read Dr. King's speeches, write poetry and more. But when the program began, Luthe said they quickly learned many of the kids, who were in fifth grade, couldn’t read. “We were like...What’s happening?” Luthe remembers thinking. After some digging, they found out turmoil at the neighborhood school – five principals in five years – greatly affected students’ reading levels.
Martin Luther King Community Center (MLK Center) serving the families and neighborhoods of Butler Tarkington, Crown Hill, Mapleton Fall Creek and Meridian Kessler neighborhoods in Indianapolis has received a $5 million Lilly Endowment grant to strengthen and sustain its future.
Friday, September 17, and Saturday, September 18, Crew Carwash will provide a free Ultimate Wash, a $20 value, to any customer who visits the new Crew Carwash in Indianapolis, located at 111 W 38th St. Customers are encouraged to contribute cash or credit card donations, and Crew will donate 100 percent of the proceeds to MLK Center Indy.
The MLK Center posted a photo of the Tarkington Teen Work Crew alum on their Instagram page with the caption, “We are heartbroken again. Keondre was killed tonight on Salem Street… He has two young children and one on the way. Today was his birthday. Please stay tuned for ways to support his sisters and children."
"Since 2015 we've spent more than $150,000 on maintenance. So that's money that could be paying for programming, be spent on children and after school programming, and working on our partnership with Tarkington Park, Executive Director Allison Luthe said.
When the community asked the city to include a football field in the park redevelopment plans, the city said, “No.” BUT 8 years later, the city is building a football field in the park, thanks to MLK Center!
Using the six principles of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s nonviolence philosophy, the goal is to address how racism, poverty and militarism is impacting local communities. Through the training, organizers hope people better understand the root causes of violence, as well as gain more knowledge and perspective on how to build and add to a loving community.
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