Lather Up for Labs

JOIN US FOR A WASH-A-THON

Just bring in your dog and for only $10 our volunteer washers will do your pooch proud.  All proceeds from the wash will be donated to the Adopt A Lab organization.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Healthy Hounds; a dog emporium

9809 Fall Creek Road

79th Street & Fall Creek Road (next to Kroger)

PH:  585-WOOF (9663)

www.healthyhoundsindy.com

Geist Resident Helps Nurture At-Risk Children at Non-profit Education Center

Volunteer: A person who enters any service of his free will for the betterment of others.

Hamilton Proper resident Leigh Ann Louderback meets this definition of volunteer. Her passion to give back to our community is something that she and husband, Russ, wish to instill as important values with their children.

“Volunteering can happen at any age and it is true that one volunteer can make a difference,” Louderback stated. “It was six years ago that I was lucky enough to be introduced to the Junior League of Indianapolis by my very good friend Debbie Klinger.” Three years ago, Louderback joined a committee of the Junior League at the St. Mary’s Child Center, with two locations in the city (one downtown and one at the Fort).

The St. Mary’s Child Center is a nationally accredited Early Childhood Program that provides high-quality education and services to families of very low income, specifically disadvantaged 3-to-5-year-old children. These at-risk children suffer life- long learning and emotional problems. Their risk factors include poverty, physical and sexual abuse, neglect, violence, caretakers with disabilities or substance addictions and very under- stimulating environments. These factors rapidly decrease the potential for a successful school life or personal life. Louderback and other volunteers devote their time and talents to enhance the services that the St. Mary’s Child Center provides.

Volunteers are needed on a daily basis to assist children in various activities. These children are starved for attention.

“It was not unusual for me to hold a preschooler during most of my 3-and-a-half-hour shifts,” Louderback explained. “Playing and laughing with loving adults is something they just do not experience at home. Positive interaction with teachers and volunteers is what these kids need, and it is what they get at the Center during either their morning or afternoon session. Something as simple as reading a book or stacking blocks could create the most wonderful sounds of laughter, if even for a little while.”

St. Mary’s has a mission statement that every child deserves a childhood that allows the child to be successful in early years, in school and as an adult. St. Mary’s Child Center has partnerships with many community- based agencies. Indianapolis Public Schools and the Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township provide speech, occupational, physical and resource services for children who qualify. They provide programming for children from IPS and Lawrence Township who have been identified as having disabilities. Additionally, there is a research study with Lawrence Township Schools and Indiana University regarding the placement of minority children in special education.

The program is a work in progress, and since its establishment in 1961, St. Mary’s Child Center has provided the love and care needed to establish these at-risk preschoolers to the best start in life… what all children deserve.

“By volunteering and supporting this wonderful facility, we can ensure that the next 50 years of operation will continue to provide help to these most deserving of children. If you would be interested in learning more about the services of the St. Mary’s Child Center, please log onto their website at www.stmaryschildcenter.org,” suggests Louderback.

We encourage you to nominate a business or individual that incorporates giving back to the community or to charity as a standard part of their business practice. Each month we will select a business to recognize as the “Geist Gives Corporate Citizen of the Month.” The selected business will receive a case of gourmet coffee courtesy of Mission Coffee & Tea Company. To make a nomination for Geist Gives, visit www.atgeist.com.

Newly Formed Geist Watershed Alliance Seeks Community Support

 The month of November saw the formation of a new citizen-based organization in the local community – the Geist Watershed Alliance. Similar to the GUO’s establishment to prevent annexation by Fishers, this new organization has sprung out of residents’ concerns and their ability to take effective action. In this case, citizens are concerned about the health of the reservoir.

At its inaugural meeting on November 14th, a multitude of local homeowners assembled for the purpose of drafting an action plan and taking on various roles to prevent another toxic algal bloom in the lake. What resulted from the meeting was a solid plan which can make a profound impact on the reservoir’s future, but it will require the assistance of many more citizens who are willing to get involved. It will also require some improved lawn care and household maintenance practices by all residents living immediately around the lake. In the coming months, the group will begin educational and outreach programs to help homeowners know what they can do.

According to Dave Sylvester, one of the alliance’s founding members, the organization expects to have its formal non-profit status established by the end of this year. Thereafter, they will be in the position to begin applying for several grants available to assist communities in restoring and protecting their watershed. They also hope to begin other types of fundraising efforts so that they can hire a professional watershed management consultant to develop the necessary technical projects and oversee some of the other more specialized issues. At present, they have been receiving some guidance from at least one consultant and are already working with advisors from the state and IUPUI.

Another founding member of the alliance, Scott Rodgers, explains that they ultimately envision the organization to be exactly what it is called – an ‘alliance’ consisting of links between all local watershed groups within the greater watershed region, including the Upper White River and Fall Creek districts.

“We don’t necessarily have to reinvent the wheel when some of these other groups have already done much of the preliminary work,” stated Rodgers. “We can all work together to help each other accomplish our joint objectives.”

As metaphorically described by Dave Sylvester, “The previously-achieved results in the upper watershed can trickle downstream to our area within the greater watershed.”

Meanwhile, the Geist Watershed Alliance needs help from individuals who would be willing to invest a few hours or more during the coming months to help get the ball rolling. Several different committees have been formed which need your help. Everyone in the community is invited to attend the meetings to see how things are shaping up, and anyone with an interest in helping to improve the lake can participate by joining one of the committees.

The next two meetings scheduled are:
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
7:00 PM at Geist Clubhouse
12549 Old Stone Drive

For More Information, contact:
Gail McDowell 317-507-3555 gmcdowell@c21rg.net
Scott Rogers 317-826-9551 scott@scottr.com
Dave Sylvester 317-418-5576 davemsyl@aol.com