FIRST SHELBYVILLE JOBS FOR LIFE GRADUATION:
Women Who Needed Hope & Direction Know "How I'm going to get there..."
Wearing classic caps and gowns, six women were graduated from a 16-week Jobs for Life course that has prepared them compete in the job market, and succeed at work that can fulfill and sustain them and their families. |
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All are recent reentrants from incarceration, and most of them are living in a court-mandated halfway house.
Some wore ankle monitors, while others bore the mostly invisible scars of past mistakes and mandated time away from their families.
According to statistics, within three years, many of them would be re-incarcerated. But in this case, UNITE INDY was there with instructors and class materials necessary to teach them how to support themselves as they change the trajectory of their lives.
It was an honor to be a part of this joy-filled milestone!
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POWER TEAM AT OPHS:
Indy Gun Violence Reduction Plan's Top Operators Meet with Jim
Two top Violence Reduction leaders and the Chief Communications Officer of the Office of Public Health and Safety (OPHS), met with UNITE INDY's Jim Cotterill, who learned more about our efforts to stem violence here.
Known as peace keepers, their team works in the community visiting the families of murder victims and knocking on the doors of known potential shooters to let them know that there are options for a better, more productive life. These folks bridge the gap between the community and the police, and are able to be a conduit to help police officers solve crimes and improve the safety of neighborhoods. Word is: The plan is working. Pictured left to right are Brittany Crone, Chief Communications Officer OPHS, Jim Cotterill, UNITE INDY Chief Unity Officer; Shardae Hoskins, Chief Violence Reduction Officer OPHS, and Cameron Shepherd, Program Manager for Violence Reduction OPHS.
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POLICE SUPPORT:
Community Joins to Pray for East Side Police District
Being a police officer in an increasingly violent culture, magnifies the daily danger for officers on the job. To show support, dozens of men and women met within the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police District at 30th and Post Road to pray for and to encourage the officers who work in this very dangerous area of our city.
Want to know what they’re dealing with? Just Google East side Indianapolis shootings. The list of gun violence reports goes on for pages. We hear about it on the news, but these police officers live with it every day, they are trying to stop it, and they are often targets of it. This month, at least they know there are people who not only respect the work they do, but hold dear those who stand on that thin blue line.
Jim Cotterill of UNITE INDY joined a group that included Anthony Beverly of Stop the Violence Indianapolis, Pastor Chad Temple of iNDY Network, Gerson Cardona, of Hoosier Family, Brian Shobe of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, Abigail Mercer of Renewing Communities, and Greg Enas of Citizen 7.
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UNITE INDY's Nancy Cotterill Speaks at Hesburgh Lecture (Hear the message by clicking below!)
UNITE INDY co-founder, Nancy Cotterill shared the stage with Dr. Connie Mick of Notre Dame at the recent Hesburgh Lecture here. Cotterill talked about what we've learned through our work over the past five years, utilizing a mix of statistics and personal stories to lay a foundation for understanding about some of the societal problems that have fueled poverty, crime, incarceration, and recidivism for decades.
It was a great night, and if you missed it, click on the link below to hear Nancy's message, which followed Dr. Mick, a professor who teaches on the subject of poverty at Notre Dame.
Hear Nancy's message here (Approx. 13 minutes.) Or you can hear both messages here. (Approximately 70 minutes.)
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CRITICAL NEW UNITE INDY PARTNER!
NorthPark Community Credit Union Takes on Payday and other Predatory Lenders
UNITE INDY is part of a powerful movement to end predatory lending which feeds on the most vulnerable in our society. Carma Parrish, NorthPark President and CEO, and top staff members, Marco Dominguez and Christina Garza, are now at the forefront of serving the "underbanked" community with loan products that are fair and reasonable available virtually through their website, where you can apply now.
Said Parrish, "It's my personal goal to drive payday loan companies out of business in Indiana." Through the US Department of the Treasury's Community Development Financial Institutions Fund ( CDFI Fund) NorthPark provides tailored financial services to low-income communities and to people who lack access to financing.
NorthPark's team focuses on the Financial Wellness of their members. Photo left to right: NorthPark's Marco Dominguez, Christina Garza, and Carma Parrish, UNITE INDY's Scott Whiting and Jim Cotterill.
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No One Moved
When scores of men and women showed up in IMPD's East District, there were no "defund the police" signs. All ages and races of our community were there, and all they wanted to do was pray for this group of officers who have what many think is the toughest job in the most violent area in all of Indianapolis. After roll call they were told that these visitors wanted to pray for them, "anyone who needs to leave should go ahead." No surprise, they all stayed. Read Nancy's blog post here!
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Why Support UNITE INDY?
Our major focus is to assist the 12,000 inmates returning to Central Indiana after long-term jail sentences. UNITE INDY provides mentored job training inside the jail, and a website for those with a criminal record, SecondChanceIndy.com, filled with job openings offered by our Second Chance employer partners.
These jobs are powerful weapons with which to fight poverty in our neighborhoods.
How You Can Support Jobs for Justice- Involved Individuals
3. Become a Member - Your tax deductible gift will buy either 5 Student Workbooks for a class or 10 meals for students, their mentors, and instructors to gather around a table before each class, sharing food, transforming the moment into something more unique by creating a sense of community, which strengthens the relationship building process.
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Support of Ministries and Charities:
Since 2017 UNITE INDY has provided a free web-based system at UNITEINDY.org that connects churches, ministries, and other charities to share their volunteer needs or needed items. UNITE INDY also provides the manpower necessary to assist smaller organizations—that have no one to upload needed items—the help they require to access this service. Through this portal, UNITE INDY has brought hundreds of volunteers and thousands of dollars worth of needed goods into the hands of those who assist the poor.
Serving the Servants:
UNITE INDY comes behind urban pastors and ministry leaders by addressing personal and professional needs with free services for those who work tirelessly in their neighborhoods to care for the needy and bereft.
Remember, almost 1 out of every 3 children in Indianapolis lives below the poverty level, yet even in the aftermath of the COVID shut down, as our economy comes back to life and employment is returning, all this good news stops at the lines surrounding many of our inner city neighborhoods. In some neighborhoods of Marion County unemployment is now 21%, and poverty remains the overwhelming divider of people.
Please donate to UNITE INDY now. There are a number of choices that are all secure and safe. By sending your fully tax deductible gift* now we can have a greater impact meeting needs in our community in 2021.
Many, many thanks!
*UNITE INDY, Inc. is approved under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 501(c)(3) as a Public Charity, donors can deduct contributions they make under IRC Section 170.
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Corporate Partners
A big Thank YOU to our Corporate Partners for their unwavering support which makes it possible for us to provide our services at no charge to job applicants and employers!
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