Gratitude for Our Community

As Thanksgiving approaches, I wanted to take a moment to express gratitude to the community. I've participated over the course of the year on the 10th Street Emerging Cultural District project's steering committee, and the work has deepened my appreciation for the people with whom we share this neighborhood.

For context, this spring, Little Flower Neighborhood Association teamed up with our neighbors in Grace-Tuxedo and Emerson Heights to put a $30,000 City of Indianapolis cultural district grant to work on East 10th Street, from Sherman to Leland. Our goal was to invite the community to work together to make 10th Street an even better place to walk, shop, gather, and use for the residents already here.

10th Street Block Party

If one day captured what this effort is about, it was the 10th Street Block Party on October 10th. Over 200 neighbors came out to fill the street, and they weren't the only ones who showed up:

• 5 local restaurants and shops partnered with us to feed the crowd.

• 13 vendors and small business owners made up our local market.

• 9 community organizations set up tables to share resources and meet neighbors.

Instead of providing outside catering, the party planning group opted to give attendees food and drink vouchers to spend at participating 10th Street businesses: J Clyde's, The Mini Posada, Love Indy, One-Stop Shop, and Smash Happens (a 10th Street food truck). That put more than $1,000 of cultural district grant money directly into the pockets of restaurants on our own corridor. I talked to several attendees who expressed a familiar story that I'm hoping to impact: "I live three blocks from here, but I've never tried any of these restaurants. I'm excited to try one tonight!"

This perspective is familiar because I've found myself in a similar boat. When I think of where to buy tissues for my partner's bout with the cold, grab takeout after a long day, etc., my first thought is often places some minutes from home, an easy drive with convenient parking. There's nothing wrong with those options, but it's not the only way. Since the block party, a new first thought has entered the scene: "I could stop by the Number One Stop Shop while I'm walking my dogs to grab tissues", or "I could grab a burrito from Mini Posada." And when I choose those local spots, I get to say hello to neighbors and invest more dollars in our neighborhood.

To every neighbor, community organization, vendor, restaurant, and volunteer who participated that day, THANK YOU. You helped create a special community gathering place, and contribute toward a more connected 10th Street.

A Huge Thank You to This Year's Volunteers

Since March, when a joint steering committee of neighbors from all three neighborhoods (Little Flower, Emerson Heights, and Grace-Tuxedo) was chartered, more than 200 community volunteers have given over 850 hours to this project.

Here's some of what made up these contributions:

• Feedback sessions at Little Flower and Emerson Heights neighborhood meetings, a business listening session, and two town halls where neighbors set the goals for the district.

• Two public town halls where neighbors gathered to discuss vision for the corridor as well as weigh in on specific project concepts.

• A community survey that helped us understand what neighbors believe makes 10th Street special.

• A traffic safety demonstration, built with the Department of Public Works, that ran from September 19 to November 1. Volunteers installed curb extensions and protected parking and painted art right on the street. What we learned will directly inform DPW's future investments on the corridor, and we'll share the results with you once our analysis is complete.

• A painting day where volunteers from the neighborhoods added splashes of color and celebration to 10th Street through permitted art in the right-of-way.

• A 10th Street cleanup on October 3 that removed 51 bags of trash.

Every one of those hours represented the generous community spirit of our neighbors. Thank you to each and every one of you!

The Richness of the Here & Now

My personal favorite gateway to gratitude is reflecting on the richness of the here & now. We get to have the experience of living in this community, in this moment. And we have the privilege of co-creating this community together. Our neighbors are treasures to appreciate, and they bring unique perspective, hopes, skills, and passions to the table.

One neighbor that I met through this effort is Rochelle Jenkins, a Little Flower neighbor who is a published children's author. She wrote a book called The Prettiest Peacock, and she hosted a table at our block party's local vendor market where she shared her creation. My partner and I picked up a copy to gift to our niblings (like siblings, but nieces and nephews). Don't worry, I won't reveal any spoilers. But it's a lovely story, and you should consider it as a gift option as we enter the holiday season. You can purchase one here, if you're interested.

I'm not sure I would've ever been aware of Rochelle's book had we not been at the block party at the same time. Nor might I have met Hope who recently started her own baking business for the first time, Jolly Robin Bakery; or neighbor Lori who creates delicious cake pops. Yes, I have a sweet tooth... And I will happily keep Hope and Lori in mind next time I'm in the market for treats.

There are dozens of other connections from just the block party that I personally experienced, and that's a miniscule sample of what more there is to be discovered. I am continually learning that neighbors are talented, cool, good people. May we lean into more ways to know and celebrate them.

Let's Keep Working Together

To share a bit about the conclusion of this emerging cultural district project, we will wrap up the year with the following:

• Install trash cans at a handful of bus stops to improve the experience for riders

• Install benches/tables and improved gathering spaces along the corridor

• Commission a mural by a talented, local Little Flower artist along 10th Street

• Host a final town hall to discuss what we did, learned and what's next

• Create an independent, permanent organization to continue the work of connecting our neighborhoods in our corridor of 10th Street

If you'd like to stay in the loop or get involved, sign up for updates at littleflowerindy.org/10th-street-cultural-district. We'd love to have you at the table.

This emerging cultural district project is just one avenue among many for community connection. Neighbors are investing in our neighborhood every day through organic and organized efforts alike. We'd love to learn about the ways you've experienced connection in our community, things you're doing to invest in the neighborhood, or even hobbies or skills you'd like to share with neighbors. Please send us an email at littleflowerneighborhood@gmail.com to share.

Thank you for reading. And wishing you well this holiday season!

Gabi Weldy

Secretary, Little Flower Neighborhood Association