Ethnic Dining in Indy

Affinity Groups (Burma Culture Club, Sons of Norway, etc.)

The Indianapolis Professional Association – http://www.ipaindy.org – is this city's premier proactive networking, youth-oriented and educational organization for area African-American professionals and businesspersons.

The Indiana Tourism site at http://www.in.gov/tourism can help you find the dates of events and festivals in a specific town/area in Indiana.
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra

Museums:
Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians & Western Art - free admission to those with IUPUI ID
The Children’s Museum
Conner Prairie - Experience Indiana life in the 1800’s
Indiana State Museum
Freetown Village - African American life in the 1870’s
Indiana Medical History Museum
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis Museum of Art

Indy’s Child, your source for activities for children

Literary Events (book signings, etc.) – http://indylit.com

Connect to Other Young Professionals

Dance in Indy:
Contra Dancing, Salsa Dancing , Swing Dancing

Outdoor Recreation

Indy in Motion is a free fitness program conducted at these parks: Broad Ripple, Christian, Ellenberger, Garfield, Krannert, Raymond/Indy Island, Riverside and Washington; and the following community centers: Christamore House, Hawthorne Center and El Centro Hispano. Call the Marion County Health Department, 221-3122 for details.

For information about the great variety of fitness programs at IndyParks, go to http://www.indygov.org/eGov/City/DPR/home.htm and click on the current issue of the "Fun Guide" to find out about all the classes and activities in various parks. Information about greenways such as the Monon Trail and Canal Trail is at this site, too.

Indiana Greenways
Indiana Trails
More Indiana Trails
Farm Heritage Trail
Join Trails E-mail List
Indianapolis Hiking Club
Bicycling
Bikeports

Golf in Central Indiana

Indiana State Parks and Recreation Areas
State Parks Camping or call 1-866-622-6746 (toll-free).

Volunteering and Community Service

On/Near Campus:
The IUPUI Center for Service and Learning – invites staff teams to participate together in campus-wide service events (e.g., United Way Day of Caring, Dr. Martin Luther King Day-On of Service) throughout the year.

AIM (Aftercare for Indiana through Mentoring) – is a juvenile reentry program started by Dr. Roger Jarjoura, a professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA). It provides mentoring support to juvenile offenders who have been committed to the Indiana Department of Corrections and are making the transition from confinement to the community while also providing IUPUI students a service learning or mentoring opportunity. Both paid and volunteer opportunities are available.

To volunteer at Methodist, IU and Riley hospitals, call 274-SERV (7378) or visit http://www.clarian.org/portal/patients/volunteer?clarianContentID=/volunteering/opportunities.xml
Call 269-2247 for information on volunteering at Ronald McDonald House or go to http://www.rmh-indiana.org

In the Community:
Links to many area nonprofit organizations that are in need of volunteers – http://www.connect2help.org/Volunteer.html

Indianapolis Ambassadors – is for volunteers of all ages but is composed of mostly 30-something volunteers who are willing to help with black tie fundraisers, theatrical performances, sporting events, charity runs/walks, housing rehabilitation projects, and children’s programs at Riley Hospital and The Children’s Museum, among others. Also check out www.indyhub.org.

Gleaner’s Food Bank of Indiana needs sorters, drivers, office help and special events assistance.

Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives

Volunteer Match – where you can find opportunities in YOUR area.

Create the Good

Idealist.org – an organization that offers information on opportunities around the world.

Pets

Pet Adoption – Humane Society of Marion County or Animal Care and Control

Dog Obedience Training – Most 4-H offices statewide offer kids and their dogs a series of dog obedience sessions. Find contact information for your county at http://www.ces.purdue.edu/counties.htm

Indy Bark Parks

The American Veterinary Medical Association offers good health information for animals at http://www.avma.org/animal_health/brochures/default.asp and an animal care section for kids at http://www.avma.org/careforanimals/kidscorner/default.asp .

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a good source of information on pet care, animal poison control, etc.

Recycling, Beautification & the Environment

Bring Your Recyclables to Campus
There is a large red-orange recycling container on the north side of the Psychiatric Research building (located just east of Union Drive, just west of Elmwood Street and just north of Wishard Boulevard) kind of tucked between the brick section and the vinyl siding section, where you can recycle newspaper, #1 and #2 plastics, brown/green/clear/blue unfrosted glass and steel/aluminum cans. Questions? Contact Phil Warren at pwarren@iupui.edu or 274-7696.

How to Get Started
To get started, put two bags in your garage (one for newspapers, and the other for rinsed-out tin/aluminum cans, rinsed-out plastics with a 1 or 2 in the triangle on bottom and rinsed-out brown/green/clear/blue unfrosted glass – no, you don’t need to separate them) to collect your recyclables. Then, each week, put the bags in your car, drive to campus, turn from Elmwood into the area on the north side of the Psychiatric Research building and unload into the container.

Low-Cost, Environmentally-Friendly Cleaning
http://www.heloise.com/hints_vinegar.html or http://www.versatilevinegar.org/usesandtips.html

Drop off household batteries and eyeglasses at Indianapolis Marion County Public Libraries.

Drop off clean packing peanuts, air packets, etc. to Mail Boxes, Etc.

Keep Indianapolis Beautiful is your comprehensive source for information about recycling (household, printer cartridges, batteries, metals, motor oil, cars, computers, tires, etc.), tree programs and clean-up programs.

For disposal of household hazardous waste (car batteries; fluorescent light bulbs; mercury-containing fever thermometers; oil/latex/spray paints; bug killer and it’s container; plant pesticide and its container; car fluids such as gas, oil, transmission fluid; etc.), call 327-4869 for locations and times and to ask if an item you have that is not listed above will be accepted.

To dispose of computers and other electronics – http://www.vscavengers.org/index.html – This is the only free disposal service we know of but we would be happy to post other free services.

Return dry cleaning hangers and bags to the dry cleaner when you do your next drop-off.

Use freecycling which allows those in need of an item to find someone who doesn’t want the item anymore. Visit Freecycle.

Indiana Living Green

Buy firewood near where you will burn it to prevent the spread of the gypsy moth which is killing trees at an alarming rate in other places and is now in Indiana. When you buy firewood in an area that has gypsy moth infestation and take it to another location, you could be responsible for spreading the moth to a new area. FMI, visit http://www.entm.purdue.edu/GM.

Eating Sustainably (Locally) – lists local resources for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) subscription services, organic producers and farm markets.

Community Legal Services

Legal Line is offered from 6-8:00 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month (except December), and it is a free service for those in need of legal advice. Call 269-2000.

Free Bankruptcy Legal Help Line is offered Noon-1:00 on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of every month. Call 269-1910.

Legal Aid Society of Indianapolis – 635-9538

Indiana Legal Services Organization – 1-800-222-2222

Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic – 429-4131 (for low-income; Spanish available)