Weekly View » FACE

Applause!: July 27-Aug. 2

Weekly View — Thu, 26 Jul 2018 05:09:11 +0000

• Upcoming neighborhood meetings on the east side include: St. Clair Place on Thurs., Aug. 2 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at John Boner Neighborhood Center, St. Clair Place Room (2236 E. 10th St.), and Brookside on Thurs., Aug. 2 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Old Centenary Church (1035 N Oxford St.). Neighborhood meetings are a great way to meet others in your community and get involved!
• Help Friends of Dogs Outside (FIDO), FACE, and IACS will kick off a pilot project on Sat., July 28 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Brookside Park Community Center on Brookside Ave. There will be free vaccinations, microchipping, flea treatments, collars, and more available. Bring questions about your pets, or find resources to help with stray cats and dog training. For more information, call FIDO at 317-221-1314.
• In partnership with Chef for Hire, Inc. and the Felege Hiywot Center, Indy Parks will now include locally grown and harvested produce in the packaged meals distributed through the Summer Servings and After School Meals programs. Indy Parks food programs provide more than 400,000 meals each year to youth ages 18 and under in Marion County. This new Farm to Fork initiative will provide fresh fruits and vegetables in the meals distributed through these programs. The Felege Hiywot Center will grow and harvest the crops. The produce will then be shipped to Chef for Hire, Inc. for packaging in meals, and finally, distributed at food programs’ serving sites.
• Long-time Steer-In employee Mickey Cox has been battling serious health concerns, and the staff has set up a GoFundMe to help pay her bills. She’s the lady who usually greets you at the door, has probably served you your burger or refilled your glass. If you can, consider donating to the GoFundMe campaign in her name (www.gofundme.com and search for Mickey’s Medical Bills), or stop by the restaurant to see how you can help out.
• The Irvington Summer Music Series continues July 28 from 7-10 p.m. at Irvington Ice & Coal, 400 S. Ritter, with Music & Words by Dylan. The Charlie Ballantine Group and Jeff Kelly & the Graveyard Shift will perform the reimagined music of Bob Dylan. Tickets are $12.61 on Eventbrite. Reservations are recommended.
• Young people ages 6-17 are invited to learn the basics of drawing human figures so they can start sketching their favorite superhero characters at the Brightwood Library Branch, 2435 N. Sherman Dr. on July 28 at 2 p.m. Call 317-275-4310 to register.
•IndyFringe, now in its 14th year, runs Aug. 16-26 with 400 of shows that will entertain, amuse, challenge, and amaze. Lots of local talent, as well as national acts, will take the stage at various venues along Mass Ave. Tickets are on sale now online at www.indyfringe.org, along with a schedule and more information about the venues and shows.

Applause!: May 22-June 4

Weekly View — Thu, 21 May 2015 05:08:32 +0000

• The Community Hospital East Auxiliary will sponsor a Strawberry Fest on Thursday, June 4 from 10 a.m. until supplies are sold out. Strawberries, ice cream and cake for $3.75 per serving. Proceeds to benefit hospital programs/services. The hospital is at 1500 N. Ritter. For further information, please contact Volunteer Services at 355-5120.
• The 2015 Golden Hoosiers were recently announced by the state, honoring outstanding Indiana senior citizens for a lifetime of service and commitment to their communities. Rosa Lee Brown, Frances Stauffer, and Steve Talley from Indianapolis were honored. Congratulations to all the recipients!
• The Irvington Historical Society’s Annual Meeting will be held May 27 at 6 p.m. at the Bona Thompson Memorial Center, 5350 University Ave. Come see a replica of Lincoln’s casket, and the first 20 visitors will receive a free National Park Service book about the Lincoln Funeral Train. Pizza will be served. If you are interested in becoming a member of the IHS, this would be a great opportunity to see what the organization is all about.
• FACE Spay/Neuter is seeking foster homes for dogs that will be pulled from the city shelter in anticipation of the Indy Adoption Event June 20 and 21 at the State Fairgrounds. If you are able to foster a dog (or two) for three weeks, please contact janetM@facespayneuter.org as soon as possible.
• On June 13 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, along with Mayor Dennis Buckley of Beech Grove, Mayor Dean Jessup of Lawrence, Mayor Ian Nicolini of Speedway and Mayor Jesse Testruth of Southport will host a Veteran’s and Family Appreciation Day Picnic and Fish Fry at Garfield Park, 2432 Conservatory Dr. for fun, food, music, games, information, and camaraderie. The Mobile Vet Van and Information Booths will be available to address most VA Benefits and Service questions. This event is free to Marion County Veterans and their families. Events include a custom car, truck, and motorcycle show by Donna’s Rock and Roll Cruisin’ Oldies. For more information, visit www.VSCMC.com, e-mail Hawkins@vscmc.com, or call 317-632-4042.
• The Irvington Folk Festival, to be held June 14-20, will be bigger and better than ever! Plans are being made for it to include a celebration of folklorist Alan Lomax’s 100th birthday, a 150th anniversary of Juneteenth, and lots of activities for people of all ages. A GoFundMe account was started to help pay the costs of this event. Visit www.gofundme.com/irvingtonfolk for details or to make a donation.

The Weekly View office will be closed May 25-29. We will be checking in throughout the week, and hosting a yard sale at 195 N. Shortridge Rd. May 30 and 31 from 8-? We wish all our advertisers and readers a safe Memorial Day holiday!

Caring for Community Cats

Ethel Winslow — Thu, 11 Dec 2014 06:11:00 +0000

The Larrys, Thomasinas, Grouchy Cats, Marmalades, and Inkys of Indianapolis have many friends — even though they may not realize it. These feral cats, and thousands more, are cared for by volunteers throughout the city who love cats and believe that their lives are valuable. They are also tended to by a twelve-year-old organization, IndyFeral, which helps educate and protect the feral cat population.
Since 2002, IndyFeral staff and volunteers have worked to reduce the stray and feral cat overpopulation in Central Indiana through the non-lethal method of Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR). On any given day, volunteers go out to monitor feral cat colonies throughout the city. Besides feeding the cats, volunteers get to know their colonies, noting when a cat looks ill, or if a new cat has appeared. They trap and take ill cats for treatment, and return them to the colonies if they are healthy enough, and also trap newcomers to get them spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and recorded. Sometimes, they bring in cats and kittens that may be adoptable to find them homes. Many times, volunteers pay for the food and medical care out of their own pockets. Currently, there are about 35,000 community cats cared for by IndyFeral volunteers.
Cats that have been fixed and vaccinated by IndyFeral are identified by a clipped ear. If you see one of these cats strolling through the neighborhood, you can be quite certain that someone (or a group of someones) is looking out for them. Abandoned homes, sheds and garages are favored shelters for community cats, and IndyFeral also creates warm shelters from donated styrofoam boxes stuffed with straw for the cats in winter months.
IndyFeral is the FACE clinic’s community cat program, administered by Lisa Tudor. Foundation Against Companion-Animal Euthanasia, or FACE, offers low-cost spay/neuter services for cats and dogs, plus a low-cost vet medical clinic and services for low-income pet owners.
Tudor started the program when she volunteered at FACE and heard over and over again from people who wanted to help the feral cats in the neighborhood, but were unable to catch them. “I looked into TNR, and we started the trapping. It took off like a shot and we’ve never looked back.”
IndyFeral was established as a means of changing the way stray and feral cats have been traditionally viewed and dealt with — scooped up, kept in high-stress shelters, then often euthanized. IndyFeral’s work in fixing strays and ferals has helped dramatically reduce the number of cats going to shelters in Indianapolis, and also advocating for their humane treatment. “We only release healthy cats back into the colonies. They are fixed, vaccinated, and maintained,” Tudor said.
“Neutering and spaying cats makes them better neighbors. They become calmer, less likely to fight with other cats, and don’t exhibit mating behaviors.”
Not all neighbors are welcoming of feral cat colonies, however. Sometimes, they get picked up and IndyFeral is alerted that a shelter has one of their cats. They rescue it, and bring it back to the colony. Sometimes, a colony needs to be relocated due to safety concerns or their site has been disrupted. IndyFeral runs a Barn Cat program that rehomes the cats, finding them gainful employment as mousers in rural or semi-rural settings.
Tudor noted that most of what IndyFeral does for cats in the neighborhoods is cleaning up what people have created. “I like to say we’re a safety net for cats who find themselves on the street for one reason or another. You’d be surprised how many cats we trap who are declawed, who obviously were indoor cats once, but not neutered, and kicked to the curb. They are not going to do well outdoors.” In these cases, IndyFeral traps them, then works with rescue organizations to rehome them. In addition, over time, the population in the cat colonies will begin to decline naturally.
Tudor stresses that there are many resources available for low-income people to neuter their pets. “There’s reason a cat, or dog, shouldn’t be neutered in this city.”
For information about low coast spay/neuter services, help with feral and stray cats, and how to help homeless cats, call FACE at 638-3223.