Beacon: Programs and Services To Help People in Poverty
Nearly 21 years ago, Shalom Community Center opened in the basement of First United Methodist Church to provide services to those experiencing homelessness in Bloomington.
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Nearly 21 years ago, Shalom Community Center opened in the basement of First United Methodist Church to provide services to those experiencing homelessness in Bloomington.
Read MoreNow that most of the leaves have fallen from the deciduous trees, evergreen trees and shrubs are more apparent in park and garden plantings all across town.
Read MoreLike the ancient goddesses for which it is named, The Muse Project offers inspiration to those who heed its words. The project’s founder, Jodi Pope Johnson, says today, more than ever, she feels there is a need to share messages of hope and healing.
Read MoreBloomington has a way of keeping a hold on its residents, even those who have left. In fact, the phenomenon of leaving and returning to Bloomington is so common that it has its own name: the Bloomerang Effect.
Read MoreIndiana has had four official state flowers. Our current state flower, the peony, is from China and was adopted in 1957.
Read MoreThe Flying Paws Agility Club agility course, set up inside a refurbished horse barn, offers dogs (and their people) a big space to run, fetch, and show off their skills.
Read MoreWhen Christi Pike, 57, woke up with a headache on December 21, 2018, she asked her husband, Jim, to take her to Urgent Care so she wouldn’t be sick over the holidays.
Read MoreIn the summer of 2018, nurses at the IU Health Bloomington Hospital Hospice House rolled a patient outside in his hospital bed. A horse that had been a part of his family for years awaited him, brought to the facility in a trailer. Nurses put feed in the patient’s hand, allowing the horse and his dying owner to connect one final time.
Read MoreJordy the CASA dog is something of a local celebrity. When the golden retriever celebrated his fifth birthday in October, it was a press-worthy event. But Jordy spends most days out of the spotlight, doing vital work at the Monroe County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) office, 201 N. Morton St.
Read MoreCommunity Action Agencies (CAAs) are sometimes considered the best-kept secrets of the nonprofit sector, says Jessie Yeary, director of communications and development at the South Central Community Action Program (SCCAP). She hopes to change that. “I don’t really like that phrase because we don’t want to be a secret,” she says.
Read MoreOld rose varieties, such as alba, gallica, and damask, had wonderfully fragrant blooms but, sadly, bloomed only once. Thanks to David Austin (1926–2018) we have 230 modern hybrid roses that offer intoxicating, old-fashioned rose fragrances and that bloom repeatedly.
Read MoreAfter working other people’s farms for a dozen years, Grant Pershing, 44, was ready to start farming for himself. Unfortunately, finding a bank that was willing to loan him the money wasn’t so easy. “I was a pretty poor risk, so I could either find a dilapidated house with enough land or a nice house with no land,” Pershing says. “When it came down to buying something, it just wasn’t going to happen.”
Read MoreThe coming year is full of significant milestones for Shalom Community Center, a resource agency for those experiencing extreme poverty and homelessness, and for its executive director, Forrest Gilmore. Gilmore started as assistant director of Shalom in January 2010. A year later, on April 1, 2011—“Make of that what you will,” he says with a laugh—Gilmore was named executive director.
Read MoreAlthough you could splurge on red roses when decorating for the holidays, there are other, less expensive, natural alternatives. The early Romans decorated with holly for the winter solstice. Holly, along with ivy and mistletoe, was a traditional Christmas decoration in England, and early American settlers also preferred to use objects from nature to decorate for the holidays.
Read MoreThe spring and summer months are when gardens are the most colorful, but it is easy to make our fall and winter gardens interesting as well. Shrubs are especially helpful as they are easy to care for once established, and come in a variety of colors, textures, and sizes.
Read MoreWhen Linda Gause, co-owner of Vance Music Center, joined a Monroe County homemakers club in the mid-1990s, she didn’t know it would lead to global adventure.
Read MoreAfter years of planning, Bloomington Cohousing, Indiana’s first cohousing community, is finally becoming a reality. The brainchild of lifelong friends Janet Greenblatt and Marion Sinclair, the intentional community near the Southeast YMCA will feature 26 privately owned homes, a common building, community gardens, and other shared amenities, all designed to reduce homeowners’ environmental footprints and expand their sense of community.
Read MoreMaking live theater more accessible is often on the minds of the folks at Cardinal Stage. One example is Cardinal’s Community Ticket Initiative, which allows people to see theater performances free of charge. Another way Cardinal is making theater more accessible is with sensory-friendly performances of their Cardinal for Kids productions during the 2019–20 season.
Read MoreAt 200 years old, Indiana University has quite a few local legends, including ghostly yarns like the one about a grumpy child apparition in the Indiana Memorial Union Tudor Room, said to be connected to a painting of a little boy holding a pumpkin. Rumor has it the spirit creates a fuss when the chairs and tables in the room are moved out of place. Indulging in such stories is part of the fun when the IU Folklore and Ethnomusicology Department holds its annual Ghost Walk.
Read MoreIf you are looking for more natives to plant this fall in a shade garden, consider our native North American foamflower.
Read Moreby Sophie Bird | Dec 1, 2020 | Features | 0
Bloomington is blessed with a myriad of artists working in a wide variety of mediums. Here, we present the works of 17.
Read Moreby Sophie Bird | Jan 23, 2021 | Local News | 0
The City of Bloomington Department of Housing and Neighborhood Development (HAND) invites residents to apply for City funding to improve their neighborhoods.
Read Moreby Sophie Bird | Jan 22, 2021 | Local News | 0
Cardinal Stage is asking audience members to complete a brief survey for the chance to win a two-night stay at West Baden Springs Hotel.
Read Moreby Sophie Bird | Jan 21, 2021 | Local News | 0
On January 20, 2021, Inauguration Day, Bloomington’s Dawn Johnsen was sworn in as a Senior Counselor for the Biden Administration for the Department of Justice Office of Legal Council.
Read Moreby Sophie Bird | Jan 20, 2021 | Local News | 0
Over the last six months, five startups have received investment from a new member-managed capital fund run by The Mill, a nonprofit center for entrepreneurship.
Read MoreFor the past 14 years, we have been publishing Bloom, a free, bimonthly cultural and lifestyle magazine serving Bloomington, Indiana, and surrounding communities. We have four missions: to support local businesses, local charities, local arts, and diversity. We are an integral part of the fabric of this community.
Like so many small businesses (4 employees), we are facing huge challenges in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope to be able to continue producing the magazine and our website, magbloom.com, but we need your help.