Dawn Whalen, Realtor, Keller Williams Realty

Beech Grove's cultural hot spot officially has a new home at 524 Main Street with the Spotlight Players' ribbon cutting this Friday night at 7:00 p.m., followed by the theater's first show of the season, 12 Angry Men and then an anniversary party at 10 p.m. to celebrate the organization's 10^th anniversary.

Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for seniors and students. The show runs for the next three weekends, beginning at 8:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights and 12:30 p.m. on Sundays. Call 767-2774 for reservations.

No plans for Saturday? Make plans to visit the Community Center on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. for Beech Grove's annual Health Fair. Admission to the event is free with various health screenings offered free or at a reasonable cost, including flu shots, cholesterol and blood pressure screenings, as well as literature and the opportunity to visit with many professional health providers.

Call 788-4986 for questions about the Health Fair. Bring your family and learn how you can be a part of a healthier, better, brighter Beech Grove!

For a full list of organizations participating in the Health Fair click here

If you or anyone you know is looking to buy, build or sell in Central Indiana, please feel free to contact me at 317-459-5182, or www.dawnwhalen.com

Serving your Families Needs First!

Dawn Whalen, Realtor

Keller Williams Realty

The annual Beech Grove Promoters Club fall festival started last night. We have had great weather, so hopefully there will be many visitors to the event.

I did want to make you aware of a Food Drive which is taking place during the festival. Bill Boone, a fellow Greater Beech Grove Chamber of Commerce member runs Servants Heart.

The goal for the food drive is to collect 10000 food items in 4 days. Food items that are needed are canned vegatables, fruits, soups, peanut butter, jelly, spaghetti sauce, canned meat, pasta meals and cereal just to name a few.

Servants Heart served their 2000th family in July of this year. They serve an average of 250-300 families per month, and they need our help.

So if you visit the Fall Festival this year, be sure to bring a few non-perishable items and stop by the Servans Heart of Indy booth.

And as always, if you or anyone you know is looking to buy, build or sell real estate, feel free to contact me at 317-459-5182 or www.dawnwhalen.com

Are you looking for something to do this week? If so you won't want to miss the Beech Grove Promoters Club Annual Fall Festival. This years theme is Mardi Gras in the Grove.

Starting on Wednesday September 10th, at 6:00 pm you will be able to visit main street, play games, ride rides and have various types of "Fair Food", which is my favorite part!

The Festival will run thru Saturday September 13th. On Saturday the 13th you will want to make sure to have a great spot on Main Street to view the annual parade, which will start at noon. Also on Saturday you will be able to visit various vendors during the Business Fair, which has been put together by the Greater Beech Grove Chamber of Commerce.

This is a wonderful annual tradition which you won't want to miss. And according to the Weather forecasters, the temperatures will be perfect for this fabulous outdoor event.

And if while visiting during the festival, you find you might want to live in the area, be sure to come back on Sunday the 14th from 2-5, as many of the homes that are currently listed will be held open that day!

As always, if you or anyone you know is looking to buy, build or sell, I would certainly love to be of assistance! Visit my website at www.dawnwhalen.com or call me at 317-459-5182

I wanted to share with you information about a wonderful business on the Southside of Indianapolis. As a member of the Greater Beech Grove Chamber of Commerce, I have the opportunity to meet many different individuals. At our monthly meeting in June, Melody Stevens, the Executive Director of Handi-Capable Hands Incorporated spoke to the group.

I was impressed with what I had learned about the business, and asked Melody for the opportunity to come in and meet with her, take some photos of the associates, and learn more about what they do. I was able to do so on Wednesday, July 2^nd. On this day, the group had just completed a 20000 piece mailing. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and meeting with the associates. I was greeted with sincere smiles and handshakes. After taking several shots of the small groups, everyone gathered for a group shot. As the associates went back to their tasks, several of them stopped to give me a hug, and I received several group hugs. There is no greater feeling, than someone appreciating you and showing you that by giving you a hug.

While the business has been in existence since 1981, I would venture to guess that Mrs. Stevens has been an irreplaceable asset to the company. Having spent 20 years in the non-profit sector, working for the Children's Museum, March of Dimes, & MADD just to name a few, she came to Handi-Capable Hands because it was close to her home in Beech Grove, as well as being impressed with how caring and loving the associates were for one another. She felt it was a good fit for both herself and Handi-Capable Hands.

She refers to those who work there as her associates. That says a lot about her as well. When I told her how that truly impressed me that she referred to them as her associates, and put them all on the same level, she responded that they are all in it together, they are a team. That is awesome.

As you may be able to ascertain from the name of the company, the associates are developmentally handicapped. But don't let that simple fact cloud your judgment. They are capable of doing many different jobs, and just need the opportunity.

The business was created by a group of parents who wanted their children and family members to have a safe environment to work using the skills they had acquired to perform various tasks. I did ask Mrs. Stevens, if she feels that there is a "stigma" attached to the associates being "Handicapped" when she presents quotes to various businesses. She did say that there are times that she feels that the unasked question is there, but she always addresses it upfront.

She does reassure any potential business that the associates care about their job and whether or not they do it well. All of the work is quality checked. The associates want to be there and want to work. When Melody leaves for a meeting, they always tell her to bring them more work. The associates are dedicated, and truly want to work. Mrs. Stevens told me about one of the associates who had been off due to surgery, and after a week wanted to come back to work, even though the physician had said she needed to be off for 3 weeks. That is admirable.

Not only does Handi-Capable hands allow the associates the opportunity to work, but they are also able to socialize with their peers.

Currently Handi-Capable hands does have a couple of large jobs coming up, Conference bags for the American Legion, Beech Grove School Corporation Newsletter, and gift bags for the Greater Beech Grove Chamber of Commerce Golf Outing. But they are always looking for more. Handi-Capable Hands receives no State or Federal funding. Their income sources are derived from job income, grants, fundraisers, and the generosity of individual and business community donations.

So if your business is looking for assistance with mailers, stuffing goody bags, assembly work, kitting or anything to do with business contact Melody Stevens at Handi-Capable Hands. There is no job too big or too small! They are located at 3215 E. Thompson Road, Indianapolis, In 46227, 317-396-2699 or email her at mstevens.hch@comcast.net

As she told me, "It is good for your bottom line, and good for your heart."

The kindest compliment anyone can give me is a referral. If you or anyone you know is looking to buy, build or sell in the Central Indiana area, contact me at www.dawnwhalen.com or 317-459-5182

Looking for something fun to do this summer? Check out the summer programs at the main shelter in Sara T. Bolton Park in Beech Grove.

Tuesday, June 24th @ 11:00 a.m. Jeff Sims Magic Show

Thursday July 3rd Fireworks Celebration

Wednesday July 9th @ 11:00 a.m. Marc & Max the Moose Show

Wednesday July 16th @ 1:00 p.m. Water Show/Paul Odenwelder - Wear your swimsuits!!

Tuesday July 22nd @ 7:00-8:30 p.m. Steve Jeffris & Friends Concert

Wednesday July 23rd @ 11:00 a.m. Joli Show-Mime

Wednesday July 30th @ 11:00 a.m. Bubble Show-Dawn Perry

As always, if you or anyone you know need the services of a Real Estate agent that lives and works in the Central Indiana area, please feel free to contact me at 317-459-5182 or visit my website at www.dawnwhalen.com