Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 6 June 2003 — Page 2

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THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 2003

PROGRAM ► Continued from Page 1 if.." Krll\ Klliott explains how her son Marlon Marrero, who attends llarslunan Middle Sehool has evolved since participating in the program. “My son is an honor roll student, hut his temper was very badnow it's much better. The program really challenged him to respect adults and do a lot of positive things." she said. “I really appreciate the program and definitely recommend it for others." To be involved in the program, students must attend a participatingschool that partners with a community organization. During each month, they learn and praetice one of the seven principles, then they conclude with a monthly ceremony. Current organization/school partnerships include Citizens Multi-Service Center and Harshtnan Middle School. Jordan YMCA and Indianapolis Public School kC Urban Mission YMCA and Arlington High School, and Pride Community Center and Union Creek Middle School. Mason said that he receives several calls a week from single mothers rcqucstingthat their sons become enrolled in the Reclaiming the Village program. “The unfortunate part is that we arc not direct service providers so we can't put (students) in a particular program. We ask that

INTERNSHIPS ► Continued from Page 1 year." said John Brown, director of corporate communications at Rolls Royce."Internships are becoming an important part of bridging from education to careers." Unfortunately most applicants are turned down, and only a handful ofstudents are getting the good internships, leaving the majority with what is left. The “good” internships usually

Kamau Jywanza shared his thoughts with the participants of the program.

the parent contact us and we will help them contact a sehool or church in terms of getting that type of program started there.” Jennifer Darby, director of youth services for Citizens MultiSen ice Center explained ways the boys in her program use collective work as an avenue to help others. “They had a rummage sale, car wash (and) face painting fund raiser. They raised $720.14, and all proceeds were donated to the Riley Hospital Kids Caring and Sharing Fund. There’s a lot of work and the young men have to be dedicated to incorporating the principles into their lives.” With school out and the program on hiatus, Mason focuses

are with major corporations, offering a paid stipend, and payment for summer relocation. Intern applicants should be cautious not to let errors end up on their applications. Be sure to include campus extra-curricular activities, vol u nteer opportu n ities and grade point average. Here are some other tips to help secure an internship: • Start looking early - experts say a year in advance is not too early. Starting early allows for a chance toobtain more internships and opportunities. Since most

on the future. “We want to expand the program to more community based organizations. We want to take it to the high school level so the kids who graduate from our program will have that support when they get to high school,” he said. “The funding for this program was only for two years, so we are faced with the challenge of going out and finding new resources of money to continue the program. Because of the results we’ve seen, we’re hoping hinders will buy into the process,” Mason said. For more information on Reclaiming the Village, contact Daryl Mason at (317) 221-3112.

internship applications require an essay and detailed information, starting early allows for time to fill out necessary information while juggle class work. Searching for an internship is similar to looking for the right job. It is important to take into account that many internships are nonpaying. While it is nice to receive pay, it is not always possible, but those that do not offer pay may offer a college credit. • Review applications - to ensure that all information is error free. Check and re-check appli-

NEIGHBORS ► Continued from Page 1 rodent droppings that exacerbate asthma. And for a community like Indianapolis that has a critical shortage of affordable homes, everyone of these buildings represents valuable housing taken out of the market. Mayor Bart Peterson announced a “war” on abandoned housing during his State of the City address in February. “No one in this great 21st century city should have a dilapidated, boarded up eyesore as a nextdoor neighbor,” the mayor said. The activists that make up the Citizens Healthy Homes Initiative paid close attention. “We applaud the mayor’s statement,” says Tom Neltner of Improving Kids Environment, standing by Alexander in front of the boarded-up home. “Now we need to see action on homes like these.” The Kennedy-King Park neighbors fear that the owners of these abandoned homes are waiting for the kind of gentrification that has already occurred in nearby nearNorthside neighborhoods. If developers and realtors can successfully market the area to upscale homebuyers, these properties will become valuable for sale to someone who may tear down the home and rebuild. That is the last thing the Kennedy-King Park neighbors

want to see happen. In a May 5 letter to the Marion County Health Department, the Citizens Healthy Homes group stressed that point. “Our goal is not to have the buildings demolished. Demolition would only undermine efforts to overcome the lack of safe and affordable housing in the Kennedy-King Park neighborhood.” The Marion County Health Department says they have pending health code enforcement actions on 18 of the 41 KennedyKing Park homes identified as abandoned, and expects to have inspections of the remaining homes completed by the end of June. But the Citizens Healthy Homes group says those actions aren’t enough. “We don’t want the City of Indianapolis and the county health department to wait for the owners, especially absentee landlords, to do something about fixing up the place,” Neltner says. “Local officials have the ability to ask that these properties be placed in receivership. We want the city and the health department to be aggressive and go in, clean up the lead paint and other hazards, and fix up the properties themselves.” The receivership option for local governments has existed for some time, but has rarely been pursued. Instead, the county health department seeks to obtain and enforce orders to have the owner clean up and repair the property, and often boards up or demolishes deteriorated buildings.

Accord i ng to the health department, last year the city boarded up 2,043 buildings and demolished 223 more. There is no comparable program for rehabilitating homes. But a new state law, authored by Rep. John Day, D-Indianapo-lis, and scheduled to take effect later this year, is designed to make it easier for both local government and community groups to fix up an abandoned building and recoup the costs from the owners. Bruce Baird, who manages Mayor Peterson’s new abandoned homes initiative, says the city is considering the option of placing abandoned homes in receivership and has even performed one such procedure as a test case. “We are interested in it and it is potentially a tool, but it is not right for every situation,” Baird says. “The legal procedure is complicated, and a receiver has to have pretty deep pockets to afford the repairs to bring the property’ back into compliance.” The Kennedy-King Park residents don’t yet have the deep pockets to rehabilitate the abandoned houses themselves, but they are willing to help the city come up with a plan to get it done. Nineteen-year-old Ken Gunn, one of two dozen area youth who have been trained to inspect homes for lead, cockroaches, rodents and mold, says fixing up the homes is best for everyone. “Why leave these empty, or tear one of these down and build a new one, when these houses can be lived in by one of the people who really need a place to stay?” he asks.

cations. Whether they are paper or electronic based, use spell check on a computer. The way one writes may reflects one character, various firms agree. • Get involved in extra-cur-ricular activities while on campus - this shows that initiative. Volunteer your time. Getting involved, whether it is with community organizations or in school, shows initiative and interest in other affairs. • Make sure to do research on the firms background and on interviewingtechniques. There are

many Web sites and books on appropriate interviewing techniques. While on the Web site, check out the company’s history, previous presidents and the company’s mission statement, goals, and agenda. • While on the internship dress nicely everyday, be on time, go to the job looking for work, and plan to do whatever the firm tosses your way. These tips will help may in your work environment and could possibly help land you a full-time career.

DOMESTIC

► Continued from Page 1 the judicial conference and obtains approval by a majority ofthe judges in the county exercising jurisdiction over domestic relations and paternity cases. The final bill passed was Senate Bill 479 that requires the clerk of the court that issues a workplace violence restraining order to provide a copy of the order and the confidential sheet to the employer. Although domestic violence continues to rise, I ndiana has high hopes that the institution of these laws will contribute to its decline.

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