Partnerships Help New Hope Thrive | The Indianapolis Public Library

New Hope’s Achieving Inclusion and Meaning (AIM) Program provides young adults with disabilities community-based opportunities to develop skills for independence, practice interpersonal skills and empower individuals to live their best lives. One of the ways this program helps participants develop these skills is through volunteerism and exploration of community resources. The Indianapolis Public Library has been a wonderful partner in giving the individuals we serve many opportunities to learn new things and serve their local community.
Jill Edwards, Adult Program Specialist at the Indianapolis Public Library, works with the AIM group to provide them with the best opportunities and experiences possible. One of the projects that she always coordinates for AIM is to volunteer for the library’s seed garden. At many of the library’s branches, they offer seed packets for visitors to take and plant at their own homes. AIM participants regularly volunteer to fill and label the seed packets. This is a great way for AIM participants to work with other volunteers and help their community.
Jill has also arranged for the AIM members to participate in other adult programs at the library such as a stamp making class. Classes like this are beneficial for both the AIM group and library associates and volunteers. For people who are not used to working with others who have different abilities, opportunities like these allow them to find commonalities instead of focusing on differences.
In addition to taking advantage of the library’s adult programs and volunteer projects, New Hope’s AIM group also spends a lot of time at the libraries in our community discovering new books and movies, playing card games and utilizing their computers. The utilization of these resources helps them to learn new things and become more independent through the knowledge of how to utilize public resources.
Overall, both the AIM group and the Indianapolis Public Library are grateful for this partnership. Both parties benefit from AIM’s involvement at the library, and collaborations such as this one help to make our community more inclusive.