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INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Each week in Community Link, Carolene Mays takes a look at an organization or business that is making a positive impact on the community.

This week, Mays was joined by Dana Stone and Matthew Kraemer from the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, which is celebrating its 40th season. After many years, the orchestra continues to amaze audiences with powerful music.

“Composers have been drawn to chamber orchestra because of its intimacy,” Kraemer said.

“The orchestra performs at the Schott Center for the Arts on Butler’s campus, and it’s a smaller theater. You walk in you’re immediately connected to the musicians, you’re on the same level as the stage,” Stone added.

Kraemer and Stone also share with Mays ways the orchestra is working to become more involved with the community, including hosting three free park concerts from Sept. 6-8.

The orchestra’s 40th season begins in September.

Enjoy the full interview above for more!

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Each week in Community Link, Carolene Mays takes a look at an organization or business that is making a positive impact on the community.

This week, Mays was joined by Emil Ekiyor, founder and chief executive officer of Innopower Indy.

Innopower Indy is a community development organization with works to create capacity-building opportunities for underrepresented people, businesses, and professionals in education, workforce development, and entrepreneurship.

“We saw Indianapolis as a city that was primed to take its role as one of our major developing cities. But to do that, Indianapolis had to show that we had a plan for how our minority communities were going to grow as well. So, our focus is how do we accelerate economic productivity in our black communities?” Ekiyor said.

Enjoy the full interview above for more!

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Each week in Community Link, Carolene Mays takes a look at an organization or business that is making a positive impact on the community.

This week, Mays was joined by Elaine Bedel, secretary and chief executive officer of Indiana Destination Development Corporation, or the IDDC, who works to promote and tell Indiana’s authentic story in order to attract and retain talent, students, businesses, and more.

“The IDDC [has a broad] mission of not just trying to attract visitors, but it’s also to work with businesses to help attract their talent because so often they get a good candidate on the line and they go, ‘I love the job, but why would I come to Indiana? We want to give them the tools to answer that question,” Bedel said.

Enjoy the full interview above for more!

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Each and every week on Community Link, Carolene Mays takes a look at an organization or business that is making a positive impact on the community.

This week, Mays was joined by Abby Merritt Baker, Indianapolis ambassador for Mom Walk Collective.

Mom Walk Collective is an organization that works to provide in-person events like walks and online social gatherings to help moms “find their village” and raise the next generation.

“I’ve had various moms of all different stages — you have the mom on maternity leave who just had a baby and then you have a mom of a five-year-old who’s kind of gone through that stage — and you hear people just bouncing ideas off of each other, getting advice. I’ve had people meet and go to the playground afterward and make new friends,” Merritt Baker said.

Click on the video above to watch the full interview.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Each week in Community Link, Carolene Mays takes a look at an organization or business that is making a positive impact on the community.

This week, Mays was joined by Colleen Rusnak, executive director of the Indiana Health Fund, an organization that helps Hoosiers manage their medical debt.

“The Indiana Health Fund has an education platform where we have launched resources to assist families in Indiana to understand their medicals, benefits packages, how to maximize and utilize it, and more,” Rusnak said.

Enjoy the full interview above for more!

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Each week in Community Link, Carolene Mays takes a look at an organization or business that is making a positive impact on the community.

This week, Mays was joined by Krystle Ford, the director of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Youth Orchestra, and discussed how the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra aims to educate through its youth program.

“MYO is a youth and family development program, and we use music as the vehicle to teach life skills to kids and help them grow up to be successful adults,” Ford said.

Enjoy the full interview above for more!

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Each week in Community Link, Carolene Mays takes a look at an organization or business that is making a positive impact on the community.

This week, Mays was joined by Dr. Virginia Caine, director of Marion County Public Health Department, and an associate professor of medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine.

Dr. Caine has been recognized as instrumental and committed to addressing public issues and joins us in discussing how to prioritize your health.

“The key thing we’re looking at is that mental health has almost become our number one priority. People don’t always have access to behavior specialists and sometimes, they self-medicate because of depression, anxiety, and a number of behavioral issues. We’re seeing a higher suicide rate, especially in our youth, so it is a huge concern for us,” Dr. Caine said.

Watch the full interview above for more!

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Each week in Community Link, Carolene Mays takes a look at an organization or business that is making a positive impact on the community.

This week, Mays was joined by Andrea Neely, president and chief executive officer of Simon Youth Foundation, and Jeff Patchen, the board governance chair.

Simon Youth Foundation is an organization headquartered in Indianapolis that works to encourage youth to pursue their dreams through education and provide opportunities to do so.

“The Simon Youth Foundation supports different school districts with their alternative education students. We support them with financial support that enhances the work of educators in addition to scholarships that help our students transition into the workforce,” Neely said.

Watch the full interview above for more!

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Each week in Community Link, Carolene Mays takes a look at an organization or business that is making a positive impact on the community.

A nationally based organization serves hundreds of Indianapolis youth each year through mentoring based educational programs. It’s called 100 Black Men of Indianapolis.

This week, Mays was joined by the Executive Director of the organization, William Durham.

“Our mission is men giving real time to positively impact the development and outcomes of youth in our community,” he said.

Watch the full interview above for more!

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Each week in Community Link, Carolene Mays takes a look at an organization or business that is making a positive impact on the community.

This week, Mays was joined by Dr. Veron Cantrell, marketing team member for “Upon This Rock Passion Play.

This is the longest-running African-American Easter production in the country. They are celebrating its 40th year and final season. Cantrell joined Mays to share more on what you can expect from this year’s production.

“We bring over 300 cast and crew together from 30 to 50 churches throughout the greater Indianapolis area. All denominations, cultures, backgrounds, and ethnicities. We come together to share the story of Easter and the good news,” Cantrell said.

To learn more about the production, watch the full interview above.