Get Involved
To become involved or for more information on the Quality of Life Plan Pillars, Strategies and Actions, contact the organizations listed below:
Arts & Culture
The Harrison Center
www.harrisoncenter.org
info@harrisoncenter.org
Economic Development
Martindale Brightwood Community Development Corporation
https@mbcdc.org
(317) 924-8042
Education – Schools
KIPP Indy Public Schools
https://info.kippindy.org
info@kippindy.org
Education – Martindale Brightwood Education Zone
Edna Martin Christian Center
https://ednamartincc.org/
info@ednamartincc.org
Environmental Justice
Martindale Brightwood Community Development Corporation
https@mbcdc.org
(317) 924-8042
Health & Wellness
Martindale Brightwood Health & Wellness Coalition
MBhealth.wellness2025@gmail.com
Housing & Infrastructure
Martindale Brightwood Community Development Corporation
https@mbcdc.org
(317) 924-8042
Neighborhood Engagement
One Voice Martindale Brightwood
kmcmillin@citizensenergygroup.com
Public Safety
Brightwood Community Center
https://www.brightwoodcc.org
(317) 602-4780
Workforce Development
Edna Martin Christian Center
https://ednamartincc.org
info@ednamartincc.org
Youth Engagement
Felege Hiywot Center
https://fhcenter.org/
info@fhcenter.org
Neighborhoods (2024)
One Voice Martindale Brightwood, Kenya McMillin – President
kmcmillin@citizensenergygroup.com
Brightwood Concerned Citizens, Vernon Compton – President
vrcompton.vc@gmail.com
Hillside, Jacklyn McMillan Gunn - President
erdie6@aol.com
Oakhill, Wiletta Atkins - President
watkinswilms@gmail.com
Ralston Hovey Arsenal Andrew J. Brown, Hattie Carlis - President
hattieokundaye@gmail.com
Martindale Brightwood Environmental Justice Collaborative, Elizabeth Gore - Chair
lizgore280@gmail.com
Martindale Brightwood Code Compliance Committee, Jacklyn McMillan Gunn -Chair
erdie6@aol.com
Acknowledgements
The effort to create this Quality of Life Plan engaged hundreds of neighbors and stakeholders over many months. It’s not possible in this brief space to recognize everyone’s contributions, but One Voice Martindale Brightwood is deeply grateful to all who contributed to the completion of this project by their guidance, support, and encouragement. Their expertise, lived experiences, knowledge, and constructive feedback have been instrumental in shaping the vision for Martindale Brightwood’s future and the plan to fulfill that mission.
One Voice Martindale Brightwood initiated and led the development of this Quality of Life Plan. One Voice is the community congress representing Martindale Brightwood’s four neighborhood associations: Brightwood Concerned Citizens, Oakhill Civic Association, Hillside Neighborhood Association, and Ralston Hovey Andrew J. Brown Neighborhood Association.
The following leaders, drawn from these four neighborhood groups, were at the forefront of this project:
One Voice Martindale Brightwood – Executive Committee
Kenya McMillan, President
Delma Williams, Vice President
Jacklyn McMillan Gunn, Secretary
Sh’Ron Rucker, Treasurer
We also wish to recognize these former presidents of One Voice Martindale Brightwood for their leadership during past Quality of Life Plans:
Shirley Webster
Pat Ladd
Amy Harwell
James Wilson
Charles “Tony” Knight
Phyllis Banks
These Neighborhood Associations and community based organizations also contributed significantly to the plan’s development.
Brightwood Concerned Citizens – Vernon Compton, President
Hillside – Jacklyn McMillan Gunn, President
Oakhill – Wiletta Atkins, President
Ralston Hovey Andrew J Brown - Hattie Carlis, President
Hillside HOTIF
Martindale Brightwood Environmental Justice Collaborative – Elizabeth Gore
Martindale Brightwood Code Compliance and Land Use Committee – Jacklyn McMillan Gunn
The MOVE-MB Collaborative consists of dedicated stakeholders who serve the neighborhood through a Collective Impact Model, and consists of the following organizations:
Brightwood Community Center
Citizens Energy Group
Eastern Star Church
Edna Martin Christian Center
Felege Hiywot Center
The Harrison Center
HealthNet Corporation
The Indianapolis Recorder
Indy Parks – Frederick Douglass park,
KIPP Indy Public Schools
Martin University
Martindale Brightwood Community Development Corporation
Mirror Indy Newspaper
Oasis Christian Community Development Corporation
One Voice
Stop the Violence
Additional supporters of MOVE-MB include:
Carrington Sanders, Mayor’s Neighborhood Advocate
Reb. Robin Shackleford, Indiana House District 98
Rep. Greg Porter, Indiana House District 96
Sen. La Keisha Jackson, Indiana Senate District 34
Councilor Ron Gibson, Indianapolis City-County Council District 8
Councilor Jesse Brown, Indianapolis City-County Council District 13
Gina Fears, MB Community Builder
Financial Supporters
We are grateful to our numerous financial supporters for sharing their resources, encouragement, and patience. Their constant support for and belief in our community’s resiliency and value have been driving forces behind our pursuit of excellence. These include, but are not limited to:
Citizens Energy and other 150-year celebration sponsors
Martindale Brightwood Community Development Corporation
Garret Fraizer
Groundswell Communities, LLC
Local News for Indiana
Starfish
The Harrison Center
Hillside Neighborhood Association
Brightwood Community Center
Tysha Hardy-Sellers
Herron Management
Miss Willeta Adkins
Additionally, we extend special appreciation to Lilly Endowment, Inc., and the Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center for their targeted financial sponsorship of our Quality of Life Implementation Plan’s product development.
Outreach Sponsors, Supplemental Support
The following external partners committed significant resources to stakeholder engagement and plan development. These supports (financial, thought partnership, in-kind commitments, etc.). were critical to this multi-year effort:
John Boner Neighborhood Centers
Central Indiana Community Foundation
Citizens Energy Group
City of Indianapolis – Department of Metropolitan Development
Garrison Frazier
Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center
Indianapolis Public Schools
Indianapolis Urban League - IAAQLI
Intend Indiana
Lilly Endowment, Inc.
Local Initiative Support Corporation
United Way of Central Indiana
Event Hosts
During the planning process, the following organizations opened their facilities so that neighbors had places to gather and share with each other their visions for the future of Martindale Brightwood, and their hospitality is deeply appreciated:
Edna Martin Christian Center
IndyParks – Frederick Douglass Park
KIPP Indy Schools
Martin University
Thought Leadership & Content Development
Black Onyx Management provided facilitation, data collection, and analysis to this plan, including the following people:
Marshawn Wolley
Doneisha Posey
Robert Marshall
Roxy Hui
Demetrees Hutchins
Authors
While the enclosed implementation plan represents the collective input of the Martindale Brightwood community, the MB Collective also recognizes the following authors for their translation of the community’s voice into the plan’s narrative:
Gina Lewis Alexander
Aster Bekele
Barato Britt
Anthony Conley
Martha Cortes
Gina Fears
Andrew Hart
Lamont Hulse
Immanuel Ivey
Brittany Keno
Shonna Majors
Amina Pierson
Doneisha Posey
Tysha Hardy Sellers
Andrew Siebert
Joanna Taft
Production Team
Lamont Hulse, Edna Martin Christian Center
Immanuel Ivey, Edna Martin Christian Center
Cierra Johnson, Harrison Center for the Arts
Camike Jones, Editor
Robert Shegog, General Manager, Indianapolis Recorder
A special acknowledgment is extended to the Indianapolis Recorder newspaper, an anchor in Martindale Brightwood and the longest running African American newspaper in Indiana, for their significant contributions in the design and production of the final plan document.
Thank you to Ms. Cierra Johnson for creative design of this document and for her inspirational commitment to placemaking in Martindale Brightwood as a Harrison Center Fellow.