Stories
Heeding MLK’s Call to Serve—365 Days a Year
On Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday every year—a national day of service—we celebrate not only his legacy but also LISC's AmeriCorps members, who are answering his call to action and dedicating themselves to serve the under-resourced communities we work with, every day of the year. Since the program's inception, LISC AmeriCorps has placed more than 3,400 full- and part-time members in over 102 communities across the country. Meet some of them here, and learn about new and creative ways they are fueling equity and impact through their service.
Single Parents are Saving Energy and Staying in School at Indiana’s First Net-Zero Affordable Housing Community
Black and White Investments LLC, with help from a $635,000 permanent loan, added a solar array to housing for low-income adults attending college, helping manage the property’s sustainable features and reducing energy costs. The project can be a model for affordable housing everywhere.
2023 LISC Small Business Holiday Gift Guide
This holiday season, support LISC small business borrowers and find the perfect gift for everyone on your list! All of the businesses featured here have received LISC capital to acquire their location, hire new staff, or increase inventory to help their business grow.
“I Didn't Know What a Business Plan Was”: How LISC + Verizon Are Helping Entrepreneurs Flourish
How does an emerging entrepreneur learn the ropes of small business-building if they don't have someone to advise them? Angel Fant, owner of Coqovel Cosmetics and Skin Care in Indianapolis, is one of dozens of diverse entrepreneurs around the country who, with help from LISC, are accessing online business courses, one-on-one coaching, grants and other free resources that are part of Verizon's Small Business Digital Ready initative. Watch her inspiring story!
LISC-NPQ Series: Organizing a Community Around Food Sovereignty
Ashley Gurvitz, CEO of LISC partner United Northeast Community Development Corporation in Indianapolis, describes how neighbors are devising and carrying out strategies to bring healthy, affordable food and independent distribution systems to an area that corporate grocery chains have ignored and abandoned.
During Filipino American History Month, Reflecting on What a Cultural Center Can Mean to a Community
In this Community Wise blog, LISC Indianapolis’ Ephraim Palmero celebrates his community, and the journeys and contributions of Filipino Americans who have come before him. Community centers, he argues, like the Philippines Cultural Community Center in Indy, are invaluable spaces and resources for the members of any diaspora, and they form an intrinsic part of inclusive community development that we must support.