Holiday help – The Carmel Fire Dept. is seeking residents to sponsor a family in need this holiday season by providing gifts or delivering food baskets through its Community Assistance Program. Register by Dec. 1 to sponsor a family. The delivery will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. Dec. 8. Register and learn more at carmel.in.gov/department-services/fire/department-activities-events/community-assistance-program.
College news – Mackenzie Gonzalez of Carmel was among 70 University of Nebraska-Lincoln freshmen recognized as Big Red Scholars at a reception Nov. 16. The awards were presented by Chancellor Ronnie Green and Executive Vice Chancellor Donde Plowman. Big Red Scholars are students who are National Merit and National Hispanic finalists or who have a perfect ACT/SAT score, putting them in the top 1 percent of the 2018 freshman class. Gonzalez, a graduate of Carmel High School, earned a Chancellor’s Scholarship.
Museum event – The Museum of Miniature Houses, 111 E. Main St., will host Miniatures by Candlelight from 4 to 7 p.m. Dec. 1. Admission is free. Guests can view the museum’s collection and listen to carolers perform throughout the evening.
Swim club gives back – For the third consecutive year, the Carmel Swim Club partnered with Circle City Relief for Trunk or Treat. Swimmers decorated cars in their favorite movie themes and handed out thousands of pieces of candy and snack bars to those needing a safe place to trick or treat. Circle City Relief is an organization in Indianapolis that serves the homeless, hidden homeless, people experiencing poverty, addiction, abuse and isolation. It serves 300 people each week by distributing 300 pizzas and 150 cups of soup, along with clothing and various items.
Reserve skating times online – The City of Carmel has unveiled a new online ticketing service to make it easier to reserve time and ice skates for the upcoming holiday and winter seasons of skating at the Ice at Center Green. The new website utilizes a program called Ticket Spice and is an online ticket purchasing portal that will enable visitors to guarantee their spot on the ice by purchasing tickets and reserving skates in advance. Find the online ticketing portal at TheIceAtCenterGreen.com.
Toy drive – Donatello’s Italian Restaurant, 9 W. Main St. in Carmel, is bringing back its annual toy drive to benefit The Villages, Indiana’s largest not-for-profit child and family services agency. The organization serves more than 1,400 children and their families each day, including children in the foster care system. Participants can drop off an unopened and unwrapped toy at Donatello’s until Dec. 10 during regular business hours.
Art grant applications due – The City of Carmel is seeking applications for 2019 City Arts Grants, a program designed to support local arts organizations whose work keeps Carmel vibrant and appealing to residents and visitors. Funding for the grants is based on 1 percent of the city budget. Mayor Jim Brainard reviews each application and recommends the arts grants. The deadline for the initial round of applications is Nov. 30. Learn more at carmel.in.gov/ArtsGrants.
Tyler Trent bobblehead – The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum has unveiled an officially licensed, limited edition bobblehead featuring Tyler Trent, the 20-year old Carmel High School and Purdue University graduate who is fighting cancer. The hall of fame will donate $5 from each bobblehead sold to two charities of Trent’s choice, the V Foundation for Cancer Research and the Tyler Trent Cancer Research Endowment. The bobbleheads cost $30 plus $8 for shipping. Learn more at store.bobbleheadhall.com/products/tylerstrong
Engineering opportunities for students – INDOT is offering civil engineering students scholarships and paid employment during summer breaks and upon graduation. Students must be accepted or enrolled full time in one of Indiana’s certified civil engineering schools and apply using the form at INDOTScholarship.IN.gov. Applications must be submitted by Dec. 31.
Special exhibit – The Museum of Miniature Houses presents the Founders’ Exhibit, celebrating the museum’s 25th anniversary. Houses and room boxes made by the co-founders will be on display, as well as historical artifacts of how Main Street looked 25 years ago, handwritten financial ledgers from the museum’s first years, and more. Exhibit runs through Jan. 6, 2019.
Legislative internships – The Indiana Senate Republican Caucus is offering paid spring-semester internships in its legislative, legal, policy, communications and information technology offices during the 2019 session of the Indiana General Assembly. Candidates must be at least college sophomores or older. For more information or to access an application, visit IndianaSenateRepublicans.com/Intern. The deadline to apply is Oct. 31.
Town hall meetings – State Sen. John Ruckelshaus (R-Indianapolis) invites resident of District 30 to a bipartisan town hall meeting set for 7 p.m. Dec. 6 at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 100 W. 86th St. in Indianapolis.
Youth Leadership program open – United Way of Central Indiana is accepting applications for the 2019 Youth Leadership United Program. This program teaches high school students about the nonprofit sector and how to serve on a nonprofit board. High school freshmen, sophomores and juniors who live in Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Marion or Morgan counties may apply. The deadline to apply is Oct. 31. Apply online at uwci.org/ylu.
Creative writers meetings – Carmel Creative Writers wants to give writers of all levels and genres the opportunity to network, learn and share. Join us for our meetings on the second Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at Hoosier Salon, 22 N. Range Line Rd. Guest speakers, a yearly anthology, and input on your writing samples are all part of our meetings. For more, email [email protected].
Newcomers Club – Newcomers Club of Carmel, a non-profit social club, connects its members with friends, engages in fun activities and explores the community. Monthly activities include a welcome coffee, a luncheon event and 32 interest group meetings. Membership represents Carmel, Westfield, Fishers, Noblesville, Zionsville and Indianapolis. For more, visit carmelnewcomers.com or call 317-564-8349
Ladies tea – Fellowship in Christ Church, 310 N. Range Line Rd., will host Coffee, Tea, and Thee for ladies from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays. This is open to all women in the community and there is no cost to attend.
Stethoscope Series – The Carmel Clay Public Library, 55 4th Ave SE, will host Planning for End of Life: Medical and Legal Considerations as part of its Stethoscope Series from 6 to 7 p.m. Dec. 3 in the Program Room. Dr. Erin Newton and attorney Diane Kennedy will explore the resources of palliative care and hospice, legal considerations and more.
Hospital launches valet parking – Free valet parking is now available for patients and visitors at Indiana University Health North Hospital. The valet is stationed at the north entrance of the hospital. When drivers are ready to retrieve their car, they may text the valet team or stop by the valet stand. Valet parking is available from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
No Shave November – Officers and employees of the Carmel Police Dept. are joining together to raise awareness about cancer and gather donations for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society during the month of November by participating in “No Shave November.” Donate at crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/cpdnoshavenovember or by dropping off a check at the police department, 3 Civic Square in Carmel. The Great Shave Off will occur at 9 a.m. Dec. 2 at Main Street Barber. Awards will be given for the best mustache, best goatee, best beard and best attempt.
Centier gives back – During a time of the year in which many nonprofits are stepping up to help those in need, Centier Bank is seeking to reward these organizations through “Giving Days,” a program designed to raise funds for nonprofits through mid-December. The nonprofits selected for “Giving Days” include Habitat for Humanity of Hamilton County, Hamilton County Youth Assistance and Chaucie’s Place. For every visitor mentioning “Giving Days” to a Centier associate, the bank will donate $10 to a participating organization.
Home values increase – Sellers in Carmel once again saw their home values increase last month. According to F.C. Tucker, the average sale price for homes sold in Carmel in October 2018 was $406,070 at an average of $147.18 per square foot, a 5.4 percent price increase. Homes in the city sold 21 days faster than this time last year at 35 days.
Milestone achieved – Daniel Gordon of Zionsville has sold is 25,000th GEICO policy, an achievement that puts him in an elite class and symbolizes his dedication to customer service. Gordon works at the Carmel office and has spent 12 years with the company.
Carmel a top place to retire – Carmel ranks eighth on the 2018 10 Best Places to Retire list by Livability.com. To compile the rankings, Livability’s data scientists analyzed U.S. cities with a population between 20,000 and 300,000 and weeded out places with high healthcare costs. Eligible cities were ranked on more than 20 data points, including community engagement, safety, affordability and air quality. Carmel earned a spot on the list thanks to its highly educated population, low crime rate, unparalleled access to healthcare and ample outdoor spaces. Naples, Fla., ranked No. 1.
New hire – Carmel-based MJ Insurance has appointed Rebecca Sterchi as employee benefits consultant. She has more than 20 years in the human resources and employee benefits field, most recently with Apex Benefits Group. In her new role, Sterchi will provide innovative solutions and consultation to MJ Insurance clients by aligning their employee benefits strategy with their business goals.
Purple Ink receives award – Carmel-baed Purple Ink LLC has been honored with a 2018 When Work Works Award for exemplary workplace practices. The award is part of the Society for Human Resource Management’s When Work Works project, a national initiative that helps employers become more successful by transforming the way they view and adopt effective and flexible workplaces. The award recognizes employers of all sizes across the country that are excelling at offering a variety of top-rated employee initiatives such as work-life fit policies, flexible scheduling and transition to parenthood programs.
Donate used smartphones – TCC Gives, a Carmel-based nonprofit that provides programs, resources and grant opportunities to improve communities, recently donated more than 500 smartphones to help victims of domestic and sexual violence stay connected to loved ones through its More Than a Phone program, which provides smartphones along with data, text and talk services for four months to domestic violence survivors. Community members are encouraged to donate smartphones they no longer use by dropping them off at a TCC Verizon Authorized Retailer location. Learn more at tccgives.com.
Memory support suites – CarDon & Associates, Inc., a Bloomington-based provider of senior housing, rehabilitation and long-term care services, has opened new memory support suites at Carmel Health & Living Community, 118 Medical Drive in Carmel. The 27-bed memory support unit consists of 23 private suites and two companion suites. Call 317-844-4211 or visit carmelhealthliving.com for more information.
