Denell Howard remembers watching an elderly woman routinely walk around the parking lot of the former Indianapolis Public School 11 on the northeast side.
“She felt safe walking the parking lot and she would just be making her rounds,” Howard said. “I told her one day, I said, we’re going to have a walking trail all the way around this building so that you can walk safe.”
Howard, the pastor of Hovey Street Church of Christ, did just that.
The Evolve Education Center Walking Trail and Labyrinth opened in March around the former school. The gravel pathway was created out of a partnership between the Evolve International Inc., From the Ground Up Foods and the Diabetes Impact Project — Indianapolis Neighborhoods, called DIP-IN for short. The goal is to provide a safe space for people to exercise and reduce the risk of diabetes.
Walkers take off after the official ribbon cutting to The Evolve Education Center Walking Trail and Labyrinth on March 20, 2025, at former IPS School 11 on the east side of Indianapolis. Credit: Lora Olive for Mirror Indy 
Credit: Lora Olive for Mirror Indy 
Credit: Lora Olive for Mirror Indy 
Credit: Lora Olive for Mirror Indy 
Credit: Lora Olive for Mirror Indy 
Credit: Lora Olive for Mirror Indy
The northeast side has been identified as an area with a high number of people affected by diabetes. Residents in the area also have a high risk of getting diabetes.
Howard plans to turn the old school building into The Evolve Education Center — a community center focused on education, empowerment and leadership skills. He is working on receiving funds to renovate the building.
But in the meantime, there’s already a community farm on the property, which is near East 42nd Street and Millersville Road.
How DIP-IN works
DIP-IN is an effort from IU Indianapolis focused on diabetes prevention.
The project works with residents to determine what types of resources the neighborhood needs and wants.
“Physical activity, healthy eating, mental health and social connection are all things that we have found within studies and literature here at the School of Public Health that influence the fact that people might become diabetic,” said Natalie Oslund, the northeast project manager for DIP-IN.
Oslund said many residents identified the need for a safe — and free — place to stay physically active.
In addition to the walking path, a meditation labyrinth was created on the property. Off to the side of the trail, black mulch was laid to create a maze-like path people can walk along. Oslund said the purpose of the labyrinth is to help people focus on their mental health. Walking around a labyrinth can help clear your mind and improve your mood.
“If someone wants to go to pray or meditate or just walk, it gives you the space to just take some deep breaths within a beautiful nature setting and kind of get your mind recentered,” Oslund said.
Autumn Lowry, the owner of From the Ground Up Foods, runs the community garden and farm. She has plans for fitness programs and wellness workshops using the labyrinth and trail.
“There’s access to fresh vegetables out here, and fruit,” Lowry said. “There’s trees with berries along the trail, so people can walk and pick berries if they want to.”
Lowry said she hopes the trail and labyrinth will become a community gathering place.
“I already see people out there with their kids and walking their dogs,” Lowry said. “It’s a great way to be part of the community and get to know your neighbors.”
If you go
The Evolve Education Center Walking Trail and Labyrinth, 3202 E. 42nd St., are open to the public from dawn to dusk.
A correction was made on April 2: A previous version of this story misspelled Denell Howard’s name.
Mirror Indy reporter Darian Benson covers east Indianapolis. Contact her at 317-397-7262 or darian.benson@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X @HelloImDarian or on Bluesky @darianbenson.bsky.social.
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