When you walk into the Concord Neighborhood Center, it’s hard to miss the large basketball court in the center of the building. But, the farther you walk inside, you’ll notice the walls highlight generations of families who have turned to the southside facility for much more than basketball.
Lynn Rogers’ family has used Concord for decades, starting with her mother and aunt who attended children’s programs at the facility. Now Rogers, the director of children and youth services, serves about 50 kindergarten through eighth grade students each day, including her great niece.
“I tell folks, ‘I’m a big kid,’ so I get to go to work and play,” said Rogers, who’s worked at the center for 41 years. “I’ve learned so much while being there, and I get to be a teacher and a coach and a mentor.”
To Rogers and others, the center is a “little hidden jewel” for the Old Southside neighborhood and serves families who live between the White River and I-65, and south of Washington Street to County Line Road.
One goal is teaching children about the importance of community. Just take it from Kalani Jones, a 9-year-old who’s been going to Concord for nearly a year. She enjoys participating in the center’s STEM program and helping other kids while they play games.
“If we didn’t have people helping in the community, and other people like me helping, it will be chaos,” Jones said. “Nobody knows how to do stuff and it’s going to be crazy.”
151 years of service
The Concord Neighborhood Center was founded as one of Indiana’s first settlement houses in 1875. The center supported Black, Appalachian, German and Jewish immigrant families.
The facility, originally located on 17 West Morris St., provided English and naturalization classes, children’s programs and assistance with basic needs. Many of those offerings still exist today.
The grant-funded nonprofit continues to provide family social services such as financial assistance for housing, utilities, transportation and more. Plus, families can sign up for early childhood education, with a weekly tuition that starts at $80 for southsiders.
Today, Concord continues to uphold its original mission, but the increasing diversity in the service area makes it harder to effectively support everyone.
“You can’t just come in and say, ‘OK, we’re gonna send a Spanish-speaking person in to teach English classes because actually, what it might be, is Haitian Creole,” said Hallie Robbins, Concord’s resource development coordinator.
The center has found workarounds by using Luna Language Services, an online translation service. That allows staff to understand and communicate with immigrants. Still, the group is looking for more authentic ways to interact with residents.
A home away from home
Concord continues to serve multiple generations of southsiders, including a long line of McIntyres who have attended programs and worked at the facility. Ladonna McIntyre’s aunt and grandmother are just one example. McIntyre started attending the center as a middle schooler before she came back to work with the early learning and youth programs.
“Not only did I grow up here, I grew up with half the kids that I watch now,” McIntyre said. “So I have close bonds with them and it’s nice to see them grow and see what they’re accomplishing.”
And people don’t really age out of the facility.
Some of the ways Concord serves all ages is through its adult enrichment program that facilitates card games, arts and crafts and nickel bingo. The center also partners with local community groups that lead pickleball games on Monday nights and a walking club Thursday mornings at Garfield Park.
Rodney Andrews likes to stop by for pickleball after he leaves work because it’s on his way to his home in Franklin Township. One of the other pickleball players, Hilary Oberlies, also lives outside of the neighborhood. But she goes to the center because of the welcoming staff.
“The staff, they treat the kids (and me) like family,” Oberlies said.
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Mirror Indy reporter Elizabeth Gabriel covers the south side of Marion County. Contact her at elizabeth.gabriel@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X at @_elizabethgabs.
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