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Old Value City site may get facelift: Youth center to be built on far-east side

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One viral Facebook post was the start of a much larger, critical conversation about youth in Indianapolis. Derris Ross, founder of the Ross Foundation, is looking to start his own youth center, but not just the typical place for recreational gatherings. This center has a possibility of coming to life at the location of the former Value City Department Store on 38th Street and Arlington Avenue, a neighborhood swamped with crime.

As the Facebook post grew in popularity, so did the GoFundMe page created to help raise more than $1 million to jumpstart funding for the youth center. So far, a little over $600 has been raised, and the funding page has been shared more than 2,000 times.

This isn’t the first time the Indianapolis community has heard the Ross name; the Ross Foundation was started in 2014 and began with one simple event that quickly developed into much more.

“Last Halloween I decided to give away 150 candy baskets to children, but over 300 kids showed up,” said Ross, who held the event at a local tattoo shop he owns. “I ran out of baskets, but I had enough candy for everyone, and it truly felt good. Once you start doing something like that, it’s an addiction and the best feeling in the world.”

Since last October, The Ross Foundation has held a Thanksgiving event where more than 400 people were given meals and a Christmas toy drive where more than 1,000 toys were given to 500 children. The organization also holds monthly peace rallies that often attract hundreds of people.

“I grew up on 42nd and Post, and from the experience of growing up out there, I always had a passion to give back,” said Ross. “I’ve worked with a lot of youth, community outreach programs and nonprofits in the past, and I’ve seen these people receive grant money and donations but not utilizing the funding like they are supposed to. It’s one of the biggest problems in our city, because the community isn’t benefiting from this money. I thought, maybe I could create my own nonprofit organization, get the city and community behind me.”

After the Thanksgiving event, “No Family Will Starve,” people noticed how serious Ross was about giving back to the community and joined The Ross Foundation team and board. One of those individuals is Summer Flowers.

“Once the Thanksgiving event took place, I knew I wanted to be involved at that point. I had seen all of the things Derris was doing; I knew there was so much potential,” Flowers said.

The idea for the youth center sparked once Ross had an idea to start a school to teach children the aspects of life many educational institutions do not teach, such as financial literacy, morals and respect, the importance of mentorships and more.

“Even if it’s not at Value City, it will be established. We’re looking at a lot of places. The Menards on 38th and Shadeland is closing, and a place on 38th and Post will also be available. I want to be done by fall of 2017 or summer of 2018,” explained Ross.

The center will offer cooking classes, recreational classes, swimming lessons, early childhood development, adult learning classes and a clinic. All services would be free of charge for children, and paid memberships would be available for adults.

“When the vision came up about the youth center, it seemed perfect. Not only do we know what the heart of those people want in that area, we also know what they need,” Flowers said. “Many of the children and neighbors just need love, and that’s what the youth center will give them. We want to be a community center for not just the far-east side, but for all of Indianapolis.”

When asked how the foundation planned to obtain the funding for the center, Ross mentioned the space has an interested investor, and if the foundation can show good use of the space, they will be given the green light. Currently, the eight board members and Ross are working on a business plan to draw out the details.

Until then, Ross said the foundation will continue to interact with the youth, provide positive activities for them and encourage the community to do the same.

“Once you get to the point where you feel like you want to give up, you know you have so many people looking up to you. That’s why I always tell people, ‘Be the difference and get involved,’ because once you start doing that, it’s like food to your stomach.”

For more information, visit TheRossFoundationCommunity.org.

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