Culture of Good

 About the Initiative

The Dayspring Center is a homeless shelter in the Indianapolis community that focuses largely on homeless families with children. The Dayspring Center is unique in that they allow men and unmarried couples into the shelter, so as not to separate the family. The shelter provides temporary living quarters to help these families – most often members of the working poor – get back on their feet. Because the Dayspring Center exists, these families have a warm bed to sleep in, food to eat, and a private living area where they can shut and lock the door to feel some semblance of normal during this difficult period of their lives.

This organization aligns very well with our Cause of providing Warmth, Comfort, and Security. Because Dayspring Center exists, homeless families throughout Indianapolis have a warm bed, and private living quarters with a door and a lock to provide them with a sense of security while they are getting back on their feet. Additionally, many of their renovation needs revolve around doors, frames, and hardware!

Initiative Update

The Center had significant renovation needs to make it a more secure and comfortable place for the families they house. These needs included:

• Several places in which doors, frames, and hardware need updating or replacing
• New access control systems on some of the main entry doors
• New coats of paint in the living quarters where the families stay

 The Center hosts a summer camp for children each year, which caters mostly to children ages 5-12. The shelter had significand need for food, health, safety and children activities supplies.

Over the course of several months Dealers Wholesale partnered with Dayspring Center to provide for these needs. The Big Good Event was completed in 3 phases:

Phase 1: Supply Drive for the Summer Camp

Phase 2: Painting the residents' living quarters and bathrooms

Phase 3: Install doors and access control systems

For Phase 1, we hosted a Food & Supply Drive for Camp Discovery- the organization’s annual children’s summer camp. This camp gives these children somewhere to go, learn, and grow after school is out so their parents can continue to go to work and move in the direction of being able to afford housing again.

For Phase 2, we spent three days completely repainting the resident rooms and bathrooms. It was heartbreaking to see the strollers, the pack and plays, the toys in these rooms – these are not just homeless individuals. These are families that the Center is helping to find security and normalcy.

For Phase 3, we leaned into our niche as an organization and supplied and installed two new doors in openings that previously had none, and added access control for increased security. In the words of the front desk attendant for resident housing, “These people can feel safe here now.”

For some, it may seem as though it is just a pair of flip-flops and a coloring book. It may just be a fresh coat of paint. They’re just doors. However, for the residents of Dayspring Center, it’s a sense of peace in knowing that their children can have a safe and fun summer. It’s feeling comfortable at a time when no place feels like home. It’s being able to know you are safe when nowhere else feels secure. It’s Warmth, Comfort, and Security- the Dealers Wholesale Cause.