For the eighth year, NARTS Conference attendees will take part in a Community Service Event (CSE) benefiting those in need in our host city. Our Community Service Events are designed to enhance the Conference experience while giving back to the community we visit. This year in Indianapolis, we are excited to announce that Thrifty Threads of The Julian Center will receive our assistance through Project Gratitude.
 
We will be collecting bath products to include:   shampoo, conditioner, ethnic hair products, body wash, body lotion and wash cloths.  They are also in need of: toothpaste, toothbrushes, disposable razors and socks (children’s, ladies’ and men’s).

Please bring some of these items with you or purchase them once you arrive. Tables will be set up all weekend to collect these donations. In past years our tables were over-flowing due to the generosity of our NARTS members. We are excited to see how full our tables will be in 2025!  

The Julian Center  was founded in 1975 to support survivors of domestic and sexual violence throughout Indiana and empower them to recover and build a life for themselves and their families absent of abuse. Over the past 49 years, The Julian Center has transformed from a simple referral service into a nationally recognized agency known for providing services outside the emergency shelter. The Julian Center is the largest domestic violence shelter in Indiana, providing 1,795 survivors with services last year alone. The agency’s mission is to help victims of domestic abuse become survivors through supportive services, education, and cooperative partnerships that foster hope, promote self-sufficiency, and rebuilds lives. Their vision is to equip survivors of domestic violence to live a life free of abuse.

Thrifty Threads is a thrift store and donation center owned and operated by The Julian Center. Proceeds from the  gently used clothes, home goods and furniture they sell help underwrite their victim programs and services survivors. The Julian Center clients shop at Thrifty Threads free-of-charge for items needed to recover and to establish new beginnings. In some cases that might be clothing, furniture, or shoes and toys for their children.

We have the opportunity to brighten the lives of the people this deserving charity supports this year. For many of us Conference is a chance in a lifetime to better ourselves and grow. Our generosity during this Community Service Event could help do just that for others.

Let us all be generous in the giving back and show of respect for those who could use a little help from a friend as the NARTS Community becomes a volunteer of friendship and understanding to those who so deserve a second chance.   

Thank you!
The Board & Staff of NARTS  

“At the end of the day it’s not about what you have or even what you’ve accomplished...it’s about who you’ve lifted up, who you’ve made better. It’s about what you’ve given back.    ~Denzel Washington