Norwood Place and Brenda McAtee

“The process that our neighborhood went through, both with Study Circles and IMAGINE, gave us renewed energy and community pride that we have not had for a long time. We have become a community…” – Brenda McAtee

Neighbors of Norwood Place Gather

While attending an INRC-facilitated technical assistance session in the Barrington Area on the Southeast side of Indianapolis in 2007, Brenda McAtee completed an application for the “Youth Sign Design and Asset Inventory”. While implementing that project, Brenda worked with many of her neighbors to establish a Norwood Place neighborhood identity and celebrate pride in their community.

Brenda remains in an active leadership role with Norwood Place, and has celebrated many changes. Since 2008, Norwood Place has: helped pass a complete streets ordinance, in conjunction with AARP; celebrated the neighborhood’s first reunion since 1984 (held in 2011); and, served as the kick-off site for the City of Indianapolis’s Abandoned Structures Initiative by demolishing a home on Earhart Street.

And, the Norwood neighborhood has become a diverse, family-oriented neighborhood where all greet and help each other.

Children in Norwood are active with the Summer Supervised Program – called Kids Matter – held in Brenda McAtee’s yard and in empty lots in the community. WISH-TV even stopped by to cover the program. Because of the increase of children in the neighborhood, future plans include building a new Norwood recreation center.