Mayor Visits Fay Biccard Glick Center 

It was a time of discovery for Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson when he visited the Fay Biccard Glick Neighborhood Center December 21 as part of his town hall meeting in Pike Township.

CEO Helen Lands took the Mayor on a tour of the facility so he could see first hand how these services have shaped local residents' lives. Lands told the Mayor that the facility and its services first started in 1984 in a small white house at 6887 Township Line Road. It was known as the Crooked Creek Multi Service Center. However, it outgrew the facility and by 1998 the center moved to 2990 W. 71st Street by purchasing the Steak'N Shake site. In 2006, Developer Gene B. Glick purchased the naming rights and renamed the facility to Fay Bicarrd Glick Neighborhood Center. The center is named after Glick's mother.

The facility is still in an expanding mode to provide more services as a 12,000 square foot Glick Family Pavilion with a gymnasium is still under construction. The mayor asked his staff to be cognizant of the spring calendar so he could attend the grand opening. Lands also said future plans include the possibility of building senior housing on the remaining five acres.

This neighborhood center provides an array of social services that ranges from preschool development to senior services. It also provides educational resources to help people to obtain their GED or job training through St. Vincent Health Star Program. It offers English as a Second Language (ESL) that has assisted over 300 immigrants to master the English language.

The after school program opens children to a world of music, art and drama.
Peterson watched students practice, under the direction of Jamar Plummer, the basic note drills on the harp cycle.

He also observed early childhood development program called the Sweet Pickles. The disciplined children were busy hand painting, drawing or developing computer skills. Mayor Peterson had engaging conversations with the children as he walked around shaking their hands. One child asked the Mayor if he was really the Mayor.
Peterson also interacted with senior citizens called the Recycled Teenagers. Lucille Gordan said she liked to play rummy cube because it is a good game for seniors. "It makes me think," she said.