YOU ARE CHANGING THE FUTURE OF OUR CITY
Dear Friends of Elevate Indianapolis,
This month, I wanted to offer a special thanks for the ongoing support that makes the mission and impact possible every month.
A few weeks ago, I put a personal “cry for help” on social media, seeking support to create some special mentoring moments by taking a group of our hardworking Eastside young men out for steak dinners.
The response was generous from a combination of family, Elevate supporters, and new friends. Last Friday, a board member, along with two of our mentors and myself, took a group of Purdue Poly High School young men out for dinner, enjoyed rich conversations and laughter, and taught them how to tie a tie.
And, thanks to such a generous response, we will host another special gathering in a few weeks at our Men Need Love Too event! Joined by their Teacher-Mentors and community members, a large group of Arsenal Tech young men will enjoy a great steak dinner by one of Indy's best chefs, mentoring and games, and learn how to tie a tie.
To be it, you got to see it, we often say. I’m grateful to be on the journey with these young men, thanks to the support of our community.
This shared belief in our mission—to create equitable pathways to career advancement for Indianapolis residents—continues to fuel everything we do, allowing us to create impact through long-term transformational leadership. In other words, "the Elevate way."
Over the past year, we’ve seen meaningful momentum. These outcomes are not accidental; they are the result of collaboration, trust, trauma-informed life-on-life mentoring, and a shared commitment to building bridges to opportunities. Opportunities that often would not be accessible to our great students.
Special thanks to Englewood CDC and Church for partnering this week with a large group of our Elevate IPS and Purdue Poly High School do our service learning community volunteering focus. (Pictured below).
Looking ahead, 2026 is about scale and sustainability. We are investing in program quality, strengthening our evaluation practices, and growing strategic partnerships that allow us to serve more students and alumni without compromising the personalized support that defines Elevate.
Thank you for walking alongside us. Your support, advocacy, and partnership make this work possible, and I’m excited about what we will accomplish together in the year ahead.
Serving with you,
Aaron Story
CEO & President, Elevate Indianapolis
