- Look for the good in the day to day.
- Decide what finding the good means to you and how you want to share it. This could be through a short paragraph, a photograph, a playlist, a video, or a combination of any of these.
- Send it to lifelonglearning@ivytech.edu.
- Look for your post on our website and our social media. Share with your friends and family and encourage them to participate!
- Visit these sites when you need some inspiration and hope.
- We also encourage you to add songs that are helping you get through this time to our playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/39lo9Xpf2LlDq0CQpG13gZ?si=L4qtRcPtRKGJ91PmjnsVrA - Support the Ivy Tech Youth Scholarship Foundation by purchasing Find the Good apparel through the 1818 Apparel Co. here!
5-15-2020: Finding the Good through arts and crafts!

5-15-2020: Michael Cervantes


This Big Friendly Tank has been helping Cardinal Spirits make hand sanitizer for the community!
5-15-2020: Jillian Campbell

Everything is super uncertain right now, but I can always count on my friends to keep me sane. Virtual cocktail hours, our never-ending text chain, and the occasional socially distant hang-out are a few ways we've managed to keep in touch during quarantine. I even got to have a parking lot skate date with my buddy Paige! Note that responsible social distance!
The prospect of getting to hug my friends again has been a light at the end of the tunnel during this pandemic, and something I greatly look forward to. Until then, we'll keep finding creative ways to make each other smile.
Cheers,
Jill
Community Spotlight of the Day 5-14-2020: 1818 Apparel
A simple message that speaks volumes. Shop “Find the Good” apparel today!
https://www.1818apparel.com/shop-1

5-14-2020: Audrey Clampitt
11-year old Audrey Clampitt has been singing since before she could talk. When things started to change due to COVID-19, she decided to use her musical talents to bring hope to Bloomington. Audrey wrote a song called Overcome and with the help of her dad, produced a video to share her message of hope with Bloomington.
Here is a link to a full story on Audrey, including her video and song: https://www.cfbmc.org/11-year-old-delivers-message-of-hope-through-music/
5-14-2020: State of the R






Thank you!
Richelle (SotR)
The Message Behind This Artwork:
“Aiming to bring some hope and love to anyone in need of it during this COVID-19 saga” is the driving force underlying the creation of these three pillars of public art.
Mental health is such an important aspect of holistic wellbeing, and art can remind us that we are not alone, especially in this pandemic. One of the primary drivers of SotR’s artwork is to allow others to connect and feel empowered in the little things we can do to try and help ourselves and, as importantly, others stay strong and safe.
The title of this piece is ‘Hope, [Soap, Mask, Distance], + Love’ to highlight the public health guidance to protect ourselves and others around us to beat COVID-19. Stay strong, B-town! #ArtIsMovement
“Many thanks to Adam and the Artisan Alley family for being such powerful supporters of art and helping our community!”
State of the R (SotR) Bio:
“It doesn’t have to be perfect; it just needs to feel right” is my core artistic mantra, and inspires my confidently imperfect characters which dare you to be you. As a strong proponent of mental health awareness, self-care, and self-empowerment for all, SotR uses her creations to reflect on feelings and supports, while being careful not to get in the way of, others doing the same. You will see that her works reflect a range of emotions conveyed through the use of textures, strokes, colors, and mediums to generate artwork which is affective, reflecting an edgy, street art sensibility. #MoreLoveLessHate
Community Spotlight of the Day 5-8-2020: Monroe County Humane Association






Poor Abby was hit by a car and visits MCHA for weekly bandage changes. It is essential she receives these changes – otherwise, she could lose her leg due to infection.
Lucky had a cyst that appeared two months ago. Due to a lack of funding, his owner tried to treat it at home. Lucky’s cyst was infected, needed flushed thoroughly, and provided antibiotics.
Scruffy was recently attacked and then disappeared from his home. Once his family found him, it became clear he was hiding and not eating due to pain from an injury incurred while he was out. Scruffy’s abscess wasn’t apparent until we performed a thorough exam and shaved his fur.
Hank was new to his home, became scared, and ran off. He returned three days later with a nasty gash on his neck from being tangled up in something. His wounds needed cleaned, bandaged, and treated with antibiotics for infection.
Loki, only 16 weeks old, was new to his family when the shelter in place order began and hadn’t received any vaccines yet. He wasn’t eating, acted lethargic, and had diarrhea. His mom was worried it might be something worse and life-threatening. Loki didn’t have parvo, but he had roundworms inside him that needed immediate treatment. While he was with us, we started his vaccine series, helping to insure a long and health life.
To the staff at MCHA, “finding the good” means being able to assist these pets, and their owners, that need care most.
MCHA recently moved to our brand new Animal Care Campus, located at 791 S Fieldstone Blvd in Bloomington. This campus will be home to a full-service Nonprofit Veterinary Clinic, Pet Food & Supply Pantry, Grooming, Emergency Housing Center, Pet Memorial Garden, and public dog walking trails.
For more information, please visit www.monroehumane.org.
5-5-2020: The Red Wheelbarrow

The Red Wheelbarrow
By William Carlos Williams
so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens
5-5-20: Hi Friend

When we moved into our home nearly 4 years ago, our new neighbors one street over always had encouraging messages written on their fence. Their messages of hope and positivity always made me smile, even when I didn't necessarily feel like it. I was sad when the messages stopped.
And now we feel so lucky that family has become our good friends. Last week, a friendly message appeared on their fence again. As I was making my weekly nervous trip to pick up our groceries, this made me smile so much that I had to get a picture.
5-4-2020: Thank you health care workers!
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4-29-2020: Meet Cricket
Community Spotlight of the Day 4-27-2020: Bloomington Creative Glass Center



A letter from Executive Director, Abby Gitlitz:
BCGC is currently closed to the public with the risk of COVID 19, but we still have a skeleton staff of two working. We wanted to figure out a way to give back to the community and we wanted an excuse to make art.
There are so many people working to make the world a better place right now, putting their lives and their health on the line. Grocery store workers, mail delivery people, pharmacists, food delivery folks. Anne Braham gave us the fabulous idea of making little glass hearts to give to people to show them our appreciation.
Since we posted the opportunity for the public to request their own hearts, we have made over 1500 glass hearts that have been sent to seven states, and 15 cities in Indiana. And the requests are still coming in. We will continue making these glass giveaways as long as there is interest.
The hearts are free, but we are asking folks to make a donation to the Bloomington Creative Glass Center to help us continue our mission of providing high-quality glass art education to the public.
We now have a online sign-up to request hearts.
https://docs.google.com/…/1FAIpQLScLUii4YgdyvbDCQi…/viewform
How to support Bloomington Creative Glass Center: http://www.bloomingtoncreativeglasscenter.org/support-us.html
Community Spotlight of the Day 4-24-2020: Lotus

Lotus Blossoms Study Guides Available to the Public
Lotus Blossoms is our annual four-week intensive outreach program that brings world musicians and artists to south-central Indiana every spring. Each year, Lotus staff and interns create study guides that are sent to the K-12 schools where our visiting artists perform and lead workshops.

Lotus Blossoms: Kalapriya South Asian dancers of Chicago.
“Because students won’t be able to experience Lotus Blossoms artists in person this year, we wanted to provide a way to use the materials we have prepared to connect Lotus Blossoms artists to students and audiences of all ages virtually,” Lotus Graduate Assistant Katie Bethel said. “These study guides can serve as an educational resource, or just a chance to escape into engaging and high-quality art and world cultures.”
The Lotus mission is to create opportunities to experience, celebrate, and explore the diversity of the world’s cultures through music and the arts. In 2019, Lotus staff hosted focus groups with local area educators to ask how Lotus could better serve K-12 students. Many educators noted that students benefitted from stronger connections with visiting Lotus artists. Lotus listened and decided to make the experiences for students stronger by not only scheduling performances but by scheduling artists to visit classrooms, give talks about their lives and cultures, and practice songs with the children before the performance so that they could participate.
The study guides are another way that Lotus adds value to students’ learning experience, offering a deeper connection with visiting artists for a more thorough understanding of their work. The guides provide information about the people, language, foods, and customs of the artist’s culture. Additionally, the guides provide beautiful imagery and links to the artist’s music.

Lotus Blossoms: Adilei performs at Child’s Elementary.
The study guides can be found on the Lotus website, under the education tab. It is our pleasure to share these, especially during a time when so many parents are acting as teachers for their children.
To Access the Guides: https://www.lotusfest.org/education/lotus-blossoms-study-guide/
Community Spotlight of the Day 4-23-2020: BAFT

BAFT presents “Shelter In Place Showcase”
1. BAFT Talks: Tutorials from Performing Arts Professionals
2. BAFT Challenges: Prompts for YOU to get involved!
3. BAFT Presents: Content to Entertain!
4. BAFT Connects: Expressions of Thoughts and Feelings.
If you like what you see, please consider donating to our Bloomington Performing Arts Relief Fund to help local artists and arts organizations. You can learn more here: https://www.thebaft.org/
4-23-2020: A Sweet Song
This song was a wonderful Bloomington collaboration. Anna wrote it for the BloomingSongs Building Blocks album. She wrote the violin part for Phillip Hammond (a member of Jacobs Violin Virtuosi) who plays on this recording. Anna’s sister Lucy, a St. Charles 6th grader, sings harmony on the track. Our neighbor Steve Sobiech lends some additional guitar accompaniment to the recording and also produced it at his Wisconsin Cheese Studios.
Last Sunday Anna and Phillip both took part in the Reimagining Opera for Kids/BloomingSongs virtual costume party for kids….which is also a good thing to find & share. The livestream of the concert was recorded and can still be watched here:
For more info on Anna her web site is annawrasse.com
Lisa
4-23-2020: Family Friendly Reggae Playlist

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1q5DvM8NcUhMo5avmrTYy8?si=6_JTa1cmRWKYeRTT0yo3Kw
4-22-2020: Spring in Bloom


Community Spotlight of the Day 4-22-2020: Cardinal Stage Presents Quarantine Cabaret

4-22-2020: Stay Calm, Safe, Home (if you can)

Found on Kirkwood! Do you know the artist?
4-20-2020: Laughs from Rosie the Clown
4-17-2020: Jazz Concerts from your Living Room with Monika Herzig
https://www.facebook.com/monika.herzig.35/videos/2543549845904648/
Hope these sessions will bring some joy to our community and beyond.
Monika Herzig
4-17-2020: Japanese Weeping Cherry Tree

Last semester in the Watercolor Journaling class, we created "international" travel journals. We chose a country and created pages that included maps, legends, recipes, traditions and beautiful locations. The students then painted postcards to "send" to me, just as if they were actually in that country! Fun!
So in March for St. Patrick's day, we "traveled" to Ireland. They have shared their journal pages with each other and are keeping in touch, so when the time is right, we'll all be "home from our travels" and sharing our adventures.
Here are a couple pages.



From Burton Kimble Farms Education Center...the beauty of Spring gives us hope.
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Community Spotlight of the Day 4-17-2020:
A Fundraiser for BPP (& lots of great theater while at home)!


HOW DO YOU WATCH THEM?
4-16-2020: Bringing Disney to Life in the Living Room

4-15-2020: Thinking back to last year's Farmer's Market

Community Spotlight of the Day 4-15-2020: The Comedy Attic

Comedy Attic Staff Fundraiser
Fun Fact: Comedy Attic co-owner, Mat Alano-Martin, teaches a stand-up class in the fall with the CLL?
“The Stand-up Comedy course is a must do for anyone. Shyness or stage fright can be overcome in this course. Finishing up on-stage at a real Comedy Club is something you will enjoy and never forget.” – CLL Student 2019

Photo from their final class – a performance at open mic at the Comedy Attic.


The CLL invites you to add your own tunes that are helping you get through this time:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/39lo9Xpf2LlDq0CQpG13gZ?si=L4qtRcPtRKGJ91PmjnsVrA

Ways to donate to the Indiana music industry:
MidWay Music Speaks / Girls Rock Bloomington
https://www.midwaymusicspeaks.org/
Bloomington Chamber Singers

Support here: https://www.chambersingers.info/donate
P.S. Check out their facebook page for free virtual performances.
Voces Novae

Support here: http://www.vocesnovae.org/donate
Follow their facebook page for lots of good music: https://www.facebook.com/vocesnovae/
Bloomington Symphony Orchestra

Support here: https://www.bloomingtonsymphony.com/donate/
Blockhouse

Support here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/blockhouse-digital-tavern?fbclid=IwAR2CJwLiQ_A4S6YjRUrm84SyraFYB-6B8Ex2mGCh4ckGoHR0UZ5qqLyKfls
P.S. you can also order a t-shirt to help them out! (more info on social media for how to order)
Check out their facebook (https://www.facebook.com/blockhousebar/) and Instagram to tune in to some sets online!
Landlocked Music

Purchase from their online store here: http://www.landlockedmusic.com/

The Community Kitchen Donation Information:
Food and financial donations can be dropped off at Community Kitchen’s main location (1515 S Rogers St), Monday – Friday from 7am-6pm, Saturday from 11am-6pm.
Financial donations may also be mailed to PO Box 3286 Bloomington IN 47402-3286.
Become a sustaining supporter with automatic transfers by completing the form on this page or this ACH form (pdf) and mailing or delivering it to the Community Kitchen.
For more information on ways you can help please visit: https://www.monroecommunitykitchen.com/donation-information/?fbclid=IwAR2xGUVWTI2NZh7t1la83gsAVWUByJVy5_iUCYCWsjENguwzvayYn6JMJB


In this “new normal” I have found that I have real highs and real lows. Each day looks different. I am worried about my family who lives states away, my friends who live alone, the students who won’t get to properly close this chapter of their lives and celebrate their accomplishments, parents who are working, teaching, and trying to be a human during this experience, and all of the front-line workers who selflessly put their own lives at risk every day. I am anxious about what the world will look like when we make it through this. Will the places I would go to find community and comfort still be there? Will my loved ones still have jobs? I am sure these worries are not all that different from your own, and while the list of concerns and uncertainty can be long, there is an equal amount of good happening in the world and our own community.
It is okay to feel both worry and hope.
While we are all experiencing the impacts of COVID-19 together, we are experiencing it in different ways. One of the ideas that I have been struggling with is how do we share our experiences and stories to catalog this moment in our own community and history?
The CLL hopes to be a platform for sharing. Sharing people’s stories and what they are doing to cope with COVID-19 or what they are looking forward to most after quarantine, sharing messages of hope that pop up in storefront windows, sharing virtual art performances other arts organizations are creating, sharing playlists and quick how-to videos from CLL instructors. This will be a place people can visit when they need to find some good. I hope it will be a visual catalog that tells the story of how connected and strong our community is and that we are not as alone as we may sometimes feel.
I welcome you to share your own good - whether that is a story, music, art, photographs, etc. to lifelonglearning@ivytech.edu. These will be cataloged on our website and social media and I hope that you visit us there when things start to feel heavy.
I can’t wait until we can all be together again.
Stay well,
Jordan
