Rittertown concept hopes to build community on west side

Two-year-old Tannon Rogers plays catch with Blue, the mascot for the Indianapolis Colts, at the Rittertown Fall Festival on Nov. 1. Sponsors of the event included Cargill Inc., Clarian, ClearChannel Outdoor, Coca-Cola, Dawson’s on Main, Diversified Business Systems, the Indianaplis Colts, The Indianapolis Star, Promotions Resources and Target. (Photo by Mike Krokos)

By Mike Krokos

It’s about building community.

And working to make a difference on the west side of Indianapolis.

Though the Rittertown Fall Festival on the football field at Cardinal Ritter Jr./Sr. High School on Nov. 1 included live music, free food and fun for students and neighbors of the school, one unmistakable theme of the day was printed on banners that lined the school grounds: “Peace in the Streets—Stop the Violence.”

“We are part of the community, and we want to make a difference,” explained Cardinal Ritter High School senior Olivia Bruns, a member of the school’s Christian Service Student Leadership team, which oversees all service projects.

Following the lead of the city of Indianapolis, Cardinal Ritter students and faculty recently decided to commit themselves to the city’s “Peace in the Streets” initiative by using service hours to improve the lives of their west-side neighbors and neighborhood. Through the Rittertown effort, students have designated a one-mile radius around the high school and adopted the neighborhood to offer services to people in need.

“We are committed to making Cardinal Ritter a center of peace and justice,” said Paul Lockard, school president, at the gathering.

“We’re committed to serving the west side of Indianapolis, not just by staying here, but by reaching out to people in the neighborhood, making them feel safe and making them understand this is a great community to live in,” he added.

At the community gathering, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard thanked the students for their commitment to the west side.

“Keep doing the right things,” he said. “Our nation is going in the right direction, and you will get us there.

“I appreciate what you are going to be doing [through the Rittertown effort].”

Deputy Mayor Olgen Williams, who started the city’s “Peace in the Streets” initiative, also thanked the students for stepping up to make a difference on the west side.

The initial idea behind the “Peace in the Streets” initiative, according to the city of Indianapolis’s Web site, “was for communities to think peace, talk peace and live peace.”

“ ‘Peace in the Streets’ has become more than an idea; it has become a movement to bring communities together to help stop the violence,” the Web site continued.

Retired Indianapolis Colts player Tarik Glenn also spoke at the Rittertown rally, and encouraged the students to take advantage of their unique opportunity.

“These neighborhoods are your neighborhoods. Take ownership [of them],” he said.

Members of the Cardinal Ritter student body have already begun taking Glenn’s advice to heart. Theology students have been raking leaves at neighborhood homes, other students tutor children in the apartment complex next door to the school, and members of the football team will clean up nearby Moreland Park in the near future, noted Allyson Maled, a senior who is also a Christian Service Student leader at the school. The soccer team will also pitch in at the Moreland Park cleanup, school officials said.

Resident Myron Moore, who lives a few blocks from the school, was among the more than 700 people who attended the Rittertown festival.

Moore, who brought his 2-year-old granddaughter, said he welcomed the school’s initiative.

“There is so much crime in the streets,” he said. “We need to bring people together to watch out for each other.”

(For more information on the Rittertown initiative, call 317-927-7825.) †