The victories kept on coming. Not too long after this welcome surprise, another presented itself in the form of the innovative Community Justice Campus. This $575,000,000 institution would contain the city and county courts, sheriff’s office, 2700 bed detention center, and a state-of-the-art mental health and crisis intervention facility. The Community Justice Campus offered innumerable benefits both direct and indirect to the surrounding community it would be placed in, and Indianapolis chose Twin Aire as the planned site of part of its sprawling campus.
What followed from this short stretch of massive success was a grinding period of research and writing and fundraising by community leaders, including Sparks, in order to craft a plan for the next 15 to 20 years of Twin Aire. In a comprehensive, 281 page report with another 278 pages of addendums, a detailed body of survey findings and suggestions for the community’s demographic, housing, educational, and workforce needs were taken into consideration, outlining the path that must be taken in order for Twin Aire to continue its meteoric restoration.
Ultimately, after a period of 6 years, Jeff Sparks’ work in the Twin Aire community had concluded. In securing their Great Places 2020 designation and other grants and city initiatives, as well as a detailed plan for their future, Twin Aire was well-positioned to grow into a thriving community once again. Yet, more importantly, Sparks and his associates at SEND guided Twin Aireans to a deeper engagement with each other and their wider neighborhood. Through the establishment of TANC, the residents of Twin Aire realized their collective power and influence overshadowed their individual meagerness, and what resulted was a community confident in its abilities and certain that a better future lay around the corner.
Sparks himself gleaned much from this transformative experience. When working with others, he was affirmed in his belief that relationships are key. Everyone wants to feel valued, so giving them your time and respect will draw their innate energy and skills out to be used for the betterment of all. In addition, there is a need for an organization that possesses an awareness of some higher aim – like the common good – to be present in order to serve as an institutional anchor and compass.