DSI Together with LIFEDesigns

09/19/2025

✨ Thank you to everyone who made yesterday’s Sweet Together Ice Cream Social such a joyful celebration! ✨

We are so grateful to the parents, DSPs, and friends who brought our clients to enjoy the afternoon sunshine, share ice cream, and take in the incredible performance by the All Ability Choir. Your presence makes these moments possible.

A big thank you as well to our community partners — nonprofits, local businesses, and neighbors — who joined us. Your support reminds us that community is built when we come together to connect, celebrate, and share kindness.

From bracelet-making to coloring activities, to simply sitting down and socializing with our clients, the afternoon was filled with laughter and connection. And when the ALL Abilities Choir began to sing, it was more than just music — it was a powerful reminder that people with disabilities belong at the very heart of our community. They should be seen, heard, and celebrated, sweet together with everyone else.

In times like these, it’s more important than ever to remember that love and respect are what make communities strong. Yesterday’s event was living proof of that. Thank you, IU Credit Union, Williams Bros. Health Care Pharmacy, and Night Owl Security Products LLC for sponsoring and making this happen!

💜 Thank you for being part of this celebration. Together, we made memories as sweet as the ice cream we shared. Stay tune for our future events!

09/18/2025

🍦✨ Less than 2 hours to go! ✨🍦
Our Sweet Together – Ice Cream & Social kicks off soon, and we’d love for you to join us! 🎉

📍 If it’s your first time at Karst Farm Park, type “Karst Farm Park Splash Pad” into your map—the shelter is right next to it.

Come out for ice cream, music, friendship bracelets, and a whole lot of fun. See you soon friends!

09/17/2025

✨🍦 ONE DAY AWAY! 🍦✨

Our Day Program room is bursting with creativity — from colorful collages to ice cream sundaes on paper, our clients have been working hard on sweet-themed art projects to celebrate tomorrow’s Sweet Together – Ice Cream & Social!

They’re so excited to welcome you, share their artwork, and kick off the event with the ALL Abilities Choir Performance 🎶. And of course… there will be plenty of ice cream waiting for you too! 🍨💜

📅 Tomorrow – Thursday, September 18th
🕑 2:30 – 3:30 PM
📍 Karst Farm Park, Shelters 9A & 9B (Or type "Karst Farm Park Splash Pad” into Google Maps or Apple Maps")

Come enjoy the art, music, friendship bracelets, and sweet treats together with us. We can’t wait to see you there!

09/12/2025

🌟 DSI DSP Spotlight | Day Four 🌟

We’re starting today’s spotlights with Tyrell H., a DSP whose caring spirit shines through in both his work and his relationships. 💙

“Tyrell is a very caring person. He truly cares about our clients and his co-workers. He is a great guy!”

✨ One word to describe Tyrell: Caring
📝 Shared by: Evelyn K.

09/11/2025

✨ One week until our Sweet Together – Ice Cream & Social! ✨

Our clients are already getting excited and preparing for the big day by making friendship bracelets in advance! At the event, you’ll be able to sit down with our clients and staff to create your own bracelet, and even exchange them — a small but meaningful way to celebrate connection.

The event kicks off at 2:30 PM with a performance by the ALL Abilities Choir, plus free ice cream from Jiffy Treet West for the first 100 guests, bracelet-making and exchanges, and plenty of time to connect.

📅 Thursday, September 18th
🕑 2:30 – 3:30 PM
📍 Karst Farm Park, Shelters 9A & 9B

A huge thank you to our sponsors — IU Credit Union, Night Owl Security Products LLC, and Williams Bros. Health Care Pharmacy — for helping make this community celebration possible. 💜

We can’t wait to see you there! 🍦

09/08/2025

🌟 DSI DSP Spotlight | Day One 🌟

This afternoon, the spotlight is on Simon S., a DSP who fills each day with compassion, creativity, and heart. 💙

"Simon is a great guy! He is very kind and caring. He cares about our clients and his co-workers."

✨ One word to describe Simon: Kind
📝 Shared by: Evelyn K.

09/08/2025

Happy DSP Week! 🍩✨

We are so grateful for our amazing Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) who make a difference every single day. To kick off the celebration, we’ve got fresh donuts waiting in the office just for you! 🎉

Stop by today to grab a donut and know how much you are appreciated. If you miss out today, don’t worry—more sweet treats are coming on Wednesday and Friday this week. 💙

Thank you, DSPs, for everything you do!

09/04/2025

Adventure Day at the Indianapolis Zoo! 🦒🦓

Our Bloomington Day Program staff and clients had a wonderful time exploring the Indy Zoo. From watching giraffes and zebras to walking through the stunning flower tunnel, it was a day full of smiles and fun!

We love creating opportunities for our clients to enjoy the community—whether here in Bloomington or beyond. 🐾✨

Check out a few highlights from the day!

08/30/2025

See you there!

Sweet Together – Ice Cream & Social
Join DSI for an afternoon of community, connection, and celebration at Karst Farm Park, Shelters 9A & 9B, near the all-accessible Sophia Travis Playscape.

The event will begin at 2:30 PM with a heartfelt performance by the All Abilities Choir, featuring True Colors with scarves and sign language. Be among the first 100 guests to receive free ice cream from Jiffy Treat, then stick around for yard games and fun activities.
One of the highlights of the afternoon will be our friendship bracelet station. Guests are invited to sit down with our clients and staff to make bracelets, exchange them, and share in a simple but meaningful activity that celebrates connection. It’s a chance to meet the people we serve, spend time together, and leave with a small reminder of community friendship.

Whether you’ve partnered with us in the past, are a current supporter, or are simply curious to learn more, you are warmly welcome. We’d love to see you there, share what we do, and create meaningful moments together. If you have any questions, feel free to email our Grant Manager, Haoxi Wang, at hwang@dsiservices.org.

Save the Date:
📅 Thursday, September 18th
🕑 2:30 – 3:30 PM
📍 Karst Farm Park – Shelters 9A & 9B (near Sophia Travis Playscape)

08/21/2025

📍 Thursdays in Bloomington | Week 6

This week, we’re shining a light on something truly joyful in our community: the All Abilities Choir—a group where voices of all kinds come together in harmony.

Comprised of over 20 individuals with and without disabilities, the choir is open to anyone in and around Monroe County who simply wants to sing. Several of our DSI clients are proud, active members—joining others from across the community to rehearse, connect, and perform music together.

🎶 The choir is co-directed by Jake May, a lifelong singer and LifeDesigns client, and Aaron Smith. Jake’s dream of becoming a choir director turned into reality about two and a half years ago when he asked, “Why can’t we start a choir here?”—and with community support, the answer was: “We can.”

Since then, the choir has become a space of belonging, shared creativity, and joyful expression. From IU music students to family members to local volunteers, it’s a beautiful example of what can happen when inclusion meets music.

🌟 We’re thrilled to welcome the ALL Abilities Choir to perform at our upcoming Sweet Together - Ice Cream & Social event on September 5th! Be sure to stop by and hear their voices lift the space with joy and unity. Special thanks to Kristen King for all the hard work she has been putting in to support this group.

If you're curious about the choir or want to get involved, check out their page: ALL Abilities Choir

Because in Bloomington, community isn’t just something we talk about—it’s something we sing together.

08/07/2025

📍 Thursdays in Bloomington | Week 5

This week, we’re proud to spotlight a meaningful partnership with Girls Inc. of Monroe County—an organization doing incredible work to uplift, educate, and support local girls and young women.

Thanks to their generosity and vision, our DSI clients and staff had the opportunity to join a volunteer event to help pack Period Pouches—kits filled with essential menstrual products that will be distributed for free to women and girls in need across Monroe County. Together, we packed three full boxes of pouches that will soon find their way into the hands of those who need them most.

While DSI’s mission is to support individuals with disabilities in gaining visibility, independence, and dignity, we also recognize that many different groups in our community face challenges of invisibility and access. That’s why opportunities like this mean so much to us. It's a chance not just to receive, but to give—to show up in service of others.

🌟 A huge thank you to Girls Inc. of Monroe County for including us in this effort and for the compassionate work they continue to do for women and girls in our community.

If you're a woman or girl living in Monroe County in need of menstrual products—or want to learn more about Girls Inc. of Monroe County's services—we encourage you to reach out to them. Their support is here, and it’s real.

Today was a perfect reminder of what community looks like in action. At DSI, we believe everyone deserves a chance to give back, and today our clients did just that—with care, purpose, and pride.

06/11/2025