I told Greg at dinner on New Year’s Eve I didn’t want any presents for my 40th; just tell people to help kids in Indy.  And because Greg’s knowledge of me seems to know no bounds, after that meal, we drove to my surprise party, which was a fundraiser for The Oaks Academy. 15 years ago, some visionaries in our city got the crazy notion that if they put a school in the most dangerous part of Indy, created an enriched, classical education, mixed families who could pay for private school with families of need, and made sure there was racial equity among the scholars, they could change the face of a neighborhood, and change the stars for children.  It was a highly improbable notion.  Even today, as I recounted an experience I had last night at The Oaks to my grandfather, he said, “But Lori, that could never work.”

But it did.  The Oaks Academy, founded in a part of Indianapolis nicknamed “Dodge City” almost 15 years ago, is a raving success with Wait Lists at every grade level.  Last night, they held a dinner at their new, 2nd location in Brookside, and Greg and I had the pleasure of attending.  Oh, the precious inner East side of Indy…a place so dear to my heart.  I bought my first home in a historic neighborhood on Indy’s East Side known as Irvington, and often cut through Brookside on my to here and there.  It’s also quite…dodge-y, to be frank.  Using the same model with the first school, the Board bought an abandoned school building, did some rehab work, and are opening the doors to students in the Fall of 2012.

I found the speeches by the Heads of School to be deeply inspirational, followed by a 5-Star sermon given by the original visionary, Mitch Daniels, the Governor of Indiana.  In the Midwest, we have freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM religion.  If our Governor wishes to stand in front of a microphone and tell an entire gymnasium full of people of the many miracles God performed to make The Oaks Academy possible, he is met with enthusiastic rounds of “Amens”.  God is everywhere, in us, as us, and in Indiana, we’re quite comfortable sharing that love with everyone who visits. Oh wait…did you think our hospitality comes from a love of sugar cream pie?  OK, to be fair, it might have a little to do with the pie.

I hope you’ll take a few minutes to watch their video.  You will be enlightened by the simplicity that makes this education possible.  They did it without fancy facilities, endowments, or years of red tape and planning.  Just some Christ-centered people who didn’t allow an address to scare them, and had evolved way beyond a level at which most of us exist.  It will allow you to believe that the US education system can be repaired, and with its rise, our communities will rise with it.  Godspeed, Oaks Academy, and may your new school see showers of blessings in the years to come.  My prayers are with you.