INDIANAPOLIS— The hottest week of 2024 so far is hitting Indianapolis in a big way.

With high temperatures expected to be in the 90’s for the next couple of days, many healthcare professionals are advocating for at risk citizens to be extra cautious.

Lieutenant Michael Farley works for Indianapolis EMS.

“We get heat related issues almost every day in the summer,” explained Farley. “It’s more surprising not to see them than it is to see them.”

According to Indianapolis EMS, there have already been 11 heat health related 911 calls over the past three days.

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Dr. Cory Showalter works at Riley Hospital for Children. He says the best ways to stay safe in the heat is by taking preventative measures.

“Preventively trying to avoid any of those symptoms by doing frequent drinks, getting out of the sun and getting into the shade,” explained Showalter. “You just have to get out of that stress of the heat.”

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Farley agreed saying he hopes all of Central Indiana takes the heat seriously.

“Don’t get to that point in the first place,” shared Farley. “Try to limit your time outside. If you’re getting to the point where you think something is wrong, then clearly the planning has kind of failed there.”

The Marion County Public Health Department shared the following tips for staying safe in the heat:

1. Wear Appropriate Clothing: Choose lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.
2. Stay Cool Indoors: Stay in an air-conditioned place as much as possible. If your home does not have air conditioning, go to the shopping mall or public library—even a few hours spent in air conditioning can help your body stay cooler when you go back into the heat.
3. Schedule Outdoor Activities Carefully: Try to limit your outdoor activity to when it is cooler, like morning and evening hours. Rest often in shady areas so that your body has a chance to recover.
4. Pace Yourself: Cut down on exercise during the heat. If you are not accustomed to working or exercising in a hot environment, start slowly and pick up the pace gradually. If exertion in the heat makes your heart pound and leaves you gasping for breath, STOP all activity. Get into a cool area or into the shade, and rest, especially if you become lightheaded, confused, weak, or faint.
5. Wear Sunscreen: Sunburn affects your body’s ability to cool down and can make you dehydrated. If you must go outdoors, protect yourself from the sun by wearing a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and by putting on sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher 30 minutes prior to going out. Continue to reapply it according to the package directions.

6. Do Not Leave Children in Cars: Cars can quickly heat up to dangerous temperatures, even with a window cracked open. While anyone left in a parked car is at risk, children are especially at risk of getting a heat stroke or dying.

   Drink Plenty of Fluids: Drink more fluids, regardless of how active you are. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink. Stay away from very sugary or alcoholic drinks—these actually cause you to lose more body fluid.”

MORE TIPS |City shares heat safety tips ahead of first 90-degree day of the year (wrtv.com)

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WNDU) – This weekend, the Olympic Swim Trials kicked off in Indianapolis.

And it was a record-breaker!

20,689 hearts beating inside the stadium, the largest crowd to ever attend an indoor swim meet.

And Michiana was well represented with some people working the event and others attending as fans.

“It’s very exciting because it’s here in Indiana and you get to say that you are from this area and it’s very nice to see this in Indianapolis cause it’s in a football stadium which was very awesome to see them turn from football to swimming,” said RaeAnne Hastings at the South Bend Swim Club.

For Raeanne attending the Olympic trial is a dream come true. As a swimmer herself– seeing her role model earn her ticket to Paris on Saturday was a unique experience.

“I think as a mom or parent when your child finds something they are so passionate about and then you’re able to take to what would be a pinnacle event for them. I was just moved to tears. It was that beautiful moment when she was stunned speechless, just a little tear and you saw her take it all in and you’re like I did good. I gave her the moment she deserved,” said Judeanne Hastings, Raeanne’s mother.

Not only are local fans in the stands this year, but they’re also working the event.

“My job here at Olympic trial is to cover digitally each athlete swimming away not necessarily what they’re doing in the pool but what they’re doing out and what their story adds as a whole. I have to take a step back sometimes and be like wow I’m at Olympic trials covering swimming that’s a goal, that’s a dream,” said Copper VanDriessche, the Swimming World Magazine Intern.

The Olympic Trials wrap up on Sunday but for these fans the pride of hosting an event this big in their state is one they will never forget.

“I think it’s really important to mention how deep the swimming is in the state of Indiana, especially from our South Bend area. Having the world’s biggest stage here in Indianapolis,” said VanDriessche.

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For the last 11 years, Stop the Violence Indianapolis has been helping young girls work on self-image, self-worth and self-respect.

Created in 2009 by Anthony and Beatrice Beverly, Stop the Violence Indianapolis is a community organization that aims to be a catalyst for social change. The organization is completely run with the help of volunteers and focuses on programming surrounding prevention, intervention and recovery for kids and teens in high-crime areas, Anthony Beverly said.

“Most of the work we do is on the preventative end,” Anthony Beverly said. “We work with youth and families, and we have programs like ‘The Talks’ and life coaching… We also do work in the intervention world, and we try to go deep … it’s called the Violence Intervention Process.”

“The Talks — Identifying the Mirror in Me” is a summer camp program dedicated to coaching 24 girls of color, ages 12-16 in potentially high-crime areas, Beatrice Beverly said. “The Talks” aims to fill the gaps by including support in areas that are overlooked or misunderstood. Workshops are focused on self-worth, self-image and self-respect to help educate the girls on the importance of mental health and healing traumas, conquering inequities faced in the education system and growing statistics of gun violence.

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“We go in and we have real conversations,” Beatrice Beverly said. “We have conversations that include control and how sometimes it was taken away and sometimes it was given away, right? We have conversations about our educational system and how young girls are being pushed out at a higher rate than young men. We have conversations around gun violence, how the number of girls starting to carry weapons is starting to increase.”

Many of these topics are discussed in workshops with guest speakers, in healing circles, over meals and group activities such as crafting, Beatrice Beverly said. These workshops are often supplemented with outdoorsy activities — such as kayaking and canoeing — to introduce the girls to new experiences.

Each of the girls can return to camp for two years, and after they age out, they are always welcome back as interns, Beatrice Beverly said. Following the camp, the girls are invited back for different activities throughout the year as a reminder to continue giving back to their communities.

Having hosted this camp for 11 years — and Stop the Violence for 15 years — Anthony and Beatrice Beverly said the highlights are when they can see the difference, they have made in someone’s life and reinstill one’s confidence in themselves.

“When we talk about sustainability, people put that down based on the program being sustainable over time,” Beatrice Beverly said. “A program is built up to dollars, and when the dollars run out, programs cannot be sustainable over time. But what is sustainable over time is relationships: authentic, intentional, respectful and trustful, and that’s what makes it work.”

“The Talks” has had more than 250 girls go through the program, none of which have touched the juvenile system since, Beatrice Beverly said.

Stop the Violence Indianapolis aims to go deeper and build relationships with the community, including churches, nonprofits and community leaders. That way they might better help the kids and teens who go unseen, Anthony Beverly said.

Each of the programs offered through Stop the Violence Indianapolis is free, and the organization is entirely run through volunteer efforts. For more information or to register for “The Talks,” visit stoptheviolenceindy.org or call 317-692-9929.

Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.