Every year, the entire Heath Outdoor team spends Juneteenth in a day of service, transforming the outdoor space of a central Indiana Black-owned business or organization, or a public park or civic center that serves the Black community.
“For me, this is one of the most important days of the year,” said founder and managing partner Heath Hurst. “Service to the community is one of the values this company is built on, and I believe that we owe this day to those whose ancestors built the foundation of our country. It’s not enough to simply say we are committed to diversity and inclusion. We need to put action behind our words. For us, it feels like the very least we can do.”
Travis Hurst, Heath’s brother and co-managing partner, added, “Juneteenth is also a great day for our employees. Not only do they have the satisfaction of seeing the transformation take place, but it’s also one of very few days where we can all be together as a team and eat lunch together. The administrative and sales teams gain a great understanding of the challenges of field work and everyone has a chance to work side-by-side for a change. It’s an amazing day and I look forward to every year.”
How it works:
Who should apply?
Ideal candidates for this opportunity are Black-owned and/or operated: schools, day care centers, community centers, public gardens and parks, churches, civic organizations, restaurants and retail stores, or any other public-facing business that serves the community with a mission for the greater good.
The portal for applications for 2027 will open November 1, 2026. Please check back!
Charlie Wiggins Park is located at 440 W 28th Street, in the Northwest Landing neighborhood of Indianapolis. It commemorates the legacy of Charlie Wiggins, a pioneering Black race car driver. In the 1920s and 30s.
The park was created in 2014, but fell into a state of disrepair. The renovation project was driven by community leader Hadiah Wadad-Amit, who worked with a group of neighbors to reinstate a functioning neighborhood association. She reached out to Keep Indianapolis Beautiful (KIB) and secured a Project GreenSpace grant from them for the project. KIB, in turn, contracted Hitchcock Design Group to create a vision of the renovated park space.
The KIB and Heath Outdoor teams worked together to transform the park, removing an existing tire mountain, clearing brush and invasive plants, building a new flagstone pathway through the park and stone benches, and laying out the base for two pergolas. KIB later returned to plant trees.
The Elephant Gardens is an Indianapolis-based, family-owned and operated, urban farm founded by the mother-daughter team of Vivian Muhammad and Joyce Randolph. It’s located in an area known as the Northeast Corridor (NEC), in one of Indianapolis’ designated “food deserts”. The Heath Outdoor team spent the day clearing brush, installing concrete pads and paver paths, building garden beds and generally improving the space, along with Green Arbor Tree Experts, Inc. and other community partners.
Mackida LoVeal Outreach Ministry was founded in 1997 to address the need for quality child care and educational programs for inner city youth who were struggling in and expelled from traditional schools. They focus on dropout prevention by giving at-risk youth a second chance in a healthy learning environment. Over the past twenty years, their staff has helped hundreds of students improve their study habits, comprehension, and test-taking skills. As a result, these students have earned better test scores and grades, and grown in self-esteem and confidence.
In collaboration with the Stone Center of Indiana StonePros, Automatic Supply, Tiffany Lawn & Garden Supply, Inc., Greendell + Musselman Landscape Solutions Partnership, Ameri Turf, Bluegrass Farms and Indy Insulation and Spray Company, Heath Outdoor created a tranquil wellness garden and cleared a lot for future development.
The Oaks Academy is a Christ-centered school that exists to provide a rich, classical education to children of diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds, preparing them to succeed in a rigorous secondary educational program and to demonstrate spiritual, social and emotional maturity. The Heath Outdoor team renovated the outdoor play area at The Oaks Academy Middle School and added a play area to The Oaks Academy Brookside.
