Kindling Minds

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Carmel, IN
Kindling Minds

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Kindling Minds, Nonprofit Organization, PO 500, Carmel, IN.

We’re on a mission to help teens and pre-teens in central Indiana build resilience and improve mental wellness through research-informed programs rooted in connection—with animals, nature, and art. The Chris Center offers an innovative approach to teen wellness by connecting teens and pre-teens to nature and providing opportunities for human-animal interaction. Our programs include:
* PAWs Therapy

Dog Program
* Alpaca-Assisted Wellness Programs
* Mindful Arts Program
* Parent Education Series

For more information about our programs, please visit our website: www.chriscenterpaws.com

09/02/2026

Kindling Minds PAWS Teams Dara & Millie and Melanie & Archie had a fabulous visit at CFI 84!

For many students, school can be a place where anxiety, disconnection, and big emotions show up before the day even starts. Teachers see it. School counselors see it. And it's exactly the gap our trained handler-dog teams are built to close.

The joy in these photos isn't just a nice moment. It's proof that connection changes how everyone shows up for the rest of their day. Not only for students and for volunteers... but for our dogs as well!

Learn more and get involved at kindlingminds.org. 💛

08/27/2026

🐾 The countdown to Wags for Wellness is ON! 🎉

We’re getting closer to one of our favorite nights of the year, and there’s still time to join us!

On Friday, September 18, we’ll come together at Radius Venue for an evening celebrating the impact of Kindling Minds and the incredible community that makes our work possible. 💙

Come meet some of our PAWS Wellness Support Teams, enjoy dinner and drinks, bid on exciting silent auction packages, try your luck at the Wine Pull, snap a photo with our PAWS Teams, and spend an evening supporting youth mental wellness throughout our community.

📅 Friday, September 18
⏰ 6:00–10:00 PM
📍 Radius Venue Indianapolis

Haven’t grabbed your ticket yet? There’s still time to save your seat! 🐾

🎟️ Visit the link in our bio to get your tickets and join us for Wags for Wellness!

08/26/2026

🌎 Volunteers make the world go ’round! 💛

Have you been wanting to get involved with Kindling Minds, but don’t have a dog and aren’t quite sure where you fit in? Good news: we have a "no-dog-required" volunteer opportunity for you! 🐾

Wags for Wellness is our annual fundraiser and a vital part of helping Kindling Minds fund our programs and continue serving youth throughout the year. We’re looking for a few friendly, dependable volunteers to help us fill some important roles for this year’s event.

Right now, we especially need help with **tear down and clean up at the end of the evening**. We know it’s a later shift, so if you’d like to come a little earlier and help during the final portion of the event before clean up begins, just let us know. We’d be happy to find a spot for you!

If you’ve been looking for a simple way to give back, meet great people, and support youth mental wellness, this is a wonderful place to start.

💙 Interested in helping? Shoot us a DM or reach out to Jessica Kensinger at [email protected] for more details!

08/25/2026

Kindling Minds had a blast celebrating the start of a new school year at University High School of Indiana's Welcome Back Celebration!

PAWS Teams Elaine & April and Tracy & Zeke greeted students with open paws, wagging tails, and some very happy, full tongue smiles. 🐶 We loved getting to welcome so many familiar faces back while meeting students beginning their very first year at UHS.

Moments like these are exactly why we're so excited to have our PAWS Wellness Support Teams heading back into schools and communities. A little time with a friendly dog can offer a moment to pause, connect, smile, and feel supported; especially during big transitions like the start of a new school year.

Here's to a wonderful 2026–2027 school year! We can't wait to see where our PAWS Teams' next adventure takes them. 🐾💙

08/24/2026

🐾 More exciting news from our growing PAWS family! 💛

We had another wonderful day of PAWS Wellness Support Team evaluations, with three teams successfully passing!

We're so excited to welcome two new teams to Kindling Minds:

🐾 Mary & Sadie
🐾 Grace & Alfie

We're also celebrating another one of our veteran teams, Donna & Angel, who successfully passed their renewal evaluation! 🎉 Donna and Angel continue to be such a special part of our program, and we're incredibly grateful for the time, care, and love they share with everyone they meet.

Please help us give a BIG congratulations to all three teams! We are so excited for another school year filled with wagging tails, meaningful connections, and lots of special moments ahead. 💛🐾

08/20/2026

🐾 Kindling Minds had such a great time spreading joy and making connections at the Westfield Washington Schools Rock the Block at Westfield Middle School!

We loved meeting so many students and families, sharing more about the Kindling Minds mission, and connecting with parents in the Westfield community. Of course, our PAWS Wellness Support Teams, Ann & Coco, Kirstin & Harley Ann, and Kristen & Murphy, brought plenty of smiles along the way! 💛

Our inspiration bracelets were also a BIG hit! So big, in fact, that by the end of the event we had to put out an SOS for a restock from our amazing National Charity League volunteers. 😂 They're already hard at work helping us create a fresh batch just in time for Wags for Wellness!

Thank you, Westfield Washington Schools , for inviting us and giving us the opportunity to connect with your wonderful community. We loved being part of such a fun evening! 🐾💛

08/19/2026

🐾 Our PAWS family is growing! 💛

The Kindling Minds team has been busy this summer connecting with so many incredible people who are looking for meaningful ways to spread joy, comfort, and connection throughout our community. It turns out the power of paws has a pretty special way of bringing wonderful people together! 😉

We are SO excited to officially welcome two new PAWS Wellness Support Teams who recently passed their evaluations:

🐾 Mark & Sebastian
🐾 Mary & Phil

We're also celebrating Elaine & April, who successfully passed their renewal evaluation! 🎉 These two bring such wonderful energy to everyone they encounter, and we are incredibly grateful that they continue to share their time, hearts, and talents with Kindling Minds.

Please help us give a BIG welcome and congratulations to all three teams! We can't wait to see the comfort, connection, and smiles they'll bring to our community this year. 💛🐾

08/18/2026

🐾 A big Wags for Wellness thank you to our Volunteer Sponsor, Royal United Mortgage! 💛

It takes a whole community to bring Wags for Wellness to life, and we are so grateful to have Royal United Mortgage helping make the magic happen as this year’s Volunteer Sponsor!

From setting up and welcoming guests to keeping things running smoothly throughout the evening, our incredible volunteers play such an important role in making Wags for Wellness a success. Royal United Mortgage’s generous support helps us create a wonderful experience for the volunteers who give their time to support Kindling Minds and our mission.

📅 Wags for Wellness
September 18 | 6–10 PM
📍 Radius Venue | Downtown Indianapolis

08/10/2026

Kindling Minds will be at Rock the Block with our amazing Paws Dogs!

Rock the Block is a great event hosted by at Westfield Middle School tonight (8/10) from 5pm-7:30pm. This is a fun event to kick off the new school year. The event is free and will feature live music, games, and activities for all ages. See you there!

08/05/2026

🐾 We're excited to welcome Uptown Pup as our Photo Booth Sponsor for this year's Wags for Wellness! 💛📸

One of the most-loved experiences of the evening is our photo booth, where guests can snap a memorable picture with our PAWS Wellness Support Teams and share a few laughs with friends. Thanks to Uptown Pup, this fun tradition will once again help create lasting memories while celebrating youth mental wellness!

Uptown Pup, located in Broad Ripple, offers dog training, daycare, grooming, and boarding, and has been an incredible partner of Kindling Minds. Their continued generosity and commitment to our mission help us bring comfort, connection, and joy to the youth we serve throughout Central Indiana!

Interested in becoming a sponsor? We'd love to connect! Visit the link in our bio to learn more about sponsorship opportunities.

🐾 Wags for Wellness
📅 September 18 | 6:00–10:00 PM
📍 Radius Venue

Thank you, Uptown Pup, for helping make this year's celebration even more special! 💙

Address

PO 500
Carmel, IN
46082

Website

http://www.kindlingminds.org/

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