Donor Converts Art Center to Re-Entry Hub

John and Lisa Schmitz have donated the Mars Hill Art Center on Indianapolis' west side to a nonprofit for conversion into a prison re-entry hub.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Philanthropy

Modest two-story brick community building with large windows and a wide entrance on a quiet tree-lined street under warm golden-hour light. — Donors John and Lisa Schmitz have given Indianapolis' Mars Hill Art Center to a nonprofit that will convert it into the Wings of Hope re-entry hub for people leaving prison. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Should your community support more prison re-entry programs for formerly incarcerated residents?

Longtime Indianapolis developer John Schmitz and Lisa Schmitz have donated the Mars Hill Art Center, which they founded about 12 years ago, to a nonprofit that will convert the building into a prison re-entry hub. The building will become the Wings of Hope Community Center.

Why it matters

The conversion shifts a building once devoted to arts programming toward services for people leaving incarceration. The effort is tied to prison ministry work led by former Colts chaplain Ken Johnson.

Volunteers can serve at 13 facilities about once a month through the program. The extraction provides no comparator figures and does not say how many participants the re-entry hub will serve.

The players

John Schmitz

A longtime Indianapolis developer and former mayoral candidate who now lives in Florida, Schmitz co-founded the Mars Hill Art Center with his wife and is donating the building to the re-entry effort.

Ken Johnson

A former Colts chaplain who is working with Schmitz on prison ministry and re-entry programming.

The details

Gov. Mike Braun and Sen. Jim Banks have backed the program, and the Indiana Department of Correction has opened doors for it. The program scales up an existing smaller-scale effort by identifying participants who fit its model and providing wraparound services and jobs.

About 12 years ago: John and Lisa Schmitz founded the Mars Hill Art Center.
Saturday, Nov. 7, 10 a.m. to noon: Volunteer training at 2811 Mars Hill St.

Philanthropy Context

The donation extends the Indiana Department of Correction's openness to outside partners, which has allowed the program to place volunteers in 13 facilities. Converting a private arts building into a re-entry hub marks a shift from cultural philanthropy toward criminal justice services.

Indianapolis residents can volunteer with the program at 13 facilities about once a month. The Saturday, Nov. 7 training at 2811 Mars Hill St. is the first documented step for those interested.

The takeaway

Volunteer and donation efforts can reach people leaving incarceration when former community spaces are repurposed for re-entry services. Interested residents should consider attending the volunteer training to learn how to serve.