BRVA Member Spotlight: Mary and Craig Charnley
Choosing to Build Community.
When Mary and Craig Charnley returned to Indiana after many years living in Europe, they weren’t simply looking for a house. They were looking for a neighborhood that felt like home, a place where they could “walk out their door to their whole life.”
Fourteen years later, they’ve found it in Broad Ripple. The couple was drawn to the Village because of its walkability, neighborhood parks, local businesses, and the opportunity to build the kind of everyday connections they had come to value while living abroad.
“You have to get out of your car and walk and explore,” Mary says. “Take advantage of an afternoon in the Village and find out what’s there.”
For the Charnleys, though, community is about much more than amenities. It’s about people. Not long after settling in Broad Ripple, they helped start a monthly neighborhood dinner called Neighborhood Connect, where a dozen or more neighbors gather around the table to share a meal, build friendships, and talk about ways to care for one another and the neighborhood they share.
“It’s really quite a beautiful group of people,” Craig says. “People who enjoy conversation more than gossip and taking care of the neighborhood.”
That spirit of connection extends beyond their own street. Whether walking the Monon Trail, shopping local businesses, attending neighborhood events, volunteering at cleanup days, or spending a Saturday morning at the Farmers Market, Mary and Craig see each interaction as another opportunity to strengthen the community.
“We really love Broad Ripple and love connecting and meeting people,” Mary says.
The couple also believes Broad Ripple deserves a closer look from those who haven’t spent time exploring it.
“It’s a safe community,” Mary says. “It’s a community where people do want to work together and get along and work through issues that might present themselves.”
She encourages visitors to slow down, park the car, and experience the Village on foot.
“Take the time to explore,” she says. “Find the shops, the coffee houses, the restaurants, the parks. It just takes time.”
That same philosophy shapes why they support the Broad Ripple Village Association.
“For me, becoming a member was a statement that this is my home,” Craig says. “But my home isn’t my castle. It’s my neighborhood and my village.”
Mary acknowledges that community-building isn’t always easy. People won’t always agree, and progress can sometimes feel slow. Even so, she believes the better choice is to stay engaged.
“One can choose to pull back and complain,” she says, “or one can choose to be involved and seek to contribute.”
For the Charnleys, the choice is clear. Community isn’t something you simply live in. It’s something you build.
Join Mary, Craig, and hundreds of your neighbors in supporting the Broad Ripple Village Association. Together, we’re building a neighborhood where people know one another, care for one another, and continue shaping the future of Broad Ripple.
