History

Music and More

Rhino's All-Ages Club was started in March 1992 by students of Harmony Education Center, and other local youth, as a music club catering to and run by Bloomington area teenagers.

But it soon became more than just a music club. Afterschool programs and youth outreach enabled Rhino's to become a member of the Monroe County United Way. Collaborations with other youth-serving agencies soon followed. The City of Bloomington Department of Parks and Recreation signed on as a partner, and there's been no looking back.

Rhino's Youth Center has grown to serve over 1,200 teens every month. Rhino's gives them a safe place to cultivate their talents, share ideas, and give back to the community, while working with peers who have similar interests and goals.

Rhino's Sculpture

Harmony Middle School students learned that a work by local sculptor C.R. Schiefer had been vandalized and was to be moved from its downtown Bloomington location. The students mobilized the Harmony community to undertake a fund drive to acquire the beloved work of art and demonstrate that young people know how to care for and appreciate creativity.

A year-long effort raised $6,000 to purchase and relocate the almost 2-ton work to the grounds of Harmony School. The sculpture was moved, installed, and then unveiled on May 7, 1988.

The name "Rhino's" was subsequently chosen as the name of the youth center started by Harmony in 1992. The rhino has become a symbol to Harmony students of the importance of public art and is an example of community service and cooperation.