At the beginning of this year, I found myself energized and hopeful for all the things that come with a new beginning—a fresh start, clean calendar, upcoming meetings about bringing people together and getting them connected…all of it!
And all I can say now is thank goodness I felt energized, because holy wow, 2020.
I can acknowledge that, like many of you reading this, I too have felt depleted of energy at times in the past six months, but I’ve also felt inspired by the work I’ve been lucky enough to do through IndyHub.
IndyHub is at the forefront of helping people feel connected to one another and to the city of Indianapolis. This isn’t the easiest task when we’re all encouraged to adopt social distancing practices, but we’ve elevated our program model and found creative and new ways to foster person-to-person connections during this intense time.
We’ve also ensured a direct pipeline to connect Indy’s 20- and 30-somethings to cause-based organizations, even as we face these public health challenges. Through the societal shifts that have been put into place to address the global pandemic, one thing has remained for IndyHub: our research. It shows that the more you get involved in the community you live in, the more likely you are to stay. So we embraced the change and reimagined our signature event, IndyVolved 15 presented by Indianapolis Power & Light Company (also an Endorsed Bicentennial Commission Community Project, Happy 200th Birthday Indy). This now-30 days of virtual experiences is meant to help you establish roots with an organization that you’re passionate about.
It’s more important than ever that we are connecting people to these causes, and we’ve dedicated the entire month of September to showcase 100-plus organizations that you can get involved with. One of the lasting projects that has come out of this month is a collaboration with the Indianapolis Colts called: The Do Good Often Bag. This Colts-blue canvas bag is a labor of love, curated from ideation sessions with Colts Director of Community Relations Ashley Powell and Colts Event Manager Chelsea Durham. They’ve long wanted to introduce a give-back bag promoting non-profits that need your support, and it was a no-brainer to tie this in with IndyVolved. This project is meant to, yes, look cool, but also to empower a generation of leaders to continue their social good efforts through the simple but powerful act of donating goods and products to those in need.
Wondering how to use the bag? It’s a simple 5-step process:
Step 1: Get the bag | https://colts.formstack.com/forms/thegivingbag
Step 2: Take a look in the bag. | Once you have that bag in hand you’ll find an insert with 60-plus IndyVolved 15 organizations that need material donations
Step 3: Pick the non-profit(s) you want to donate an item(s) to
Step 4: Collect the item(s) and put them in the bag
Step 5: Drop off the goods and share your giving with the hashtag #DoGoodOften!
As Vice President of IndyHub Ashley oversees planning and execution of all events, marketing and communications while providing exceptional people-focused experiences.
