"Philanthropy in Motion" theme for Little 500

The theme of the 63rd Little 500 race has been chosen: ”philanthropy in motion.”  
“Philanthropy in motion” will be an opportunity for students to rediscover the real purpose of Little 500, which is raising scholarship money for students, said Dana Cummings, director of the IU Student Foundation.

“Each year our students get to pick a theme related to cycling,” she said. “This year it was important to highlight why the Little 500 was started in 1951.”

To this day, the profits from race ticket sales support the foundation’s scholarship funds.

The idea came after students involved in IUSF noticed the philanthropy in motion signs around the construction sites on campus. The students took note of what the signs were saying and wanted to do something similar, Cummings said.

The theme was decided by a group of students from IUSF called the Steering Committee. The committee is a group that is hand-selected by members of IUSF and that makes decisions such as what the Little 500 theme will be throughout the year. 

“The theme is the way for them to make their mark,” Cummings said. “Conversation starts early in the year, then the idea is given to marketing. But it was an easy choice this year.”

Cummings said the committee, which is made up of 20 to 25 seniors, wanted to make sure the theme was prominent through all of the parts of Little 500 this year. 

“Each year we do pit boards,” Cummings said. “In the middle of the night, we’ll transform the stadium. The pit boards are a big part of the transformation. The script of the announcer will also mention philanthropy.”

There will be a keynote speaker at the annual alumni barbecue that will speak about the topic of philanthropy to uphold scholarships, Cummings said.

The philanthropy theme will be played out with a new addition to the Little 500 lineup, which is a fundraising competition between teams or individuals.

“We’re doing something called cycling for scholarships,” Cummings said. “It’s through fundly.com. Each team has their own page and can ask for gifts for scholarships. The top fundraisers can win a bike or a trophy.”

The individuals who participate will have the chance to win basketball tickets or a pizza party.

The theme’s goal is to bring attention to what attendees may have forgotten: what Little 500 is all about, Cummings said.

“The most important thing is raising money for students,” she said.

— Laura Schulte