Little 500 platform for IUSF scholarship fundraising

Little 500 is fast approaching, and while the main event remains the largest collegiate bike race in the nation, this coming weekend is also an important one for fundraising for student scholarships at IU. This year’s theme is “Helping Students Reach the Finish Line.”

The annual race began in 1951 with the sole purpose of raising scholarship money for students trying to get through college, according to the IU Student Foundation website. The first race was held at the old Tenth Street Stadium and was attended by 7,000 people. Now, more than 20,000 people attend the races annually, according to a IU press release Thursday.

The IU Student Foundation, which raises the money for scholarships, sponsors campus events that build enthusiasm and leadership, raises scholarship money for working students and works to forge a bond between students and IU, according to its website.

Last year, the Foundation awarded about $177,000 in scholarships and grants. In all, it has awarded more than $1.5 million in conjunction with the Little 500 races.

“The organization strives to grow lifetime commitment to and support for Indiana University through programming and leadership development opportunities that are educational, philanthropic and fun,” Melissa Wolter, assistant director of IUSF, said in a press release.

She added that IUSF manages both annual races, the Metz Grant Scholarship program, IU Polar Plunge and the Hoosier Donor Day.

IUSF also partners with several organizations in the Bloomington community, including Girls Inc. of Monroe County, according to the release.

Activities for this year’s Little 500 include the women’s and men’s bike races — Friday and Saturday, respectively — Little Fifty, a running relay race Tuesday and the Armstrong Golf Classic Friday.

The 27th running of the women’s race will begin at 4 p.m. Friday at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The men’s race, in its 64th running, will be held in the same location and will begin at 2 p.m. the following day.

The women’s race is 25 miles and the men’s is 50, and the riders — all of whom must be college students — can compete in teams of up to four. The races are organized to mimic the Indianapolis 500, an annual car race, and both races will be televised by AXS TV on a national scale.

Jordan Bailey, the Little 500 race director for the IU Student Foundation, spoke to the positive attributes of the foundation’s ties with the race in the press release.

“Since its inception in 1951, the Little 500 has had a positive impact on the lives of those that it has touched,” he said. “Including the riders who participate, the volunteers who help to put it on and the students who receive scholarships from the money that it raises.”

Anicka Slachta