Indianapolis Symphony Blog

Ben Luttrell gives us his third installment of his thoughts about the ISO's Circle the City for the Symphony event. Perhaps I need to give him his own blogroll?

I was a team captain for Ball State University's Relay for Life this past April. The opportunity I had to work with the BSU chapter of PRSSA (the public relations group for students) was good, but the real pleasure for me came from the opportunity to tell people all about this wonderful event and the cause it supports. It wasn’t about me and it wasn’t about the activities or the food or the free entertainment; it was all about getting as many people as I could to come out and spend some time supporting a worthy endeavor.

Take all of that, and fast forward to this summer with the ISO. Walking in to the position, I had a vague sense of what the orchestra did to better the community beyond concerts and clinics. The sheer magnitude of it all amazes me at times. The Guitar Center donation of instruments to our Metropolitan Youth Orchestra, for example: it caught me completely off guard and made my day. The fact that I have the opportunity to learn from this kind of organization still amazes me to this day. I know this sounds a little sappy, but I mean it. Enriching the lives of people through music is extremely important to me; it’s a trait I inherited from family and reinforced through education and fraternity.

If you’ve never captained a team for a charity race before, or if you want an opportunity to rally together and support a very worthy cause, Circle the City for the Symphony is providing a great opportunity to do just that. We’re pleased to roll out the brand new Biggest Team Competition this year. People from organizations across the board, from the most competitive of runners aiming to take top prize in the 10K, to someone just looking for a stroll through downtown and a morning of music and family fun, will be able to join forces as a team. Team members will receive a $2 discount on registration for linking together.

The most exciting part about this is the prize. Samaritan’s Feet, who will be at the race collecting shoes for needy children, is offering to partner with the largest team and offer a shoe distribution for needy children at the charity or community organization of the team’s choice. If you or your team doesn’t have a specific location in mind, Samaritan’s Feet will provide several choices for the team to pick from.

The more people we have coming out and supporting us, the merrier it will be for all parties involved. Circle the City for the Symphony is a great opportunity for your organization to rally together for a great cause, and have a safe and fun family adventure, too.

Online registration is live! Team captains should click here to register the team, and then the other members can click here to register after that. The deadline for team registration is July 23, so hurry up and start recruiting!