In addition to empowering individuals to become the best version of themselves through honest ingredients, enriching content and excellent service, part of our mission at ISN is to use our profits to make the world a better place. One of the ways we do this is to partner with organizations that seek to strengthen the communities they serve through events, services and programs.
One such organization we are proud to sponsor is the 500 Festival in Indianapolis, Indiana. The mission of the 500 Festival is to produce life-enriching events and programs that celebrate the spirit and legacy of the Indianapolis 500 and foster a positive impact on the City of Indianapolis and the State of Indiana. We recently sat down with Sabrina List, Vice President, Marketing & Communications to discuss how the 500 Festival achieves this mission.
1. What is the mission of the 500 Festival and how do you see your stakeholders living out that vision?
The mission of the 500 Festival is to produce life-enriching events and programs that celebrate the spirit and legacy of the Indianapolis 500 and foster a positive impact on the city of Indianapolis and state of Indiana.
With 50 different programs and events, the 500 Festival proudly fuels the community’s celebration of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. Thanks to our wide variety of offerings, we’re able to provide opportunities to celebrate the Indy 500 for everyone – regardless of age, interest or station in life. Whether they’re athletes running the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon, fourth grade students participating in the 500 Festival & Indianapolis 500 Education Program, presented by IU Health, families enjoying the state’s largest festival for kids – the Salesforce & JPMorgan Chase 500 Festival Kids’ Day, or spectators reveling in the magic of one of the nation’s premier parades – the IPL 500 Festival Parade, we’re proud to lead the Indy 500 celebration for half a million people every year.
2. At ISN, our vision is to provide products and content that help people become the healthiest version of themselves. How does the 500 Festival help people become the healthiest version of themselves?
We’re leveraging the value of Indiana being home to the Indianapolis 500 to further a culture of health and fitness. Every year, 35,000 runners, joggers, walkers and wheelchair racers from all 50 states and 15+ different countries join us for the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon.
We see participants at all levels, from Olympians and elite runners competing to win it all, to the 7,000 people who will walk the entire route, our participant field is diverse in terms of running experience/performance, age (in 2018 our oldest participant was 83 and our youngest was 7) and motivation for doing the race (some are hoping to set a new PR, some are just trying to get healthy and some are diehard race fans that take on a half marathon just so they can run on the legendary IMS track and kiss the bricks).
From legendary Olympians to families inspired to get healthy together, the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon has become a legendary tradition that more than 1 million Hoosiers have participated in.
3. Can you help us understand why community involvement is so important to organizations like the 500 Festival?
As a nonprofit community organization, the 500 Festival relies on more than 7,000 volunteers to ensure our events and programs continue to deliver a lasting, significant impact. Through the leadership and engagement of our community, we’re building a legacy that enriches the lives of our community members for years to come.
4. You have some remarkable young women in the 500 Festival Princess Program. How do you feel this program best inspires young women?
The 500 Festival Princess Program provides Indiana’s brightest young women with countless opportunities for leadership and professional development. The combination of programming, community service, networking opportunities with business and civic leaders and mentoring by members of the 500 Festival’s Board of Directors, equip these women with the tools necessary to make an impact within their community upon graduation.
5. What are you most looking forward to for the month of May, 2019?
Everything! There’s something magical about the city of Indianapolis during the month of May. There’s an electricity in the air.
If you’re looking to be inspired, you can’t beat watching participants cross the finish line of the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon. In particular, after the 3 hour mark. You see people realizing their goal of finishing a half marathon – sometimes after thinking it wasn’t possible! It’s the culmination of so many weeks, months and sometimes years of training. It’s powerful.
