One thing that I find really important to nonprofit work is to know your community. You’ll probably hear me say this so many times that you may even get sick of it. This is also why I’m committed to staying here in Indy after graduation and having a career in service that at least begins here. When you realize what Indianapolis has to offer, it’s hard to ever think about leaving. For me, I see opportunities all the time to build on our already strong, engaged community. I think one of the most beneficial things you can do is to go out and try something new! Every so often here on indymillennial, I’ll be writing about something new or different that I’ve checked out around the city, even if it’s not nonprofit related. It always opens my eyes to who the residents of Indy really are, and I’m constantly surprised by the people I run into when I’m at a new event.
Our view from the stands!
In this case, I’m a little late jumping on the bandwagon of the Naptown Roller Girls. My friends and I had the opportunity to check out their bouts on Saturday night at the Pepsi Coliseum at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. I’m a volunteer with several organizations that are primarily focused on women, so I’m always interested to see what the women of Indianapolis are doing. The NRG didn’t disappoint me! They’re athletically talented and extremely fun to watch. They remind me of my Rollerblade Barbie who could light things on fire with her skates back in 1991. Literally. I can’t say I know all the rules very well yet, but I think we’ll be back to learn more next time. Obviously impressed with the ladies, I’m even more impressed with the fans. I saw many Millennials at the bout, but I think I saw just as many people from other generations- young and old! The bouts were family friendly, which is a plus for those who are looking for something new to do with the kids. There are quite a few people who committed to purchasing season tickets for all of the bouts, and I love that about Indianapolis. People in this community are willing to buy season tickets for the Colts, but they’re also willing to buy season tickets to the roller derby! I think the amount of support for local events like this is a good thermometer for nonprofit organizations. Residents who are willing to come out and support events like this are many of the same residents who want to support your organizations. I’m constantly seeing the possibility for collaboration between groups, and it looks like the NRG are supporters of some of our organizations already, judging by their charity page and appearances at events. Like us nonprofiteers, I bet they have a good idea of how difficult and rewarding it is to get something local off the ground. Luckily, we all have the Indianapolis community behind us for support.
If you want to go to the next Naptown Roller Girls bout on January 15th, 2011, you can check out their website. Tickets can be purchased online or at some fine local businesses. You can also follow them on twitter @naptownrg.
