Nonprofit Hoosier Ticket Project Launches Giving Blitz to Send Hoosier Fans to Free Games

On Thursday, July 21, nonprofit 501(c)3 Hoosier Ticket Project will launch its first Giving Blitz to raise funds for Hoosier fans to experience Indiana University athletic events without financial barriers. Join in on the fun through the project's social media channels.

IU Athletics

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The Hoosier Ticket Project, a 501(c)3 non-profit, is launching its first Giving Blitz on Thursday, July 21 to encourage Hoosier Nation and others to donate money to fund Indiana athletics tickets for fans who otherwise wouldn't be able to attend games.

"Through ticket donors and monetary donations, we make a way for people, fans including families and a lot of children to attend athletic events at IU," said Amanda Pavelka, Hoosier Ticket Project co-founder and director of engagement.

While ticket donations are encouraged and how the project has found the majority of its success, Pavelka said her team wants to expand the initiative to more monetary donations too.

"Our plan is to have more youth organizations and planned events for those groups," Pavelka said.

Giving Blitz will take place all day on Thursday through the initiative's social media channels including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, Pavelka said. 

"All day, we will be releasing content, videos of donors who have donated to the project, why they love the project and want to help raise money for it," Pavelka said.

"We have ticket recipients with really touching, cool stories about how the Hoosier Ticket Project impacted them and their families."

This is the first time the project has asked for monetary donations, and so far leading up to the event, the responses have been great, Pavelka said.

Hoosier Ticket Project now has four corporate sponsors including former Indiana football player Greg Farrall’s company Farrall Wealth and former Indiana basketball player Kyle Taber’s real estate business with Talk to Tucker.

The project all started with Martha the Mop Lady who fans might know as the woman from the 70's who sings "Indiana, Our Indiana" while mopping the halls of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Her video plays before each home basketball game.

On Martha's Twitter account run by an anonymous Hoosier, Martha started the Hoosier Ticket Project simply through her page. She decided to recruit three dedicated Hoosier fans to help her out beginning with CEO Josh Bruick.

"His memory of walking into Assembly Hall for the very first time is something he will never forget, and now his goal is to give children and families across the state of Indiana that same memory," his bio reads.

With the help of Hoosier alumnus and now COO Jason Gerdom as well as Pavelka, the nonprofit got approved as a 501(c)3 in January of 2022.

Since then, the project's social media pages have been generating all the donations, but now it's time to dial it up for Hoosier hopefuls that want to attend games without financial burdens.

"We have gotten donations to the IU-Purdue game, the IU-Illinois game — I mean these were $500 seats," Pavelka said.

During Thursday's Giving Blitz, fans are encouraged to share their first or favorite memory of attending an Indiana game at Memorial Stadium on their social media channels with the hashtag #HTPGivingBlitz.

To donate to the campaign with a $10,000 goal, click here and send fans to the stands to support their Hoosiers.

"It's been amazing for me to see people's reactions and its impact on them whenever they get to go to their first game," Pavelka said.

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