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February 2012 That Reminds Me
Super Bowl spirit
 by Emily Schilling
Editor
Super Bowl fever has gripped the capital city … and even those who don’t know a snap from a sack are getting into the spirit.
An iconic event such as this gives our state the opportunity to showcase what makes it special to a worldwide audience. All over, there are a plethora of things going on, some that have more to do with fun — or philanthropy — than football.
For instance, art lovers visiting Indy can enjoy “46 for XLVI,” a mural project conceived by the Arts Council of Indianapolis. Scattered throughout the city, the murals have various themes and styles, including one featuring a larger-than-life portrait of native son Kurt Vonnegut.
Bloomington, Columbus, Lafayette/West Lafayette, and Shelbyville are among designated Super Celebration Sites. The sites extend the Super Bowl experience beyond downtown Indianapolis. Special events are planned at each location and transportation to downtown Indy is available. Even if you have no intention to venture into Indianapolis to be part of the NFL Experience or the many free concerts, you can visit a celebration site and enjoy good food and local attractions.
I’m especially happy about the various goodwill projects associated with the Super Bowl. Through the Super Baskets of Hope project, 7,000 gift baskets were delivered to critically ill children in the 32 NFL markets in late January.
Indianapolis is home to the world’s only tissue bank that collects healthy breast tissue for cancer study and research. On Jan. 28 and 29, 700 women donated breast tissue samples at the IU Simon Cancer Center as part of Indy’s Super Cure.
The NFL Charities will hold a Super Bowl Youth Bowling Clinic the Wednesday before the game, and the next day, it will unveil a new Youth Education Town (YET) facility on Indianapolis’ near Eastside that was established with a $1 million donation by NFL Charities. The YET program was created to help youth in at-risk neighborhoods.
Meanwhile, that same near Eastside neighborhood is the site of the Habitat for Humanity Super Build 46. NFL players, Habitat volunteers and Super Build 46 partners will build walls for four of the 46 homes to be constructed there.
The impact of the Super Bowl on Indiana will transcend those few hours of game time. When it’s all over, not only will many of us hold special memories of our state’s Sunday in the spotlight, the fruits of volunteers’ labors will remain. What a super legacy!
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