{"id":7571,"date":"2016-11-16T08:00:02","date_gmt":"2016-11-16T13:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/?p=7571"},"modified":"2018-08-28T12:44:04","modified_gmt":"2018-08-28T16:44:04","slug":"using-sports-as-for-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/2016\/11\/16\/using-sports-as-for-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Using Sports as a Motive for Change [National Conference Recap]"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Allison<\/a>
Allison Mellangton, senior vice president at Hulman Motorsports Corporation, giving the Opening Keynote Address. Photo courtesy of Elsa Embler.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Session: <\/b>Opening Keynote Address<\/span><\/p>\n

Presenter: <\/b>Allison Melangton, senior vice president, Hulman Motorsports Corporation<\/span><\/p>\n

Recap:<\/b><\/p>\n

You might not think that knitting and the Super Bowl go together, but Allison Melangton would disagree. Melangton, who currently works for Hulman Motorsports Corporation, has spent her career using sports as not only a method of entertainment, but also a motive for change.<\/span><\/p>\n

Melangton helped transform Indianapolis into a premier sports tourism destination. She\u2019s planned and led events including Super Bowl XLVI and the 100<\/span>th<\/span> running of the Indianapolis 500. Instead of focusing solely on the entertainment aspect of sports, she uses these events to enact initiatives to build unity in the Indianapolis community.<\/span><\/p>\n

One program she initiated for Super Bowl XLVI was \u201cSuper Scarves\u201d, which engaged an audience of people who could not physically volunteer for the event due to age, disability or location. Instead, these people knitted scarves for day-of volunteers. This is just one way she engaged both a national and global audience in a community event.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sports are great, Melangton said, but it\u2019s what goes on around them that\u2019s important.<\/span><\/p>\n

Takeaways:<\/b><\/p>\n