From local coffee chats to enjoying the Indiana State Fair, Orr Fellows have been exploring Indianapolis and discovering new gems this summer—and it all started with a bingo challenge.
Meet Passport to Indy: a summer community engagement initiative to foster Fellow connections and explore what Indianapolis has to offer. Bingo activities included exploring local neighborhoods, checking out farmers’ markets, and even Orr Fellowship specific events such as a financial literacy session with Your Money Line and the annual Mark & Karen Alumni Reception.
Passport to Indy 2025 Bingo Card
The Passport to Indy challenge ran from June 10, 2025 – August 11, 2025, offering a chance for new Orr Fellows and 2nd year Fellows to connect with each other and explore Indianapolis together. With over 300 selfies from activities shared by 68 participants, Passport to Indy’s debut proved to be well-loved. Popular activities included attending the Orr Welcome Picnic, meeting new Fellows, exploring Fountain Square, and going to concerts.
Pictures of fellows participating in Passport to Indy and the success statistics of the challenge
“Something that excited me was Fellows simply going out and getting coffee, and seeing their excitement of trying local coffee shops together,” said Adeline Hatfield, the Director of Community Engagement (CE). It traces back to the reason why she initiated the Passport to Indy challenge.
When Hatfield moved to Indiana last summer, she was very excited to get to know the city and all of its local culture. However, she noticed that there was a gap in how Orr Fellows were connected to the Indianapolis community.
“How can we incentivize getting out and exploring Indianapolis with fellows?” Hatfield thought, as she joined the Community Engagement team. During her first year, she composed seasonal guides of activities and businesses fellows can check out in Indy, through her own exploration of the city.
Adeline Hatfield, Addie Waltz (Fellow, Class of 2025), and the Community Engagement team began working on Passport to Indy after Hatfield stepped into her role as the Director of Community Engagement. As they began selecting activities for the bingo, three priorities came to mind: cost, location, and variety. They wanted to make sure that these events were accessible to Fellows across budgets and interests. Therefore, many of the activities are low to no cost, such as simply exploring a neighborhood like Broad Ripple or taking a stroll down the Monon Trail.
Location was a priority because Orr Fellows are spread out across Indy—living in Downtown, Broad Ripple, Fishers, Carmel, etc. The team had to make sure their activities were not all concentrated in one area and allowed for various corners of Indy to be discovered.
The Community Engagement team then tested those activities with Fellows, to ensure everyone had an activity on the bingo card across all interests. Additionally, the placement of the activities in every row and column were intentional for bingo enthusiasts. “If someone actually wanted to do the bingo in a row or a column, we made sure there was a variety of things for them to do,” said Hatfield. Complete with volunteering, book clubs, summer sweat series, movie nights, local festivals and more, the challenge included a mix of Indy culture for fellows to tackle—maybe even more than one activity at once.
“We intentionally added ‘Meet a New Fellow’ so fellows can knock out multiple things at once,” said Hatfield. As Passport to Indy begins right after a new class of Fellows join Orr and the second year Fellows have just returned from their Spring Retreat, it’s an opportunity to build and foster their community while supporting local spots.
Even after spending a year in Indy and participating in this challenge, Hatfield and other second year Fellows think about a lot of things they have yet to try. When asked what the future of Passport to Indy will look like after its inaugural success, Hatfield responded “The beauty of it is that it’s young and a new initiative. The next Community Engagement team has the opportunity to come in and shape it their way.”
As Passport to Indy concluded in August, there were five winners of the challenge in five different categories:
- Most Involved First Year: Mik Owens
- Most Involved Second Year: Brylee Koontz
- Social Butterfly: Angel Prince
- Most ‘Indy’volved: Jenny Rodriguez
- First Bingo: Mariah Mason
These five winners took home gift cards sponsored by BRICS, a hot-spot for Fellows after monthly meetings.
Winners of the Passport to Indy challenge (left to right): Mariah Mason, Angel Prince, Brylee Koontz, Mik Owens, and Jenny Rodriguez
When Fellows join Orr Fellowship, one of the four pillars of their journey is community. For the Community Engagement team, it’s important that Fellows don’t see Indy beginning and ending simply with their workplace. Rather, they go out and be good neighbors and citizens within Indianapolis. “It’s important for us to go beyond the walls of our partner company and make long-term connections,” says Hatfield.
