Facebook is full of posts from scammers pretending to have tickets to Taylor Swift’s sold-out performances in Indianapolis for sale, but this one is legit. A Bloomington couple is offering two tickets to the Nov. 1 show to one lucky winner for as little as $10.
Melissa Colman first scored tickets to Taylor Swift’s Nov. 1 Indianapolis show in August – her husband, Gabe, being one of the “lucky ones” who secured a presale link.
A longtime “Swiftie,” Colman had originally planned to use the tickets for her and her husband.
“I was starting to plan my outfit, like, ‘What era am I gonna be?’” Colman said.
Instead, she’s organizing a raffle to score two tickets to Swift’s Nov. 1 show in support of Middle Way House, a Bloomington nonprofit crisis center for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking in south-central Indiana.
For just $10 per raffle ticket, participants could win two tickets to the first night of Swift’s three-day stop at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, where she will be performing the final shows of the U.S. leg of her record-breaking “Eras” tour. Raffle tickets are unlimited, and participants can enter as many times as they want.
How to enter the raffle for Taylor Swift tickets in Indianapolis
Melissa Colman mans a table at Morgenstern Books on Aug. 18, 2024, to sell raffle tickets for a chance to see Taylor Swift in Indianapolis.
Raffle tickets can be purchased in-person through Oct. 1 at three locations across Bloomington: The Venue Fine Arts and Gifts on South Grant Street, Middle Way House’s administrative offices on South Washington Street, and on Sundays from noon to 2 p.m. at Morgenstern Books on South Auto Mall Road. Colman, the raffle’s organizer, will be manning the booth for tickets at Morgenstern every Sunday.
After raffle sales close on Oct. 1, the winner of the two tickets will be selected, at random, on Oct. 3 — a little less than a month before the Nov. 1 show.
“It’s a great opportunity to donate to a really worthy organization, but also to potentially get something so amazing in exchange,” Colman said.
Organizer hopes to bring funds, awareness to Middle Way House
A Bloomington woman is selling $10 raffle tickets for a chance to see Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Indianapolis.
Before scoring the tickets last year, Colman had joined the Middle Way House board of directors, after over a decade of volunteering at the organization. As she heard about various financial challenges the shelter is facing — primarily the national shortage of federal dollars for domestic violence shelters as Victims of Crime Act funds are depleting — Colman began to wonder if her highly coveted Taylor Swift ticket could be better used as a fundraiser for the organization.
“With decreases in federal funding to grants for domestic violence shelters, it’s become a lot harder over the years,” Colman said. “So I was really excited to bring something to the table that I thought would be a good fundraiser.”When Colman brought the idea to Executive Director Carrie Stillions, she was immediately on board.
“[Colman] was very passionate about being able to give the tickets to someone who maybe wouldn’t be able to go, while also helping the agency,” Stillions said. “There have been a lot of fundraising challenges, so it’s important for us to be able to bring in funds to maintain the support services that we have, while also being able to give back to the community in a fun way.”
Middle Way House Executive Director Carrie Stillions poses in the courtyard of the facility on Friday, April 7, 2023.
After initially discussing selling the tickets, Colman, Stillions and others at Middleway House decided a raffle would be the best way to maximize potential profit and to raise awareness for the nonprofit and its funding challenges.
Taylor Swift’s activism makes raffle even more appropriate
Stillions said the raffle for a Taylor Swift ticket feels particularly appropriate given Swift’s history of speaking out about sexual assault and women’s issues. Stillions said a key pillar of responding to domestic abuse and sexual violence is openly speaking about the issues and educating younger generations.
“Taylor Swift has talked about some of her personal story with sexual assault, and I think that having someone with such a platform be open about that can only help our future generations and people in our communities to feel more comfortable being open about that,” Stillions said. “I think it will help us get some recognition that Middle Way House is the one who is behind this, and what the real purpose of it is, to raise awareness about domestic violence, sex violence and human trafficking.”
Colman, who works as a women’s health nurse practitioner, said her volunteer and board work at Middleway House has been instrumental in shaping her career and passions, and she hopes the fundraiser will make a difference to the organization.
“It’s really shaped a lot of my career,” Colman said. “I think it’s a great way to give back. The biggest hurdle is getting the word out about it.”
Reach Brian Rosenzweig at brian@heraldt.com. Follow him on Twitter/X at @brianwritesnews.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Middleway House raffle prize is tickets to Taylor Swift in Indianapolis
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Publish date : 2024-08-27 22:06:00
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