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“Indiana Stands with Ukraine” Gained National and Local Support
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Gained National and Local Support
Writer // Janelle Morrison • Photography // Submitted
A special celebrity concert benefit was held on Saturday, October 1, in support of Ukrainian refugees who have crossed and continue to cross over the Ukrainian and Polish border in seek of humanitarian aid. The event in Indianapolis raised a remarkable total of $41,202.70.
With the help of the event committee and our sponsors, this event quickly evolved into a significant affair that featured internationally renowned singer and actor Franc D’Ambrosio accompanied by Stephanie Lynne Smith as the concert’s headliners. The funds raised have contributed to the combined total that has been raised by D’Ambrosio since he began fundraising on behalf of the Dominican Friars, who have been offering humanitarian aid to Ukrainian refugees since the onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
LOCAL AND NATIONAL TALENTS FEATURED
The concert also featured local artists and talents: Don Farrell accompanied by Terry Woods, Artistic Director Alyona Yakovleva-Randall and the Indiana Ballet Conservatory and a special “surprise” recorded performance by celebrity singer/songwriter John Ondrasik with Five for Fighting.
The fundraiser was hosted at the private residence of Mr. Ryan and Mrs. Amy Wright of Indianapolis and included small plates featuring both American and authentic Ukrainian fare — prepared by Lena and Amy’s mothers and culinary professionals Valentyna Osinnia and Teri Uhrig.
There was a live auction of some remarkable and hard-to-obtain items and 100 percent of the event proceeds went to the Dominican Friars, who are on the front lines offering food, shelter, medical and mental health care to Ukrainian refugees and their children.
The Dominican Friars have an established 501(c)(3) set up, and all of the donations made to their website are being used to provide humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian refugees in their care.
Some friars have converted parishes into oncology wards and are providing both physical and mental health care to those who are in desperate need.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
The “Indiana Stands with Ukraine” fundraiser is an ongoing fundraiser, and we hope that many of our friends and associates will continue to support this important cause and the friars’ extraordinary work and for Ukrainian refugees.
My publisher, Lena Lucas, is from Kyiv, Ukraine, and still has family abroad. Through her lens, I have gained a perspective on the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the genocide that is ongoing — I personally cannot turn a cheek to this. This is not a political issue — it is a humanitarian crisis where men, women and children are being annihilated, but they refuse to lay down their arms and hoist a white flag. The Ukrainian people continue to fight for their very existence.
My publishers, Neil and Lena Lucas, myself and our extremely dedicated committee are committed to continue raising as much awareness and monetary support as possible.
Donations made to the Dominican Friars’ fund can be made for any amount, day or night, 365 days a year. Please consider donating to the Dominican Friars website at https://opwest.org/ indianadonation.
Together, we can help save and improve the lives of Ukrainians who are fighting for their freedom and their futures.
Simply put, this event would not have been possible without the generosity and energy of our sponsors and performers. On behalf of the fundraiser committee, I would like to acknowledge the following:
NEAL BURNETT AND KAREN BRABENDER OF INDIANAPOLIS:
Neal Burnett, Karen Brabender and their seven children and three grandchildren, along with Wilson the chocolate Labrador, are all native to Indiana. Neal and Karen both own and work together in a commercial development company in downtown Indy. They have completed many notable projects in central Indiana over the past 35 years. One more recent project is the New Back 9 golf and entertainment facility located in downtown Indy adjacent to the Lucas Oil stadium. Back 9 is a state-of-theart golf and entertainment facility where one can enjoy playing golf courses and different games while in the comfort of one of the 75 available bays. Back 9 features more than four bars and dining experiences, along with a full music pavilion and balconies that can fit 700–800 guests for some of the best music performances Indy has to offer. Neal and Karen both lead very active lives enjoying family, social gatherings, tennis and many outdoor activities together. They especially like being involved in helping our community here but also abroad advance and thrive. Visit
back9golf.com for more information.
CARMEL MONTHLY AND ZIONSVILLE MONTHLY:
Publishers Neil and Lena Lucas are the owners and publishers of Carmel’s and Zionsville’s premier lifestyle magazines and have been publishing in these communities for nearly a decade. The Lucases and head writer Janelle Morrison publish
stories on the communities’ arts, education, business, nonprofit, government and community affairs as they impact the lives of the residents and business owners. Visit carmelmonthlymagazine.com
and zionsvillemonthlymagazine.com.
RYAN AND AMY WRIGHT:
Ryan is a bankruptcy attorney in Indianapolis, Indiana (bankruptcybyphone. com), and fronts the band Dean Martini. Amy is a partner with Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP. The Wrights are avid supporters of the arts and staunch advocates for humanitarian efforts both locally and abroad.
HOTEL CARMICHAEL:
Hotel Carmichael, an Autograph Collection Hotel, is located in the heart of the Carmel City Center. This greater Indianapolis hotel offers modern accommodations located next to the Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts, one of the greatest music halls of its time. Visit
hotelcarmichael.com. PIANO SOLUTIONS – CARMEL:
Piano Solutions in Carmel prides itself on offering not only the best pianos available today but also a thorough understanding of the instruments it sells and services.
Today, it is Indiana’s largest provider of new and used pianos, digital pianos, hybrid pianos, organs and keyboards, with an extensive collection of pianos from all over the world. Visit Piano Solutions at
pianosolutions.net.
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GRAHAM RAHAL
ON MAKING ZIONSVILLE HIS HOME AND HEADQUARTERS
Writer // Janelle Morrison • Photography // Laura Arick and courtesy of Graham Rahal Performance
This month, we are pleased to feature IndyCar driver Graham Rahal on our cover. Recently, it was announced that Rahal, president of Graham Rahal Brands, has entered into an agreement with the Zionsville Economic Development Commission to purchase two lots at Creekside Corporate Park where Rahal’s 115,000-square-foot headquarters will be built.
Both Rahal and his wife Courtney live in Zionsville, and Rahal shared with us his excitement to relocate the Graham Rahal Performance, Rahal Ducati Indianapolis, Rahal Paint Protection and the Graham & Courtney Rahal Foundation to the future site in Zionsville that will be across from the headquarters of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL), which is currently under construction and owned by Rahal’s father, Bobby Rahal.
Rahal was gracious to share with Zionsville Monthly his vision and hopes for what this relocation will mean to his family, his brands and to the community of Zionsville.
GETTING THE CHECKERED FLAG TO RELOCATE
“I’m thrilled that we’ve finally gotten to this point. It’s been a couple of years in the making and working through all the steps to get here,” Rahal shared. “I’ve always been a big fan of this area, and when RLL went into Creekside, I think it really brought a lot of life into the corporate park. It really attracted me to what we could do in that same vicinity.”
Rahal explained that he is still working though some final stages to get the agreements with the town “settled, signed and done” and that he feels like his brands will be a great addition to the town of Zionsville.
“In my opinion, Zionsville is an affluent town that has successful, business-minded folks that appreciate businesses like ours,” Rahal said. “A lot of our clients live in Zionsville and surrounding areas. A lot of our friends live here, I live here, and my mother lives here.”
BECOMING A COMMUNITY PARTNER
Rahal shared that he doesn’t just want to house his brands within the proposed HQ, he wants to build relationships with the residents and fellow businesses of Zionsville.
“We feel like we can bring a lot to the table,” Rahal said. “Whether it’s the Graham Rahal Performance, Rahal Ducati Indianapolis, Rahal Paint Protection brands, the coffee facility and the bar and grill additions that we are putting together, the members and storage facility or the [Rahal] racing museum that we will have onsite, we feel that these will all be great additions to the town, and we’re really excited about these.”
Rahal shared that although plans are still fluid, he has secured a “great partner” for his proposed coffee shop, which will
also be housed in the new facility, and he is excited about the proposed bar and grill amenity that is also under development.
“We are simply trying to grow this culture of cars and coffee or what we call ‘Ducs & Donuts,’” Rahal said. “We love what that brings. It’s not an ‘upscale-only’ deal at all. These are open to everyone. I don’t care if you drive a Fiat or a Ferrari. You are welcome to our events. What I love the most is that it doesn’t matter if you are 3 years old or 80 years old, you can enjoy our community events.”
Rahal continued, “What I enjoy most is seeing folks and families come through just for the love of being together and enjoying cool cars, motorcycles and a cool place to be. And between the showrooms, there will be a coffee shop that will be open to the public who want to come in, sit down and work, enjoy the Wi-Fi or write a novel. It will obviously be racing inspired, but it will be a great space when we have events. We’re really excited about that and think it’s going to be a great part of our facility.”
As also expressed by Bobby Rahal when we spoke with him in a previous article, it is important to the entire Rahal family and organizations to engage with the Zionsville community that they are heavily invested in. The younger Rahal spoke about how his love of automobiles and community events began at a young age spending time with his father and attending events hosted by Bobby.
PERFORMANCE VEHICLE STORAGE AND PREMIER EVENT SPACE
Those who are familiar with the Motor District in Westfield and SILO Auto Club in downtown Indianapolis will be excited about Rahal’s forthcoming storage and social membership offerings that will be available within the new facility in Zionsville.
“You may have a Porsche or a fancy toy that needs somewhere to go in the winter, and we’re fairly centralized to our client base in Carmel as well, so we’re excited to be able to do this here,” Rahal expressed. “We will be able to store 100 cars and motorcycles on top, and we will do this in a vertical capacity so that we will be able to stack 4 high and still maintain a fairly low roof to give it a really clean and sporty look in the interior of the building. If you’re in the bar and grill area, you’ll be able to see the vehicles that are on display. It’s going to be a great event center — maximizing the garage footprint — and like SILO, the event space can be rented to host dinners or whatever.”
THE GRAHAM & COURTNEY RAHAL FOUNDATION
As announced, the Graham & Courtney Rahal Foundation will also be housed in the Zionsville HQ, along with Rahal’s corporate offices.
The Graham & Courtney Rahal Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization led by Rahal and his wife, former National Hot Rod Association Funny Car driver Courtney Force-Rahal. Rahal initiated the Foundation in 2009 to continue the philanthropic efforts of his former team owner, the late actor Paul Newman.
Each year, the foundation hosts the GCRF Drivers Tournament powered by United Rentals the week leading into the Indianapolis 500, drawing participants from across the country to raise awareness and money for the foundation’s two charitable partners: Turns for Troops / SoldierStrong USA and Colorado State University’s One Cure program.
Supporting numerous nonprofits over the last decade, the GCRF has donated more than $1.4 million to causes close to the Rahal family’s hearts.
“Our mission is to raise money and to give back to two main causes,” Rahal shared. “One is to our veterans. We provide a lot of funds to veterans who need more advanced treatments and therapies for their rehab through our Turns for Troops initiative. Then we have our Vino for Vets fundraiser, which is held in Napa Valley in October, that is capped at 25 couples. It is way too much fun, and we raise a lot of money for our Veterans.”
Rahal’s other philanthropic focus is on the family’s One Cure initiative and on raising funds to support the Losartan Combination Clinical Trial for children with metastatic bone cancer.
“When taken in extreme doses, [Losartan] has been proven to be extremely effective in killing off [the cancerous] cells,” Rahal said. “We are seeing great results, so that’s why we are continuing to fund that.
It is important for people to know that our foundation does not pay [foundation] salaries. Courtney and I pay our folks to do the [foundation] work, and 100 percent of what we raise goes back to the charities that we support.”
For more information on the foundation and how you can donate or assist, visit grahamrahal.com/gcrf.
PUSHING THROUGH THE FINAL LAP
With all of the proposed amenities and services being announced, one can hardly wait for the start and completion of construction, and no one is more anxious to cross the finish line than Rahal himself.
“I would have loved to have broken ground 6 months ago,” Rahal expressed. “I’m so out of space, and that’s hindering me from being able to hire additional employees because I have nowhere to put any more employees. I literally don’t have office space or workspaces for additional employees. Having said that, I think spring 2023 is likely [to break ground] simply because we’re still working through some stuff with the town. I figure it will be about a 14-month build time, and it may be a good time, as the prices of steel and other building components are coming down or are at least plateauing in some areas, but the sooner the better.”
Rahal concluded, “I want people to understand that I will do the best I can for the people of Zionsville and will do it right. I think people will see the facility and how unbelievably beautiful and state-of-the-art it will be. We, as a family, take a lot of pride in what we do and hold ourselves to a very high standard. I hope that people reading this understand that we’re not a ‘normal’ car dealership that will have cars sitting out on a lot and lit up at night like a Christmas tree. That’s not what we do. We are a boutique, specialty brand, and Ducati is the same. We wouldn’t be coming to Zionsville if we didn’t think these brands are a perfect fit for what’s going on [in Zionsville], and we are excited about being there.”
