Ball State students begin “Charity Miles” competition
Beginning next week, Ball State is sponsoring a contest between other state universities to see who can walk, bike, or run the most miles for charity using a new phone app. Running or biking in events for charity is not a new idea. But Ball State student Chris Wilkey now uses the phone app Charity Miles to let his every day workout earn money for charity.
When you turn on Charity Miles during your workout, it uses the GPS function on your phone to track how many miles you travel. Walkers and runners earn 25 cents per mile and bikers earn 10 cents towards charities like Autism Speaks and the Nature Conservancy.
This week, Charity Miles won an award at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival. Students from Indiana colleges want to raise awareness and use of the app by doing what college students like most – making it a competition. From March 20th to April 20th, Ball State, Indiana University, Indiana State, and Purdue students, faculty, and alumni will compete to see how many miles their teams can rack up.
Organizers hope the schools will collectively meet or surpass 5,000 miles for charity.
More information about the Indiana schools challenge can be found on Facebook here.
