(INDIANAPOLIS) -- A new initiative for Central Indiana interns combines professional networking, community service, and cultural immersion. The Indy Interns' community engagement initiative program, led by Indiana INTERNnet, begins this Saturday.

The goal of Indy Interns is twofold: create a network of interns from Central Indiana companies and introduce them to the vibrant community, with the goal of "selling" the region as a great place to live, work and play.

The 2012 summer kickoff event is a competitive scavenger hunt throughout downtown Indianapolis. The event takes place June 23 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., beginning at 100 Monument Circle and ending at Scotty's Brewhouse. 

Other scheduled events include:

• Personal finance workshop with Peter "Pete the Planner" Dunn 
• Participation in Indy BackPack Attack to collect school supplies for children within Indianapolis Public Schools
• Trip to Indiana State Museum along the Indianapolis Cultural Trail: A Legacy of Gene & Marilyn Glick 

Event coordination will be accomplished by Indianapolis-area interns from the following companies: Aprimo; Cha Cha Search, Inc.; ExactTarget; Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana; Indiana INTERNnet; Interactive Intelligence; OneAmerica Financial Partners, Inc.; Raytheon Technical Services, LLC; Roche Diagnostics; Rook Consulting; and The International Center.

Indiana INTERNnet, the free internship matching service of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, engages interns as well as educates employers and interns on the mutual benefits of internships. Indiana INTERNnet was formed in 2001, shortly after a series of Indiana Commission for Higher Education studies that clearly demonstrated the state's "brain-drain" problem. The program is funded by a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.

More information is available at www.IndianaINTERN.net.
 
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The Indiana Chamber of Commerce is the state's largest broad-based business advocacy and information organization, representing nearly 5,000 member companies that employ 800,000 Hoosier workers.