Claire Fiddian-Green is the President & CEO of the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation. “My most important contribution to the [broadcasting] industry has been the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Network, because it was the biggest thing that ever happened in radio and because more people listened to it – all around the world.” – Dick Fairbanks, interviewed in In the Public Interest* For many Hoosiers, the month of May means only one thing: it’s race time. Throughout the month, lifelong Hoosiers and visitors from around the globe come to Indianapolis to celebrate the Greatest Spectacle in Racing – the Indianapolis 500. From the annual 500 Festival Mini-Marathon and the 500 Festival Parade downtown, […]

Claire Fiddian-Green is the President & CEO of the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation. A recent report about tobacco use in the U.S. noted that adult smoking rates in 12 contiguous states exceed not only the national average, but that of many of the world’s most tobacco-dependent countries, including China, Indonesia and Brazil. Unfortunately, Indiana is one of these 12 states, which together comprise “Tobacco Nation.” In Tobacco Nation states, health outcomes are poorer than the national average. Incidences of preventable diseases linked to smoking – like lung and other cancers, and heart disease – are also higher. So it’s not surprising that life expectancy rates are lower in these states, […]