Who better than “Mr. Basketball” Dave Shepherd understands the concept of teamwork to win the big game? The Carmel native and 1970 graduate of Carmel High School was one of the best players to ever play basketball in Indiana, and he took that winning attitude to become a successful local businessman.
Now, Shepherd has taken on a new challenge as Honorary Chairman of the Carmel Symphony Orchestra’s (CSO) new 2020-2021 fund-raising campaign – PLEDGE 45: Funding a Future Together.
Shepherd
“I have always been known as an athlete and not necessarily as a man of the arts, but I do believe passionately that the arts are very important to our community, especially in Carmel,” said Shepherd, who plans to make the first donation to this campaign out of his own pocket, then encourage others to do the same.
The new CSO campaign comes at a time when the non-profit arts organization, a resident company at the Center for the Performing Arts, is struggling due to the COVID-19 cancellation of its season this year. The ‘PLEDGE 45’ brand pays tribute to this being the CSO’s 45th season, a testament to its longtime service to the arts in Carmel.
“I am just here to help any way that I can … and I can tell you that without raising additional capital, without donations from our citizens, the CSO might still survive, but it certainly will not thrive,” Shepherd said. “And Carmel has never been known as a community where ‘being average’ is OK. We have always strived to be the best and do the best at everything that we do. That is what I want … what we should all want from our Carmel Symphony Orchestra.”
Selected in 1970 as Mr. Basketball, Shepherd played for his father Bill Shepherd at Carmel High School and scored 2,226 points in a three-year career. That put him as 10th on the all-time state scoring list, and he still holds the IHSAA state championship game record of 40 points. Shepherd never lost a home game on the Carmel court, posting 50 consecutive victories. He averaged 26 points per game as a freshman at Indiana University before transferring to the University of Mississippi, where he was chosen as the team’s MVP in 1975.
Shepherd founded Shepherd Insurance in 1977 to provide personal insurance and top-notch service to friends and neighbors. Almost four decades later, his agency has grown to include employee benefits and financial products. Dave still oversees company operations but gives credit for the agency’s continued success to the amazing team that has been built at Shepherd.
Clearly, Shepherd grew up in a family that treasured competitive sports and says they didn’t have much time for the arts. Back in those days, going to see a symphony or a play meant making the long drive to downtown Indianapolis or Butler University’s campus. But as he settled into his career in insurance, his tastes began to change. He, like many, admits: “As I got older, I began to have deeper appreciation for the arts.”
Shepherd gives credit to Mayor Jim Brainard for having the vision to build the Palladium, where the CSO performs most of its shows, and for making the arts an important part of the community.
“Of course, we have great schools and great sports programs; we have great neighborhoods and excellent police and fire protection. The arts … well, they are like the icing on the cake,” Shepherd said. “It is so important for us to support the CSO and to teach our children, our younger generation, about the role the arts can and should play in our lives. I think this is vitally important for Carmel.”
While Shepherd acknowledged that the Symphony does get support from some corporate sponsors and the City of Carmel, it is simply not enough. Especially this year.
“It really does take donations from me and you, from the entire community, to keep talented professionals like Janna Hymes and Jeanelle Adamak … to keep them here so that we can build on something for the future,” Shepherd concluded.
Ready to make a pledge?
If you would like to become a Pledge 45 donor, you can join as either a Pledge Patron or a Pledge Partner.
To become a Pledge Patron, individuals can make a monthly donation of $45, or a lump sum of $540. To join as a Pledge Partner, corporate sponsors can make a monthly donation of $450, or a lump sum of $5400.
All Pledge 45 contributors will be posted on the CSO website and via social media. Each donor will also receive an official CSO/Pledge 45 campaign logo that can be prominently posted on their organization’s website and/or in their email signature.
To become a member or to learn more, go to carmelsymphony.org/pledge.