What is Connect 574?
Connect 574 is your platform for finding community in South Bend. We host regular hangouts and events, have interest groups of all sorts, and an online portal where you can connect with others 24/7!
Who is Connect 574 for?
In short – everyone! While many of our events and hangouts tend to lean toward a younger 20-30 something audience (because, well, it’s run by our small but mighty team of 20-30 somethings), we welcome everyone!
How do I access the online portal?
First, you need to become a Free Community Member. That will invite you to join our portal, which is hosted on the platform Mighty Networks. You can also download the Mighty Networks app and find Connect 574 there for on-the-go access!
From there, you can explore the portal – look for Upcoming Events, different interest groups you’d like to join, or just start a conversation in the main feed!
What’s an event? What’s a hangout? What about sports leagues?
At Connect 574, we have three different in-person offerings:
- Events: We host these monthly, and they are usually high-energy experiences where you get the chance to meet a lot of people, engage in friendly competition, and explore part of the 574. If you see an event that has a link to an Eventbrite page where you need to buy tickets from us, that’s an event.
- Hangouts: Our interest groups (10 and counting!) host monthly hangouts, run by volunteer group hosts. We’ve had outings to restaurants, board game nights, hikes, and dog parks hangs as examples of past hangouts. These are free to join (aside from paying for entry, food, drinks depending on the activity) and open to everyone! We just ask that you RSVP to hangouts (and events) in the portal so we can have an idea of how many and who to expect.
- Sports Leagues: We regularly partner with Best Damn Sports and Social Club of Michiana to do sports leagues throughout the year. This is a great opportunity for regular interaction with your team, and chance for bonding time. We typically do pickleball and volleyball, but if there is enough interest in other sports we may expand!
What are interest groups?
Interest groups are groups in our portal where you can connect with others based on your passions. They’re run by volunteers, who host monthly hangouts centered around the interest! Our current interest groups are as follows:
- Food Enthusiasts of South Bend
- 574 Sports Leagues
- Outdoor Activities Group
- Pawesome Dogs of South Bend
- Board Gamers Unite!
- Trivia Interest Group (Know-It-Alls)
- LGBTQ+ Interest Group
- South Bend Live Music Group
- South Bend Volunteers
- Happy Hour Interest Group
What if I don’t see an interest group I’m interested in?
Since our interest groups are volunteer-run, we’re limited by, well, those who volunteer to run them! If you’re interested in starting an interest group for your passions, let us know and we can talk about setting up a group for you!
What’s the difference between membership levels?
We have two different membership levels currently. As a free community member, you get access to the portal, events, hangouts, and sports leagues. As a Premium Member, you get all of the above, 50% off Connect 574 events, and access to Premium-Member only Community Partner Perks. To learn more about membership levels, head to our membership plans page!
What about those Community Perks?
Right now, Community Perks are available only to Premium Members. But, stay tuned for future opportunities to get more involved with these Perks – we have some exciting news coming up in 2025!
If you have any further questions, reach out to [email protected] and we’ll be in touch shortly!