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VML Spark Squad
Active Challenge Seasons: 2009, 2010
We believe that changing the world creates inner change, too. And we’re excited about that. Growing, helping and giving. Transforming lives — ours and others. We’re passionate about harnessing our creativity for good and for the good of the community. We’re creative directors, writers and art directors. And we’re ready to spark something. So, watch out, Kansas City. Change is coming.
Firms Involved:
VML
It's No Crock Fundraiser
Benefiting: City Union Mission
People Project Goal: Raise money for City Union Mission, a nonprofit organization that provides food, shelter, education and other services to impoverished men, women and children.
Why? The recession has hit everyone hard, especially the homeless this cold winter. With more than 40% of individuals coming to the Mission who are new to homelessness, people are in need now more than ever. The Mission provides critical support, including food for as many as 1,000 people a day for $2 a meal. We asked ourselves, how could we help?
Our answer — a fun “It’s No Crock” fundraiser asking VML employees to drop their donations into crock pots the week of Feb. 8 to Feb. 12. We also held a Friday morning pancake breakfast to feed employees in exchange for donations, and had a speaker from City Union Mission talk to VML employees to raise awareness about homelessness.
Through our fundraising efforts and the VML Foundation matching program, we met our goal! We raised nearly $2,000, which will help the Mission cover their costs for meals for one day during this harsh winter.
We hope this is just the beginning of our support of City Union Mission. A quote from Dennis Chapman from the Mission says it all: “Thanks to all that dreamed with the Mission, with your partnership, we are a better Kansas City.”
Benefiting:
Book of M-Pact
Benefiting: Higher M-Pact
For the March event, the VML Spark Squad worked with members of the core youth group served by Higher M-Pact to create something remarkable.
An amazing book. And an even more amazing connection.
In early March, we toured the Higher M-Pact community center and gave the young people we met there a camera and question to answer: “Who or what has made a positive impact on your life?”
A few days later, they returned for a work session at the agency with cameras in hand. We talked. We worked side by side on the photos and layouts. We asked each other questions. We ate pizza. And we laughed.
The photos they took and our conversations became the foundation for the Book of M-Pact.
Their photos and words provided powerful and profound insights into their world. And the work session — which basically allowed us to demonstrate what we do on a daily basis — gave them a special peek into ours.
Now that the book is being published (and soon available for order at highermpact.org), we’re planning a reception for the creative talents that made it all possible — the youth of Higher M-Pact. And we hope the final product can be sold to raise funds for Higher M-Pact, too, so more kids just like the ones we got to know can be helped by this great organization in the future.
The place that benefited the most from our project? In the end, it proved to be the hearts and minds of the VML Spark Squad team, the young people of Higher M-Pact and — we’re hoping — anyone who sees our Book of M-Pact.
Benefiting:
Give Paws a Chance
Benefiting: Animal Haven
We jumped at the chance to help one of Kansas City’s largest no-kill animal shelters, Animal Haven. It houses so many pets and is constantly in need of anything from paper towels and blankets to food and toys. And very recently, two of its locations were burglarized. In what’s already proving to be a low-donation year, these developments are devastating.
So the VML Spark Squad hosted Give Paws a Chance, a donation drive, to collect items on Animal Haven’s wish list. We also held a culminating happy hour event at the end of the drive week.
The event was a great success! Admission to the happy hour was one donation item or $5. We had refreshments, including dog-shaped cookies and a signature cocktail called “Drool-ade.” We also raised money by holding a raffle that included both pet-related and general items. Pet owners could also participate in a “Guess how many dog biscuits are in the jar” game. The winner won the 276 dog biscuits (4 pounds!) to take home to a four-legged friend.
The event, coupled with a VML Foundation contribution, raised $1,000 and hundreds of donation items … enough to cause some serious tail wagging.
Benefiting:
The Coat Off Your Back Tour
Benefiting: Homeless Services Coalition
For our February challenge project, we decided to do a coat collection. But not your typical one. We enlisted the help of several of our musical friends here at VML and put on a show. The admission charge? The coat off your back (or a cash donation) to benefit the Homeless Services Coalition of Greater Kansas City.
To publicize our efforts, we developed a concert poster, Facebook page and even got some PR in Timothy Finn's column in the Thursday Preview section of The Kansas City Star .
On the evening of February 26, John Keck, Chris Lewis and Alacartoona played the cold out as they took the stage at the Brick, 1727 McGee, and put on a fabulous, well-attended show. The Warmth Tour was so well attended, in fact, that we collected a total of 100 coats and $473 for our cause. Plus, we had a great time.
Anne Lesser, interim executive director at the Homeless Services Coalition , was somewhat overwhelmed with the amount we'd collected and couldn't thank us enough, which was extremely gratifying for the VML Spark Squad, the musicians and all who contributed.
Benefiting:
Feed the Hungry - Guerilla Style!
Benefiting: St. James Place & Harvesters
The VML Spark Squad kicked off the March "feed the hungry" challenge in a very meaningful way, by serving the evening meal at St. James Place, a soup kitchen and food pantry located at 39th and Troost in Kansas City. It was both enlightening and fulfilling to see the faces and personally serve some of the many we were helping during this challenge.
The following morning we woke up early and formed an interesting welcoming committee to greet VML employees at both of our Kansas City locations. We did a little guerilla marketing: holding cardboard signs reading, "Need food" and "Please help," the VML Spark Squad succeeded in catching everyone off guard and drawing attention to our food drive.
Our early-morning efforts were well rewarded. Thanks to generous VMLers, the Harvesters barrels were overflowing with canned goods, peanut butter and boxes of food to feed the hungry in Kansas City.
To see additional photos of the VML Spark Squad's March efforts, visit our our Facebook Page here!re!
Benefiting:
Second Hand Friday
Benefiting: Bridging the Gap
Secondhand Friday raised a $1,250 dollars, and everyone’s pride.
Fourteen artists and fourteen times as many guests showed up at the BlueRue Gallery for Secondhand Friday. Some heard about the event via posters at VML or on our Facebook page. But most just decided to stop in when they saw our street signs made out of broken, red vinyl chairs.
Once inside, guests sipped wine, chatted with friends and admired art made of newspapers, cardboard, old doors, reclaimed fencing and scraps of metal. They generously donated $200 in cash and placed more than $1,000-worth of bids on the art. The highest bidders went home with beautiful, meaningful artwork. But everyone went home with something even more valuable, a sense of pride. Because they helped raise $1,250 of non-designated funds to support Bridging the Gap. Our guests knew they were helping the non-profit organization achieve a mutual goal – making “our world, region and community green, healthy and sustainable.”
To see additional photos of the VML Spark Squad's April efforts, visit our Facebook Page here!
Benefiting:
Little Big Field Day
Benefiting: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kansas City
The Little Big Field Day was a hit (and a kick!).
Dozens of children and volunteers turned out at Hickory Hills Park for the first, but hopefully annual, “Little Big Field Day” on Saturday, May 30, a beautiful Saturday afternoon.
The VML Spark Squad spent a few hours rewarding the generous “Bigs” and appreciative “Littles” of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kansas City with all sorts of field day games. Together, they played sports, ranging from basketball to soccer, and paired up to run relays, including three-legged races, water relays and water balloon tosses. Or, they enjoyed the giant parachute, jump rope and arts and crafts.
No matter what activities they chose, everyone had fun. And, because the interaction between the children and their volunteers was truly inspiring, we were able to achieve our ultimate goal — to raise awareness about the joys of mentorship and, hopefully, help recruit new “Bigs” for the more than 350 children on the waiting list in Kansas City.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of KC
To see additional photos of the VML Spark Squad's April efforts, visit our Facebook Page here!
Benefiting:
