Community Outreach
Our DC Chapter super-marketers know how lucky we are to be living in our nation’s capital. While a number of our members have lost jobs, been asked to reduce work hours or take pay cuts, our members know that many are in more dire circumstances. Members have come out in droves to help – providing support for the DC Chapter’s community outreach efforts. Through the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and other activities, our chapter community outreach, financial donations and support have increased by 20% in 2010 over 2009. Support includes:
The SMPS Foundation. Our chapter again provided platinum-level support, donating $1,000 to the SMPS Foundation. We see this as an investment in SMPS and the industry alike. Members continue to learn and gain a professional edge from the results of research and other Foundation work, and we are proud to offer this support.
Partners for Kids in Care. The chapter adopted three disadvantaged families through the DC Child & Family Services Agency’s Partners for Kids in Care. We donated hundreds of dollars in grocery gift cards and all the dry and canned goods for Thanksgiving dinner. Volunteers prepared and decorated large gift baskets and board members personally delivered them to appreciative families for the holiday. As families need more support than ever, we doubled our Thanksgiving outreach over last year.
Children’s National Medical Center. The DC Chapter traditionally celebrates the winter holidays by playing Santa to children at Children’s National Medical Center (CNMC); our holiday party attendees decorate and stuff gift bags for hospitalized children. The gift bags — along with art supplies and a $2,500 check — are personally delivered by DC Chapter members. In our sixth consecutive year of giving to CNMC, this outreach tradition allows participants to be real heroes.
The Race for the Cure. Stepping up community outreach, we sponsored our first team in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on June 5, 2010. With lightning speed this race has captured the hearts of members, spawning some friendly-competition banter on Twitter. We donated $40 to Komen for every registered chapter member on our team and organized a pre-race networking/stretching session.
Save a Sample! Also new this year is the chapter’s support of “Save A Sample!” – the design industry’s recycling drive (www.specsimple.com). Save A Sample! collects unneeded literature and samples from design firms, donating them to local design schools. E-blast communications encourage Save A Sample! participation among members and include thank you’s in our newsletter recognizing participating members.
