â┚¬Å”He has the right to criticize who has the heart to help.â┚¬Â Ã¢â”šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ Abraham Lincoln
I've begrudgingly fallen in like with the Main Street program. Are you familiar with this? Essentially organizers go into an area, usually rename it, and then promote that area. I say I've fallen in â┚¬Å”likeâ┚¬Â because I'm not completely in love with it, but working for a business located in Ivanhoe Village, I have begun to see the positive impact of this Orwellian initiative.
When I started at Orlando Ballet, I reached out to the executive director of the Ivanhoe Village program. In my conversations with Angela â┚¬â€œ a pretty, intelligent woman with a constant spark â┚¬â€œ I began to realize how important it is for OB to reach out to its neighbors. Giving our neighborhood and identity, we begin to take pride in the things that are located in that area. Hopefully our neighbors will have the same pride in having our professional dance company in their district that we do in having a kick-ass bakery open up on the next block.
I also think this type of identification with our community will help to decrease crime. I've already seen it help with discussions regarding better mass transit. Ivanhoe Village organizers were also instrumental with installing a bike corral right in front of the vegan restaurant Ethos. The corral takes up what used to be a parking space on the area's major thoroughfare, Orange Ave. â┚¬â€œ therefore it is both visible and provides a subliminal message about being an alternative to your gas eater.
With no twisting of the arm necessary, I have downed the kool-aid of the Main Street program. I've even e-mailed Angela an application to serve on the board and help Ivanhoe further. I'll keep you posted on that, of course.
Here we are on Monday, and I know how you look to me to get your week going by looking at some positivity happening out there on the big blue marble. If you find things you think I should share, please post them on my Facebook page or tweet them to me at @CampScottie.
Bloom Where You're Planted
Urban garden in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood exudes eclectic flavor
When you read this, one thing will probably strike you: these people clearly have money. People with money always get to do cool things! Once you've moved past that, you'll think, if you had the money, you'd want to do do-gooder things like husband and wife John Zayak and Dr. Marcie Simon. The article mainly focuses on their beautiful urban garden, but John's office in an old church doubling as a gallery is one heck of an awesome idea.
Keep Your Enemies Close
3 Lessons Cause Marketers Can Learn from the Music Industry
City of Hope is not only raising money and awareness, they are sending a message by having competitors collaborate together on their fundraisers. That message, obviously, is we are in this together. Cancer is our problem, lets band together to kick its terrorist ass. That's only one lesson to learn here though, take that â┚¬Å”not less than 50%â┚¬Â going to City of Hope. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find that in many cause marketing campaigns. When you buy that special pink cup at your corner convenience store, pathetically little of your money will usually be fighting breast cancer. Here City of Hope is telling companies that they'll get to put their name on a fundraising campaign, declare that they are saving the world, but a substantial portion of the money is actually going toward the fight.
Keep On Truckin'
CauzFX
Speaking of cause marketing, here's a company that helps guide corporations toward participating. The nifty video you'll see on this link gives you some important facts about what we, as consumers, are asking from corporations these days. I like the fact that we now want to participate in the socially responsible acts of a corporation. It is no long enough to just write a check. Anyway, I think how this company streamlines the process is kind of interesting. Check it out.
