CreateAthon at VCU

CreateAthon onCampus is a 24-hour, work-around the clock creative blitz during which student teams provide non-profit marketing services on a pro bono basis.

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HEROIC HOME STRETCH!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAW  X1,000,000,000. The semester is drawing to a close. The Creative Heroes are putting the finishing touches on all of their amazing projects. The team leaders have to turn in all of their revised deliverables to their nonprofits, and the gO! team has to summarize all of the amazing work that’s been done in the form of a neat CreateAthon booklet. From prints to presentations, Red Bulls to racing chairs, coffee cups to corgi pups(pup, we had three dogs but only one corgi), the gO! team’s gotta fit all of that action into an end-of-the-year book. Yes, it will comic book themed. Bangs and Pows all up in that booklet.

All of our hard work will end with a really awesome end-of-the-year cocktail party that will take place at The Depot. No, not home Depot. It would be appropriate to hold the party in a hardware store since we go so hard. But alas, we shall eat, drink, and be merry in the wonderful railway station turned art gallery. We will be in there toasting to a job well done, acknowledging all of the teams and looking towards the future. Best believe i will be snapping pictures of the awesome plate of food I will be stockpiling to the ceiling! If you don’t do it for the ‘gram, what are you even doing it for? The ‘gram is all-seeing, all knowing, and all powerful. Whatever you do, you better do it for the ‘gram. 

Thank you so much for following us through our creative journey so far. We had ups, downs, turnarounds, but ultimately a happier Richmond community. We’re having a blast doing this and we need all the support we can get, so continue to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and all the rest of our social media outlets(THE GRAM). The heroic home stretch needs cheerleaders!

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An Evening to Remember

Wes from the gO! team snapped great pictures of Matilda, the CreateAthon Corgi. We love her!

By: Matthew Sjelin

Hello CreateAthoners! It’s been another week chalk full of work and tying up some loose ends. Currently, the project team leaders are working on their final revisions of their deliverables for their nonprofits. Weeks after the 24-hour event finished, they are still perfecting their deliverables to make sure they get it just right. It speaks volumes of the amount of time and energy they have put into what they’ve produced and we cannot wait to highlight it at out reception.

In just a few weeks, CreateAthon will hold a reception for everyone who was involved. Not only is it a chance to highlight the team leaders work, but is also a chance for CreateAthon to show their appreciation for all the hard work and dedication that everyone put into this event. Drinks and light snacks are served to everyone in attendance and we reminisce on the beauty of CreateAthon.

The reception will be at the Depot during the first week of May and is one of the final tasks that the gO! Team is focusing on this semester. They are working to make it as amazing as possible so that we can go out of this semester with a bang! We are looking forward to everyone coming together one last time to celebrate the amazing work that was accomplished this year.

To keep up with all things CreateAthon, please follow our social media accounts: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

We’ll see you at the reception folks!

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CreateAthon Update. Ready? Ok!

We’re still churning away at our final project for CreateAthon this semester, a catalogue book filled to capacity with facts and anecdotes about the challenges and triumphs of the gO! team and all the ten teams for their ten non-profit organizations. There will be graphics. There will be lists of things. There will be a picture of an adorable corgi dog being cute for the sake of being cute. Or so we’ve heard, no confirmation.There will be challenges. There will be successes. There will be The graphic designers are making sure the design fits perfectly, and the team leads are collating information to place into a format that truly speaks to the audience looking into our experiences from the outside. Our goal is to have the booklet reach potential non-profits and sponsors, so that they might be inspired to join our cause.

At the same time, other gO! team members have been getting ready for our sponsors at the end of the year cocktail party, where we celebrate a job well done! It’s been a very enlightening experience, working closely with all these nonprofits. To have a voice in your home community is quite mandatory, and the CreateAthon teams are using their best writing skills and art skills to make Richmond hear those voices. Another thing to pay attention to in the next few weeks is the release of several interview videos to our Vimeo page, https://vimeo.com/createathonatvcu .

It’s not all Red Bull chugging and wheely chair racing, we get one-on-ones will nonprofit team leaders, gO! team leaders, and the grandmaster of the whole operation, Peyton Rowe herself! We’re going to attack the internet with media very soon, so keep following us on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Snapchat and Vimeo. We’re very thankful to have the support we’ve received, and we’ll keep working hard to do our part in enriching Richmond.

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A Creative Process Like No Other

By: Rob Petrucelli 

Wes from the gO! team snapped some amazing photos from one of Rob’s events for Beds for Kids. We were so happy to have CreateAthon members supporting this inspiring nonprofit! 

It has officially been one month since CreateAthon at VCU 2015.

I must admit, I felt a small tinge of relief after the twenty-fourth hour had elapsed on that insane day in March. “Wow. It’s over,” I thought, collapsing into my car. “I’m done!”

If only I had known how naïve I was to think that March 13th would be my last sleepless night of the semester. Sure, there will be some tidying up to do - but nothing major, right? Wrong. Clients have revisions, print edits must be made, and client resources need to be coordinated. In my case, all of the above was true, and more.

24 hours really isn’t as long as it sounds. My team, working with Beds For Kids, Inc., strove to develop an entirely new brand, print collateral, website, and direct mail brochure during the event. While we are extremely proud of our results, we weren’t able to deliver much more than a concept for the direct mail piece. As any nonprofit will tell you, Beds for Kids needs more donations. Throughout the semester, I’ve come to really believe in their mission, so I really wanted to deliver and give them a chance to take advantage of a tactic that was previously out of reach for them. A well-designed direct mail brochure could really move the needle in their fundraising efforts.

One problem: I’m a public relations guy. I can use Adobe products about as well as I can speak Mandarin.

Here’s the amazing part: CreateAthon never dies. That collaborative, energetic atmosphere still lingers in the Alt Lab. Even though we’ve been through countless revisions of the brochure via a web of interconnected email threads and face-to-face conversations, and despite the direction of the design making a 180 a week before printing, we are doing phenomenal. The resources available during this process are simply unreal. CreateAthon at VCU is much more than 24 hours; it is 16 weeks of collaborative brainstorming coming to life.

We’ve managed to cover the rest of our bases while building the brochure from the ground up, and in just a couple of days, these designs will go to print. I couldn’t be more excited to see what impact our work will make.

Managing a project of this scope in concert with the course load of my final semester and internship was absolutely exhausting, but I owe everything to the CreateAthon at VCU team as a whole. My instructors have made it possible for me to work with some extremely talented people and deliver the best for Beds for Kids. I feel lucky just to have been a part of this process.

Oh, and thanks gO! team, for saving me $10 when I forgot to get a parking pass. That was pretty cool.

Keep up with everything CreateAthon by following our social media pages: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Until the next time everyone!

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Caution: Creatives At Work.

Hello from T. Edward Temple, where CreateAthon is still very much alive. It has been almost a month since our 24-hour event and we still have miles to go. Though the dust has settled from the event, we all are still very much at work, ensuring that our final product our nonprofits receive is perfect.

We continue not only to work on the finishing touches of our work produced during the 24 hours, but also working our booklet that will highlight the event and the work produced. The booklet is crucial because it helps us tell our story to potential donors, or to students who want to be involved. The gO! Team is in the process of collecting all the facts from event and everything that went into to help create a fun and compelling story.

As the semester reaches its last few weeks, we know that our work must be completed by the end,  So we’re putting our best feet forward. We can’t wait to reveal to our sponsors, volunteers, and mentors at our cocktail party in May!

While the gO! Team is working tirelessly on the booklet; the project team leaders are busy with their making final revisions to their work. In the coming weeks, the work will be sent to Carter Printing to finally come to life. Before it is printed, we want to make sure that everything is just right before we hand it off to our sponsors. Even under pending deadlines, we take time to make sure there are no errors so that our work is the best it can possibly be.

Once it is handed off to our nonprofits, we can sit back and watch the work take off. We put so much effort into the details, even the tiny ones, so that we can help maximize the nonprofits results to their fullest potential. We are here for one reason and one reason only; to produce the best work to help our nonprofits tell their story and make change in our community.

Once that is done we can finally rest easy, knowing that we helped make a difference in our community. We still have a ways to go, but the final push is here and we are ready to keep continuing to kick butt! If you want to know what the latest going on at CreateAthon, follow our social media pages: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

See you next time folks!

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It Ain’t Over...Til’ It’s Over.

Wooosh, kid. Woosh.

Now that CreateAthon has come and gone, it’s time to kick back, relax, and have an ice cold Lipton while sitting on the back porch, as tiny yellow specks of pollen dust quietly collect on the frosted rim of the glass. Right? Wrong! It’s time for the various teams to tweak their ad campaigns so that they’re all the way ready to be released into the world.

 It’s time for the gO! Team to get started on the 2015 CreateAthon booklet, a mini encyclopedia chronicling the journey of the Creative Heroes throughout their 24-hour marathon. It’s time for the gO! team to start laying out the groundwork for next year, putting together the blueprint for the next team that’s chosen, so that they’ll have the recipe for success right within reach. It’s also time for them to release the interviews from the 24 hour livestream, so the lovely viewers at home can relive the magic of getting a behind-the-scene look at CreateAthon while it was actually happening! 

It’s time for the gO! Team to plan the end of semester cocktail party, complete with food, drink and merryment supplied by a yet-to-be-named fancy restaurant. It’s time to do a lot of things, but kicking back and relaxing on a back porch while yellow specks of pollen fall onto the rim of the glass? That is not one of them. Be sure to keep following us on Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, and VImeo, and be on the lookout for some new videos that’ll be posted in the near future. 

A hero’s job is never done.

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Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop

By: Matthew Sjelin

Wes from the gO! team snapped a picture of Peyton at the midnight check-in being the energy to get reeved up! Peyton has participated in twenty-two CreateAthon event’s and continues use her passion and skills to help re-innovate nonprofits. 

Hello from the land of creators! This week and the next few weeks will be hard, but pay off in a major way. Even though it’s been about three weeks since the event wrapped up, there is still work for our nonprofits that needs to be done! Both project team leaders and gO! team have tasks that not only finish up the work created, but to lay the foundation for next year’s 24-event.

Currently, the project team leaders are working on the work they produced during the 24-hours, making any corrections or revisions that the nonprofits wanted done. The team leads are very meticulous when it comes to this part because they want to make sure every detail is just right! The revisions will take a few weeks to get finished, but once they are done, off to the printers the materials go and the real magic happens! The work will come to life and be given to the nonprofits, who will then begin using what has been made to make a lasting impact.

While the project team leaders have been busy with the final touches of their work, the gO! team is now focused on laying the concrete for next year’s 24-hour event. Currently, they are working a booklet that will depict all of the work produced by the team leads, highlighting what has been made, the results of the work and why CreateAthon is important. This booklet is crucial because it not only allows us to highlight what CreateAthon does, but also helps in securing sponsorship and grants. With that being said, the gO! team has a lot on their plate, but will make sure that the booklet is nothing short of perfect! The gO! team’s other task is to plan the cocktail party that takes place in May. Everyone involved in CreateAthon is invited to come, not only to show our great work, but to thank everyone who helped make the event one to never forget.

Both teams have much to accomplish in the coming weeks, but now that the event is over and they have had time for reflection and relaxation, everyone knows that it’s time to get back into the game and to finish what they started; to make a difference.

To keep up-to-date with everything CreateAthon, please follow our social media networks: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Until we meet again folks!

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Sponsors on Sponsors on Sponsors!

Mellow Mushroom. Thanks for the grub.

Hello all! Hope you didn't miss our shenanigans too much! CreateAthon was such a blast, but we’d like to take the time out to thank our sponsors again. This is for the local businesses that made sure that we went through our 24 hour marathon without, you know, starving, running out of prints, passing out due to lack of caffeine, etc. All that good stuff. So thank you so much to Carter Printing Company, gather, Square One Printing, PLAZA, Amazon Student for hooking us up with those swag bags, The Camel, Mama J’s for that bomb spaghetti. Campus cookies for the sugar rush of the century, Coalition Theater for the class o’ laughs, Panera Bread, Costco (always keeping the costs low), Noodles & Company Laughing Buddha Yoga for adding some zen into our lives, and the VCU Alt Lab.

 We’d also like to thank: Duck Donuts for the Maple Bacon Donuts (so goood), King of Pops for the cold pops (we definitely had time for that), Red Bull for the cans of awesomeness, Alchemy Coffee (I’d never had your coffee before, but I always thought your stand (and name) was awesome. I know now that your coffee is also awesome. Thank you all. You really came through for the Creative Heroes, and we truly appreciate it. Till next time, everyone!

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Giving To Make A Difference

By: Matthew Sjelin

Wes from the gO! team captured this photo during yoga, which was donated by Laughing Buddha to help us relax our minds and ease our bodies! This was just one of the many amazing sponsors that supported us during the 24-hour event.

Hello again from the world of CreateAthon! Almost two weeks after our 24-hour event, people are still buzzing with excitement about it. We wanted to take the time to thank the countless sponsors who made our event truly spectacular.

Carter Printing, Alt Lab, Square One, Amazon Student, Gather, Mellow Mushroom, Richmond Comedy Coalition, The Camel, Mama J’s, Lucky Buddha Yoga, King of Pops, Panera, Campus Cookies, Red Eye Cookies, Noodles and Company, Duck Donuts, Plaza, Alchemy Coffee, The Cheesecake Factory, Costco, and Kroger were our sponsors for this year’s event.

Our sponsors not only fed us generously, but also allowed us to produce and create our work that we presented to our nonprofits. Without the help of our sponsors, CreateAthon would not be able to continue this amazing creative process and give back to our community. By donating materials and time to us, our sponsors are not only fueling students’ creativity, but show their unwavering support to the community we are all apart of.

That Friday morning, the student teams presented their work to their nonprofits and laid the foundation of new marketing and advertising plans for them. After their presentations, the nonprofits expressed their opinions and what revisions they would like to be done. After the event, our sponsors continue giving to us in the form of printing materials and art supplies needed to make the final touches to the teams work. Their support of our sponsors isn’t just 24-hours, but continuous and for that we are grateful. 

We want to thank each and every one of our sponsors once again for their generosity in helping bring our event to life. We are able to make a difference and it is because of your help. Thank you.

To stay up-to-date with what CreateAthon is doing, please follow/like us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Stick around to see what happens next!

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From Start to Finish

By: Matthew Sjelin

Here are just a few of the many photos that Wes from the gO! team took throughout the 24-hours. There were many special moments captured and we are so excited to share them with you! 

Hello CreateAthon lovers! Wow-- that is the only word that comes to mind when thinking about the 24-hours in Temple. We all put so much time and energy into this 24-hour event and it was not in vein. The event ran so smoothly, which was a relief because everyone was under mounds of stress already. Everyone meshed well with one another, even with 90+ people in the building at one time, everyone seemed to get along and finish what we started. The project team leaders all brought an A game and did a phenomenal job with the work they produced for our nonprofits. Both project team leaders and gO! team members had very different tasks, but both being equally as important to the success of the 24-hour event.

During the event, the project team leaders met with their volunteers before the event commenced where breakfast was shared amongst everyone. After the initial kick off with everyone, the student teams went to their assigned rooms to start conceptualizing what they would do for their nonprofit. This took a few hours and mentors were there to help them in the beginning stages to get the creative juices flowing. Up until the 3 o’clock check-in, teams work on their strategy and what specifically they will do for their nonprofit, which could be changing their brochure, redesigning the logo, or a new social media strategy. After the 3 o’clock check-in, teams went back in their rooms and started  creating logos and bringing concepts to life. By midnight, there is another check-in that shows the teams deliverables in the early stages. After, it was full steam ahead! This is when teams actually begin creating and bringing their work that has been occurring all day to life. This is the hardest and most stressful time because everyone is exhausted and it’s the most crucial phase of the entire process.

Once the final touches are done, teams began to get ready for presentations with our nonprofits, which kicked off at 8:30 that morning. Throughout the night, we all kept saying, “how can we present when we are so exhausted?,” but we did it and our nonprofits were ecstatic with the final results! It was so hard to accomplish all this work in such a short amount of time, but we did it and felt amazing after it was all said and done.

While the student teams were busy working on with their nonprofits, the gO! team was running around facilitating the entire event from top to bottom. Everything from picking up food, coffee, setting up for meals, running the teams check-ins, to taking photos, calling news stations, and running social media. There was a lot on our plates, but everything ran like a well-oiled machine. It was a ton of work, but it was awesome being able to help our teams produce the best work the can!

It was truly inspiring to come into the 24-hour event, with nothing and watch the work come to life and see the passion that the teams had for their nonprofits. Even through all the hard work, everyone managed to laugh and have a fun time along the creative way. I think it is safe to say that even though we all were exhausted afterwards, but we felt accomplished because we all helped make a difference with our nonprofits, who are going to make an even bigger impact in our community. There are honestly no words describe the feeling that we all had after and we are forever grateful to have all been apart of such an amazing experience like CreateAthon.

To see what happens with CreateAthon next, please follow our social media accounts: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Until we meet again folks!

[createoncampus]

Creative Heroes...Mission Accomplished.

Wow, that was intense. As you can see from this breathtaking photo, the white hot intensity that the Creative Heroes had at the very beginning of the 24 hour marathon has not let up for a second. Nah, just playin’. They’re tired, but they were still dedicated even after the  the final prints were printed, and the last team had presented their campaign in VCU’S fancy spanking new MCALC building. These young, talented heroes grinded all night and all day to realize the dreams of the ten nonprofit organizations. The campaigns were thoughtful, fluid and concise. They truly showed that they took the time to research their nonprofits. The clients were overjoyed with the amazing work they had done. I think it’s safe to say that the day has been saved, thanks to the Creative Heroes.

A big thanks goes out to our fearless director, Peyton Rowe, the CreateAthon gO! team for working behind the scenes to keep CreateAthon’s cogs turning, all of the team leaders,  the student volunteers, the wise mentors for inspiring the young minds with countless expertise, the video team for working the livestream and putting together the interviews and crazy video segments, and all of our sponsors for providing us with food, drink, dessert and prints.

And to all the nonprofit organizations: Your dedication to your organization inspires every one of us. Your messages deserved to be heard in the best way possible. You guys are heroes because of your strong dedication to making change in the busy city of Richmond. No cape, no cowl, no cosmic rays.

All of you worked together to make CreateAthon 2015 very special. You all da real MVP.

Oh, and thank you all on social media for following our creative journey on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Tumblr!. Heavy online traffic is the only good traffic there is.

It’s been really awesome doing these posts for you all. Hope the jokes were timely and not bearable corny (must resist urge to write ‘lol’)

Excellent job, Creative Heroes. Mission Accomplished.

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After Midnight Madness

Campus Cookies. They’ll get in your head.

Oh, the humanity! It’s past everyone’s bedtime at CreateAthon at VCU. So, what’s gone down since we last checked in?

Mr. Dick from Laughing Buddha stopped by and hooked the students up with some awesome yoga lessons. Thanks a lot, my downward dog!

After the muscles were stretched and Nirvana was achieved, it was time for David from The Coalition Theater to give us a crash course in doing comedy on the fly. We walked in expecting to receive comedy, and we ended up creating it for ourselves. Plot. Twist.

At midnight, all the teams met up in the common room for the LAST TIME UNTIL THE MORNING PREZIS! (Presentations.) We chowed down on some bomb Campus Cookies, and scratched it up with the DJ on the 1’s and 2’s, as is custom to do around in-house DJs.

The various teams posted their concepts up for all to see (classified), and their peers either cheered for their ideas or threw more boos than Showtime at the Apollo. Kidding, everyone was mad respectful. We’re all artists, and we’re sensitive about our stuff. So all the support is welcomed with both ears open. After the midnight check in was completed, the dance party kicked into full effect, glow sticks and EVERYTHING!

And that’s not all...

BAM!

Matilda the Corgi graced us with her presence. Running through the halls, barking during the presentations, interrupting our improv class with her cuteness. Another thing running through the halls? Hordes of Red Bull chugging students racing down the hall in rolling chairs at breakneck speed! Don’t try this at home, kids.

Another awesome part of the CreateAthon experience is the interview section, where our news team sits down with various team leaders, mentors, and corgis to get the inside scoop of their own journeys throughout the marathon. Matilda’s was the best, though. That dog’s got personality for DAYS.

It’s the home stretch, and the Creative Heroes are working hard to churn out gems for their nonprofits. Onward, create!

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Check out the check in!

Aaand we’re back! Since the last sneak peek into our marathon, the Creative Heroes have been shaping their ideas, getting ready for the first review of the day. Any heat they were feeling got cooled down by the King of Pops popsicle cooler that raced throughout Temple. They even had ice cream truck music playing as they handed them out. It’s the little things.

Never heard of King of Pops before? Their chocolate caramel popsicle will show you the light. And it will be goooood. Seriously, when it warms up, go there. Forget it, go now!

Anyway, the Creative Heroes all sat down with the mentors to show them the progress they’ve made on their nonprofit ad campaigns. Ideas were presented, critiques were given, and each team walked away with concrete advice for their projects.

Right before each team walked into the shark tank to sell their ideas, we asked them to write their thoughts down on sticky notes and post them on the wall. Some were tired, some were nervous...some drew a duck. Just chillin’ in the water.

It’s ok, we all feel duck from time to time. It’s totally natural.

Armed with new wisdom from the mentors (thank you guys, you keep the dream alive!), the Creative Heroes flew back to their classrooms to carve up their work. And the powers that be FINALLY let us have some of the Red Bull! We got it delivered to us last week, and I was like, “Yeah!” but we weren’t allowed to dig into them until after the critiques were done. But that time has passed, and I had me some tropical Red Bull goodness. 

Aw yeah.

The team’s having dinner right now, and after that getting some yoga and comedy time in! Along with the awesome food and drink sponsors that hooked us up with some choice sustenance, we will be treated to some yoga lessons and a stand-up comic! Gotta love those stress relievers. Details forthcoming.

Keep it locked.

[createoncampus]

CreateAthon. Is. Here.

And so it begins...

Today’s the day! CreateAthon is officially in full effect, and all of the Creative Heroes are currently brainstorming awesome ideas for their respective nonprofits. This morning, everyone trickled in, revved up and ready to go. The camera crew set up our livestream, and we chowed down on the goodness that is Duck Donuts. I was not expecting to get a Maple Bacon donut this morning. Needless to say, that got me pretty hyped.

Peyton Rowe gave everyone a quick pep talk, we did a ‘woop woop’ chant, we posed for a serious pic, a goofy pic, and then they all went to their own classrooms to churn out ideas. Oh, and we took candid shots. TONS OF CANDID SHOTS. You know the face everyone makes when they accidentally open up the front facing camera in their phone? Yeah, we got couple of those. Blackmail pics for days. Be sure to follow us on Instagram to see the awesomeness that is CreateAthon candids.

Our social media team has been blowing up cyberspace with posts, and painting Carytown red with promo posters. The people will know who we are and what we do.

At around noon-ish, the Heroes broke for lunch, eating pasta and salad...

I know, right!?

They also talked it up about how their projects were going, with tons of pics being snapped for the Instagram and Snapchat, of course. I took my very first panorama shot on my iPhone. I did not keep the arrow on the line at all times. I’m a rebel, ok? Geez.

I’ll be posting throughout the creative marathon, giving you all updates on all the struggles and shenanigans. Be sure to continue to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, or just come to the Temple Building and follow us around. If anyone asks, just say you’re moral support.

That’s me in the corner with the meanest mean mug. Selfie game the strongest.

[createoncampus]

Ready, Set, Create

By: Matthew Sjelin 

This photo was taken by Wes on the gO! team. He captured Peyton at her best moment, raising our spirits (and the roof!) during our Meet & Greet. Peyton runs CreateAthon at VCU and is truly inspiring. She not only has a fierce passion for what she does, but knows how to get a crowd fired up. She definitely lifted our spirits and gave us a much needed pep talk before the event.

Hello CreateAthon enthusiasts! It was another crazy week, but once again, we pushed through and accomplished a great deal! This past week has probably been one of the busiest, for everyone who is apart of CreateAthon this year. We are in the final stages of preparation for the 24-hour event and we need to make sure everything is just right. There is only two days before the madness that is CreateAthon, so getting everything locked down is essential.

This week, the gO! team focused its efforts on finalizing last minute details for the event. This included securing parking, making sure when food and drinks would be picked up, and posting fliers around Carytown to ensure the word gets out. The gO! team has been under a lot pressure making sure everything goes down without a hitch. There are so many components that go into running the 24-hour event and ensuring all these pieces are put together is crucial. Even though it has been stressful, we know our efforts are not in vain because we have put together an awesome event!

While gO! team has felt the heat, the project team leaders have felt it just as much. The project team leaders finalized the creative briefs, which dictates what everyone will be doing during the event and how. We have been working on them tirelessly for weeks to make sure they are just right. After they were finished, we discussed what will be happening during the 24-hours with our student volunteers. It is crucial that everyone is in sync during the event because so much will be happening. In order to produce great work and have the event run smoothly, team members must all be on the same page with each other.

While both teams, mentors, and faculty have been stressed out over finalizing everything, we are also so excited for what is to come! For many of us, this is our first time participating and in ways it seems daunting, but also are also ecstatic! We are all going to be giving back, while having some fun along the way. What more could we ask for? Even though there are a few last minute details to work out, we will be taking on the opportunity to make an impact in our community and we could not be more excited.

Please follow our social media networks during the event to keep up-to-date with what is happening. We will be live tweeting and posting throughout and will have some great contests happening! To follow along, like/follow our social media pages: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and our Snapchat- createathonvcu

See you during the event friends!

[createoncampus]

In Less Than A Week...It's Goin' DOWN!

Nice logo, right?

There’s less than one week away from the big event, CreateAthon at VCU! The team leads and the gO! team have been grinding since January to make this creative marathon a success. This past Tuesday was the Meet and Greet, where the team leads FINALLY got to meet up with their student volunteers. Try as it might, the snow can’t stop the Creative Heroes from linking up! Everyone met up at Gallery 5, where beer was sipped and nametags were filled out, and soft music played in the background. So beautiful.

After the teams shot the breeze for a bit, Peyton Rowe stepped on stage to welcome everyone and drop a few words of wisdom on their heads. She even did an awesome ‘raise the roof’ pose. Which was boss. Our social media manager Madeline Yurkoski informed the new recruits about the importance of CreateAthon’s digital presence. She stressed that anyone can help to get the word out on the event, pass it on, put a stamp on it and send it out. You get it. Be sure to keep checking up on our Snapchat, we have gotten some new gift cards to give away in a contest. Stay woke!

Speaking of getting the word out, the PR team was able to get a hold of two student newspapers, the Commonwealth Times and the Black Sheep VCU to write articles about the upcoming event. What’s awesome about this is that the CT is a straight up student newspaper, and Black Sheep is Onion-style satire. So the people are getting the hard, concrete facts as well as something fun to laugh about.

Right before the wintry mix of death hit on Thursday, our pals over at Red Bull stopped by the Temple Building to drop off some cans of sweet, sweet energy. Gotta charge the batteries right! Not only did they hook us up with drinks, but they included some brand new flavors that just hit the market! I swear, after this thing, I will be more bull than man. And I’m very ok with that. Wouldn’t be so bad, running after tiny guys in tights. And terrified tourists. Especially terrified tourists. Oh, and the Red Bull reps also got us a bright red couch for the event. A couch! Think we’ll call it, “The Crash.”

We’re so close to the main event, I can almost taste it. Tastes like victory. We know you’ll be spending Spring Break off on some fabulous island, getting fed grapes by supermodels, but if you could take the time out of your schedule to check into our live stream of the event, or pop your digital head into Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat, that’d be dope.

Almost there, guys!

[createoncampus]

United We Stand

By: Matthew Sjelin

Wes, from the gO! team captured some awesome pictures of everyone from the Meet & Greet! We were so happy to have a picture of everyone who attended. Some serious bonding occurred at Gallery 5 yesterday!

Greetings from the world of CreateAthon! It has been another crazy week, filled with snow and rescheduling. Our Meet & Greet was scheduled for last week, but due to the inclement weather last Thursday, we had to reschedule. Yesterday, we finally had our Meet & Greet at Gallery 5 and it was definitely a bonding experience that we won’t forget! Everyone, from faculty, the gO! team, project team leaders, to the student volunteers were there to meet one another.

The Meet & Greet is a crucial event for us because it is where everyone who is apart of the 24-event has the opportunity to get to know one another. On the day of the event, there is A LOT going on and it’s already hard to get the wheels going, but when you have to awkwardly introduce yourself and then spend 24 hours together, it can get a tad weird. So we hold the Meet & Greet as a nice ice breaker for everyone. We get to learn about each other and our roles in the event, which makes communication more effective when we are all together and helps facilitate the overall event more efficiently. Many laughs and good times were exchanged, so the event was overall a major success! Woohoo!

Over the past week, both teams, as usual, had much on their plates. The project team leaders are busy finalizing their creative briefs while also acquainting themselves with their team members and filling them in on what is going to be happening during the 24 hours. While the project team leaders were busy at work, the gO! team was finalizing the Meet & Greet. After the snow canceled the first one, we had to reorganize and come up with a plan B. The gO! team we able to secure Gallery 5 for the rescheduled Meet & Greet, which was the perfect place to hold it. We definitely had some heros save the day.

Now, with only nine days until the event, we are ALL feeling the pressure. The Meet & Greet however, took some of that pressure off. Peyton, who runs the CreateAthon program at VCU gave a speech that really stuck with us. It brought us all together and reminded us why we are apart of CreateAthon; to give back to our amazing nonprofits. So, even though there are still miles to go, we are so excited to do some amazing work for our nonprofits!

To keep up-to-date with us, please follow/like us on our social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and be sure to snap us on Snapchat- CreateAthonvcu

Until the next time folks!