CreateAthon Recap: Final Thoughts and Gratitude — GVSU PRSSA – Grand Valley State University Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America

All of us had a blast at CreateAthon in March! Here's what a few of the students who participated had to say:

Lauren Talby

My nonprofit organization for CreateAthon was the Grand Rapids Public Library, and I was really excited about working with them. They have an amazing foundation, ideas, and resources for what they give to Grand Rapids Library card holders. Going into CreateAthon, I had no idea what to expect. This is my first semester in both PRSSA and GrandPR, and I just started my public relations major, so I'm fairly new and inexperienced to everything. Everyone in my group was amazing and extremely dedicated; it was inspiring to work with them all. Each of us contributed with great ideas, and working with a nonprofit is one of my career goals, so it was rewarding to gain that experience. I walked away from CreateAthon feeling the most achieved and proud I've ever felt in my life. I feel extremely blessed to have been able to participate in this opportunity with PRSSA and GrandPR!

Melissa Albano

CreateAthon was a once in a life time opportunity. It not only gave me great memories with my fellow team mates, but a sneak peak into the professional Public Relations world. During the 24 hours, I learned more about this profession then I ever had before. CreateAthon allowed me to apply what I have been learning about for so long into a real life situation planning a campaign for Kids' Food Basket. If you ever have the chance to participate in this event, you really should!

Tom Crawford

CreateAthon was an awesome experience. Running on no sleep, working under pressure, and putting together a full campaign in 24 hours was a lot more fun than I would have imagined. It was a great opportunity to work in an awesome agency downtown and collaborate with like-minded students. Breaking up the hours with fun activities and food made the time go by rather quickly. It was great to create a campaign for the local nonprofit HQGR out of Grand Rapids.

Jowei Yek

CreateAthon was a wonderful experience. I was a part of the team that came up with the “Grow and Gain” campaign for Friends of Grand Rapids Parks. Not only did we gain hands-on PR experience from the campaign planning, but we believe that our efforts will also bring further betterment to the Grand Rapids area. Having the 24-hour time frame, to me, is what truly set the event apart. We would never have thought that most of our deliverables would come to be at 3 AM.

Courtney Fogle

Leaving CreateAthon, I felt so thankful and blessed for the chance to collaborate with my peers on another level. I was exhausted, yes, but seeing the looks on our clients' faces after we pitched our campaign made the sleepiness and hard work worth it. I was lucky to be surrounded by unique talents and perspectives, and together we were able to bring something magical to the table for the Grand Rapids Community Foundation. It was 24 hours of creativity, positivity, and laughter that I will never ever forget!

A Final Thank You

GrandPR and PRSSA would like to thank the following local professionals and businesses for donating time, resources, and funds to this incredible event:

Kim Skeltis, Blue Blaze PR
Mary Ann Sabo, Sabo PR
Craig Clark, Clark Communications
GV University Comm
GVSU SOC
Julie Lankes, BoxBoom Creative
Jason Dodge, Black Truck Media & Marketing
Kaitlin Diemer, Mighty in the Midwest
Wendy Wassink, Kantorwassink
Anna Bryce, Amway
Lisa Schrotenboer, Rocket Science Creative
Pam Hunt, Ralston Hunt Marketing Communications
Lindsey Rodarmer, Priority Health
Clare Wade
Beth Dornan, GVSU & Amway
Jen Gilman, WMPRSA
Kelly Rossman-McKinney, Truscott Rossman
Lyman Steiner, GVSU SOC
Frank Blossom, GVSU
Tim Penning, GVSU
Kim Bode, 834
Amy LeFebre, Truscott Rossman
Ashley Bovin, Black Truck Media & Marketing
Robin Spring, GVSU
Suzette Garvey, Storybent Creative
Erin Nemastil, ADAC Automotive
Morgan Yingst

Lastly, thank you to the local nonprofit organizations who agreed to work with us: Grand Rapids Public Library, GR Community Foundation, HQGR, Kids' Food Basket, and Friends of GR Parks.

We could not have done it without you!