In-Kind Kindness

How Local Media and Communications Professionals are Giving Back by bill mcdonald

Some call it, Pro Bono (Latin:”on behalf of the good.”)

  Others call it, “in-kind giving”

(l-r) Deanna Posey, 61 Country Promotion Director with Ed “Fat Boy” Powell, David Wolf and Bruce Bireman of the David Lawrence Talk Show.

By extended definition and in popular usage, pro-bono involves the giving of an organization’s unique resources and/or professional expertise to a cause deemed intrinsically good and deserving.  This giving is, of course, done gratis i.e., ‘free’.”

In this piece, we’d like to acknowledge and celebrate the in-kind kindness of some of the media and other communications professionals who, day-in and day-out, routinely (if with uncommon passion) give of their resources and unique expertise to make Greater Kansas City a better place.  In so doing, they supply the informational, persuasive and motivating “juice” which serves to keep all of us thinking and acting like a community.

There are at least according to a cursory tally of the Yellow Pages some twelve TV stations, 50 radio stations, 80 publications, 200 ad agencies and 70 PR firms of record in Kansas City.  So we undertook a telephone networking effort in which we “asked around” within the local industry for the names of media and communications entities in town whom:

1. are, regardless of size or apparent resources, deeply committed to bettering the quality-of-life for this community to the greatest extent they can;

2. have made a real and enduring impact;

3. have done something particularly resourceful, productive, clever or exciting in immediate, intermediate or longer-term ways, and

4. have been at it over a period of time.

Interestingly despite our distinctly qualitative approach certain names of givers and programs began to surface with real regularity. And pleasantly, arch-competitors genially referred us to one another.

So with apologies in advanced to the scores of other media properties and agencies that we could not cover given our space limitations, we offer the following insights into the myriad of ways in which these representative communicators have been doing good for the community for a very long time.

From The Media Sector

KCTV:  Project Warmth

In 1982, KCTV5 sponsored a telethon to raise money to help low-income families pay their winter utility bills.  The first Heat For Life Telethon was scheduled to air from 7:00-10:00pm. But because of the number of calls received, the show went on well past midnight. When it was over, nearly $442,000 had been collected.

In the same year, The Salvation Army approached The Kansas City Star about sponsoring a campaign to collect food, coats and blankets to help people survive the winter months. That first Project Warmth campaign resulted in 14.5 tons of much needed donations.

Both events were so successful that KCTV5 and The Star joined forces to co-sponsor the program annually. The Salvation Army and The Mid-America Assistance Coalition led the distribution effort. These two not-for-profit agencies serve families in the six-county metropolitan area.

Now in its 19th year, Project Warmth has collected about 1,400 tons of food, coats and blankets and raised nearly $7 million for needy families. Belger Cartage, Commerce Bank and Tension Envelope Corporation provide further administrative services free of charge.

An intricate, multi-faceted network of collection sites and supporting promotional activities has also been developed through the years at area malls, shops, schools and churches. For more information, call Carol Williams, KCTV5 Community Affairs Director, at (913) 677-7217.

KMBC:  Dream Factory

KMBC’s Larry Moore and KC Wolf with Dream Factory recipients.

Fred Geier, a tire dealer, returned from a sales conference in Pennsylvania in the summer of 1984 with a novel idea to help others, especially children between the ages of 3 and 18.  He persuaded KMBC 9 News anchor Larry Moore and a few other people in the Kansas City area that his idea could truly make a difference.  Moore has been involved as a volunteer and proud spokesman for the KC chapter ever since.

The Dream Factory is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to making dreams and wished come true for chronically and seriously ill children in the Kansas City area. Since that first meeting, nearly 2,500 youngsters between the ages of 3 and 18 have been able to realize their dreams. Many have gone to Disney World, while others have received home computers, playground equipment or specially equipped bicycles. Some have been given the opportunity to meet their sports heroes or movie stars.

Moore regularly features Dream Factory children on “KMBC 9 News at Five.” He also helps escort the youngsters to Chiefs and Royals games and then features them on the KMBC 9 News at 6 and 10 p.m.

Through the Channel 9 Fan Club, KMBC has provided free fans to low income families across the KC Metro area for 13 years. Families with medical problems or families with young children are given priority status. The program typically begins on June 1 and runs through August. Westlake Hardware, The Salvation Army and Answerette Telephone Service co-sponsor.

KMBC also sponsors Adopt-A-Pet, a service to help people find a great pet through Kansas City’s animal shelters and humane societies. In the past few years, hundreds of pets have found good homes through Channel 9’s Adopt-A-Pet program, but many others are euthanized because of a shortage of good homes in Kansas City and throughout the United States.

KUDL:  Adopt-a-Family Project

Through 98.1 KUDL’s Adopt-a-Family Project (now in its eighth year).  Individuals and organizations have been able to bring the Christmas spirit into the homes of Kansas City families in need. Last year, KUDL listeners “adopted” more than 2,500 families served by the Salvation Army, Heart of America Family Services, Guadalupe Center, El Centro, Redemptorist Church and Truman Medical Center Behavioral Health.

During a three-day, on-air promotional blitz, listeners are asked to call a phone bank sponsored by Southwestern Bell, indicate the size of family they’d like to adopt, buy an approximately $15 gift for each family member and a holiday meal for the family. (Some agencies ask for grocery gift certificates, and others ask for cash donations to the agency for the meal).  Details are provided in an information packet sent to each registrant.

61 Country:  Turkey Day

61 Country’s Early Morning Man David Lawrence started “Turkey Day” in 1983 in front of the Hen House store on Blue Ridge Blvd. His and his fellow employees’ efforts yielded only ten turkeys and $20. Since 1985, 61 Country’s “Turkey Day” to benefit the Salvation Army has been held at the Salvation Army Children’s Shelter at 101 West Linwood.

In 1999, 61 Country’s Turkey Day” netted $24,000 and 610 turkeys. Although no records were kept for the first few years, since 1986 the station has collected nearly $200,000 and 7,000 turkeys along with canned goods in this annual, three-hour event.

Lawrence has turned “Turkey Day” into a family event. “Over the years, parents have brought their children by with their savings, allowances and babysitting money. “It’s such a great way for the young to see that they’ve done something wonderful for others,” Lawrence says.

Oldies 95:  Bikes ‘n Trikes for Tykes

Oldies 95 has been building this project for eleven years. Throughout the year, volunteers collect and recondition used bikes and tricycles. Shortly before Christmas - and with the assistance of corporate partner Roadway — they then

redistribute them to children of the needy throughout the metroplex. Current volume is on the order of 2,000 units per annum. Call Katey McGuckin at 913.514.3000 to volunteer. It isn’t too late to help out this year.

From The Advertising Sector

Bernstein-Rein:  Covering the Landscape

Bernstein-Rein associates give of their time and talent to United Way’s Day of Caring.

Few firms are sufficiently robust, committed and generous enough to cover the entire landscape of philanthropic causes, but B-R continues to take an astoundingly good run at it. Last year, 42 non-profits were recipients of its in-kind services (estimated retail value: $914,973); this year it will be 44.  This year too 167 of its 341 employees have been involved in both in-kind services and volunteer activities. B-R also sponsors either annual or four-year scholarships at Baker University, Kansas City Art Institute, MU J-School, and (beginning next year), KU J-School. In 1999, 57 organizations received financial support through annual giving, special event sponsorship, and capital campaign gifts. President Bob Bernstein makes charitable contributions through both his firm and the Bernstein-Rein Fund at Greater Kansas City Community Foundation.

B-R is also in the second year of its three-year tenure as agency of record for the Heart of America United Way.  So generous is Bob Bernstein, jokes son Steve, that he has donated his first born son (also the president of B-R) to this conspicuously good cause.

TNT Group:  An Emerging Contender

Across the river, TNT Group, Inc. serves as the agency of record for United Way of Wyandotte County.  Although a wee bit smaller than B-R, TNT compensates with its energy and commitment.  “For an agency of our size,” comments TNT partner Rob Pearcy, “I am extremely proud of the many organizations we’re able to lend our expertise to.”  TNT has been active in the community for more than ten years with organizations like Genesis School, the Children’s Museum, Wyandotte County Red Cross, Kaw Valley Habitat for Humanity, and Children’s TLC.  The United Way contract seems to be a natural extension.

Kuhn & Wittenborn: An Institutional Legacy

As Science City completes its first year of programming, it is easy to forget the vigorous effort launched by Dale Wittenborn four years ago to pass the $170,000,000 Bi-State initiative which funded it all.  He took it upon himself to convince six of Kansas City’s top ad agency CEO’s to put aside their competitive differences and pool their talents to create the marketing campaign that got the referendum passed.

Whitey Kuhn is also committed to philanthropic causes and serves on the boards of Young Audiences and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City. He is an active member of the advisory board for the Stowers Institute for Medical Research and founding member of the Board of Trustees of the Midwest Bioethics Center.

NKH&W:  Life or Meth

NKH&W’s “4 Wrappers” (l-r) Stephanie Halterman, Michelle George, Carol Young and Sandi Holman.

NKH&W designed the ad campaign to help combat the growing use of methamphetamine, an illegal narcotic with considerable presence in the Midwest. The campaign features shocking illustrations of the effects of the drug and is targeted toward a young audience. The campaign, which covered five states, also included educational videos and workbooks for secondary schools, as well as public relations support.

The agency’s campaigns have won widespread recognition including the prestigious 1999 O’Toole Public Service Award, sponsored by the American Association of Advertising Agencies, and special praise by the United Nations. The meth campaign made the finals of the highly respected London International Advertising Awards and the finals of the Mobius Advertising Awards late last year, and won first place in the National Addys competition.

Adopt-a-Family

For nine years, the agency has secured the names of two families in desperate need from the Department of Family Services an Collected items they have identified as needing or wanting (everything from furniture to sweaters and toys). Agency personnel then deliver the goods, along with an abundance of food, in the days before Christmas.

Patricia A. Allen, office manager, conceived the program and continues to be its greatest champion.  “It makes me, makes all of us, feel so very good. Everybody is excited about giving and doing. I even have calls from people who are no longer with the agency wanting to get involved, or to start their own program where they now work.” 

From The Public Relations Sector 

Fleishman-Hillard:  Educator

The PR firm of Fleishman-Hillard, in addition to in-kind service to a host of local not-for-profits, does something novel in this market: it disseminates technical knowledge and expertise to organizations which can’t afford professional PR services.

In a recent seminar, the firm’s Kansas City account staff divided into groups to provide public relations counsel to representatives of eleven area not-for-profit organizations, brainstorming solutions to their more formidable challenges. The staff also provided a follow-up report to each organization. Participating organizations were the National Kidney Foundation; the Brain Injury Association of Kansas; Greater Kansas City Negro Leagues Baseball Museum; the CASA Project of Jackson County; The Domestic Violence Network; The Epilepsy Foundation City of Vision; The Kansas City Friends of Alvin Alley, and Big Brothers/Big Sisters SIDS Resources, Inc.

To learn how to get involved and to make the most of their experience, F-H’s Kansas City employees participate in a class called “Giving Back to the Community.” The class brings to life many of the organizations and events in the metropolitan area and helps employees match their specific interests to volunteer opportunities.

From The Marketing Services Sector

River City Studio: The Little Engine That Does

Jennifer Elliot & Deb Turpin of River City Studio open doors with Rick’s Place.

In-kind giving, however, is hardly the exclusive province of “the big boys.”

Last year, for instance, River City, a design studio, donated 1,252 hours (nearly ten percent of its “inventory”) for pro bono projects. The studio is continuing at that pace for 2000. Beneficiaries of its efforts include The Folly Theatre, Friendship House, Angel Flight, the American Heart Association, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, El Centro, Hall Family Foundation, KC Cares, The Women’s Center, Rick’s Place, Starlight Theatre and Saint Theresa and Saint Joseph Orphanages near Zagreb, Croatia.

Community involvement at River City Studio has long been part of the firm’s mission. “We have always had a commitment to give back, and we honor that by pledging ten percent of our billable design hours to non-profit clients,” advises Deb Turpin, president.

Space demands that we go no further. This is a shame as there are any number of ad agencies, PR firms, TV and radio stations, publications and web sites, and various others in the this business who use their communicative powers to spread good cheer and do good deeds. Truth told, it is unlikely a noble non-profit in need couldn’t secure professional assistance by simply raising their hand to any respectable area media organization or agency.  In-kind giving from this business segment represents among the most significant contributions of all, as communications will remain the key for securing solutions for the needs of people in our community.

A great deal of such unconditionally-rendered good will is constantly at work in this particularly and certifiably generous city of ours (ed. note: see the special section on Kansas City’s Promise in this issue), and the good will continues to build.