This past weekend marked the seventh annual PhilADthropy at University of Miami School of Communication. The 25-hour event consisted of 13 student teams creating advertising, marketing, branding, design, and public relations materials for local nonprofit organizations. PhilADthropy and AD Group organizers selected the organizations from more than 100 entries and also reached out to alumni and industry professionals to volunteer their time and talents. Supervised by team leaders, students collaborated to apply the skills they’ve learned in the classroom to benefit clients in South Florida.
This year’s clients were: 2Lives Foundation; Center for Communication, Culture & Change; City of Hollywood; National Voices for Equality Education and Enlightenment (ENVEEE); Exchange for Change; Gifts From Jada Foundation, Inc.; Heart Gallery of Broward; ITWOMEN; Miami Waterkeeper; Orchestra Miami; Susan G. Komen Miami/Fort Lauderdale; University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame; and Urban Oasis Project Inc.
“I’m really grateful we were chosen and I’m really excited to see what the team has came up with,” said Elaine Rinaldi, Orchestra Miami founder and artistic director.
With no prior knowledge of who they would be paired with as a team or client, students worked overnight from Friday through Saturday to deliver pieces that were professional, useful, and previously non-existent for the organizations in need. The event culminated with the screening of a video created by a student film crew that documented the ups-and-down of the 25-hour marathon. Each team then individually presented their work to their respective client.
“My experience in this event has been more than fundamentally refreshing because the purpose of my organization hits home and is a very personal matter and I feel compelled to do everything that I can to help this organization succeed,” said Gabriela Rodriguez, a student working with Gifts from Jada Foundation, Inc. “I noticed that they lack a lot of fundamental pieces and this PhilAdthropy event is an excellent way to help them reach out to their clients.”
PhilADthropy is a great example of how University of Miami students and the local community unite for a cause. Businesses throughout Coral Gables including Domino’s, EVOS, Lime Dadeland, Red Bull, Sergio’s, Starbucks, Threefold, and Turbana donated food, drinks, and supplies for the event.
In addition, the University of Miami’s Public Relations Experience Program (PREP) team was on the scene every step of the way. PREP allows students with any major or minor in the School of Communication to work events on and off campus throughout the semester for course credit. While PREP students assisted with social media content and photography, the students were also the event setup and management team. PREP students hung sails to cover the courtyard, banners and bunting to create a festive atmosphere, arranged tables and chairs, set up food and drinks, and cleared the venue so the School of Communication was ready for classes to resume on Monday.
Despite a sudden cold front chilling the air and bringing strong winds, PhilADthropy 2016 was another successful event for the School of Communication. All of this year’s participants did an incredible job during the 25-hour event to deliver creative and strategic work to South Florida’s nonprofit organizations. PhilADthropy is a true cooperative effort for the students in PREP, AD Group, and organizations throughout South Florida, as well as staff and faculty of the School of Communication.
Work from this year’s PhilADthropy will be uploaded to http://www.philadthropy.com soon. In the meantime, visit the site to view work from previous years.
