press

Barefoot is once again inviting local non-profit organizations in need of advertising help to vie for one of two $25,000 grants. Each grant will cover $25,000 in billable agency time, which can be applied toward strategy and advertising creative development.

“Over the past four years, Barefoot has donated over $600,000 in creative development to benefit worthy causes,” said the agency’s founder, Doug Worple. “This year, like last, we are focusing our talents and time on an additional two non-profits to ensure we are making a meaningful difference in the community. Our primary intent is to increase volunteer hours and donations that far surpass our contribution of $50,000.”

“We’ve been very fortunate,” Worple added, “and our philosophy is to give back to the community by driving success for our grant recipients. If we can produce creative that stops and involves people, I’m certain we can get people to act on behalf of these non-profits.”

Barefoot will begin accepting applications immediately. Those interested should contact Barefoot at 513-861-3668 for details. The deadline for submission is April 1, 2004. Both grants will be awarded on April 30, 2004. Preference will be given to those organizations that have the resources, or who can raise the resources, to pay for production and media placement of the campaign. These costs are not included in the grant.

The first grant will cover work executed from May 16th through August 16th. The second grant will cover work executed from August 17th through November 15th.

Last year was Barefoot’s first year in offering this grant and over 80 non-profit organizations responded, with 37 completing the RFP process.

About the 2003 Grant Recipients

The first grant was awarded to Ten Thousand Villages, 2011 Madison Road, O’Bryonville (www.tenthousandvillages.com).

Ten Thousand Villages in Cincinnati is part of a non-profit network of fair trade retail shops. They sell handmade baskets, pottery, tapestries, jewelry, carved wood pieces and statuettes. All of the store’s profits are returned to the talented hands of the artisans who create the merchandise. The idea is to ease poverty in Third World countries where families sometimes settle for one meal a day. The money they make from their creations may go toward schooling, medicine or food.

“Sometimes we forget just how lucky we are to live in the United States where people who work hard are rewarded for their efforts,” said Fran Dicari, a partner at Barefoot. “Our goal was to build awareness of Ten Thousand Villages and its offerings and to attract volunteers. It’s rewarding to know that the sale of a single bowl will go to fill a bowl many times over with food and opportunity in a depressed part of the world.”

Ten Thousand Villages has seen a great impact on their business in part from the advertising, with sales doubling from a year ago.

The second grant was awarded to The League for Animal Welfare, 4193 Taylor Road, Batavia (www.lfaw.org).

Barefoot has a golden retriever for a greeter and several staffers who volunteer for animal related causes, so this grant matched-up well with an area of agency passion. The League for Animal Welfare is a non-profit, no-kill shelter dedicated to the welfare of stray, abandoned and abused dogs and cats throughout the Greater Cincinnati area. They rescue dogs and cats and then find good homes for them. Prior to adoption, all cats and dogs are given the proper vaccinations and are spayed or neutered.

According to The League, there are approximately over 30,000 cats and dogs destroyed each year in the Cincinnati area. “We hope that our advertising will build awareness of this fact and then cause people to act to reduce it,” said Dicari. “We want to let people know that there is an amazing no-kill alternative available.”

Results from the campaign are still being felt, but the LFAW predicts adoptions are up 20% since the campaign started.