Philanthropy

On August 4th 2009 my cousin (apparently we look more like sisters) Lindsay and her traveling bake sale “Gus’ Goodies” came to Plattform to share their knowledge on Autism and delicious treats! They had anything from Chocolate Chip cookies to Monster cookies, and of course it wouldn’t be a bake sale if Rice Crispy Treats weren’t involved! YUMMY- my mouth is watering thinking about the great goodness!

Lindsay, who is a 3rd Grade Teacher at a local elementary school, started the traveling bake sale to raise money and awareness for autism, as well as improve the social and communication skills of one of her students (Gus) who has autism.

Once I heard about what Lindsay was doing, I suggested she should have Gus and his goodies come to Plattform. The people here are so nice and it is a great environment for Gus to be around – I mean c’mon, we have a WII! Boy was I correct! Not only did we raise $400 worth of donations, but one person in particular made an impact. A woman came up to Gus- who at the time was more intrigued by the red balloons than the bake sale- knelt down to his level and said “Hey Gus, how are? Can you tell me more about Autism?” This unknown person was wearing a gray cardigan and had “cute” short black hair (can you tell that this is the portion of the time I was not there?). This really made an impact on Gus. Anyhoodles, to the gray cardigan, cute-haired girl, as well as the rest of the great employees of Plattform, myself and Gus’ Goodies say thank you for your generous donations and participation! It was definitely a successful event – Gus got to play WII, while the Plattformer’s had a sugar overdose and expanded their knowledge on Autism!

PlattForm is a very civic-minded company. They give all of their employees the chance to get out and about in the community and make a difference. It’s both a blessing and a perk.

Every year my team in the Video Production department puts together a pro-bono video for a local charity. The first video we produced five years ago was for a local organization that provides housing options for men, women and families affected by HIV/AIDS. To date, the video has raised nearly $900,000 for the charity, SAVE Inc. Over the years, PForm has wrapped its arms around this organization … and it’s been fun for us to watch them grown alongside us.

Over the weekend, we shot our fifth charity video in as many years. It was for the local Kansas City chapter of The Ronald McDonald House. It’s an amazing charity that was founded back in 1972 to help parents with gravely ill children. Now there are Ronald McDonald Houses worldwide … providing a home away from home for families who have children in need of critical medical care.

We spent a majority of the day in the neo-natal intensive care unit at Children’s Mercy Hospital. We were interviewing parents with kids who were clinging to life. Mercifully, most were being nursed back to health. Yes, it was better living through chemistry, technology and the sheer love of their parents. A lot of the moms and dads were teetering on the brink of tears through most of the interviews. It’s never my intention to make people cry while I’m talking to them … but you could tell the waterworks could start at any minute.

At any given point the Kansas City branch of the RMH houses upwards of 50-60 families who have kids in the hospital or receiving medical treatment. Parent after parent mentioned the same thing … we don’t know what we’d do without this place. Most of the families were from smaller or rural towns. Traveling hours to visit their sick kids is not realistic or practical. Heck, most parents refused to leave the hospital room. How convenient to have the Ronald McDonald House less than five minutes away from Children’s Mercy.

The experience was definitely and eye-opener. I’ve never had full access to shoot in a hospital … let alone an intensive care unit. But every one was very candid and honest and wanted nothing more than to tell us how much the Ronald McDonald House meant to them and their families. Keep an eye out for the video as we’ll be unveiling it later this year!

PlattForm has a couple charities of choice that we work with throughout the year.  One of them is TLC, a local shelter for battered and abused children.  TLC approached us about partnering up a couple years ago because we were next door neighbors.  At the time, it sounded like a unique and exciting endeavor.

PlattForm has grown increasingly civic-minded over the past few years.  It’s been interesting to watch the evolution of our philanthropic undertakings.  One thing is certain, however.  PlattFormers love to get out of the building.  And spending time with the kids at TLC is just the ticket.  PFormers will find any ol’ excuse to have a party and TLC wouldn’t have it any other way.  From shooting hoops to decorating Xmas cookies, no event was too big or too small.  During our first few events, the kids would not come out from their dorm rooms.  It must have looked a little odd for a bunch of over-the-hill 30-somethings to be playing bean-bag toss.  But eventually the kids came around and joined in the festivities.

All these kids have amazing, yet horrendous, stories of survival.  Most are shy and see any adult as the enemy, so clearly we have our work cut out for us.  But most PFormers are really overgrown 12-year olds at heart – so it seems to work out well.  PlattForm managed to score them new basketball hoops for their playground last year.  Talk about winning them over.  Hmm, what would have happened if we got them a Wii?

Last week, Team Phil headed over to make Valentine cookies with the kids.  It seems like a simple gesture, but the kids really get in to it.  Last year when we made actual Valentines, it was a sea of red construction paper, glitter, glue and markers.  Teen spirit ran high trying to decide who will be the recipient of said Valentine.  Teen angst also ran amuck when a kid can’t decide who to give a Valentine.  (Uh, we told them they could make more than one.  Problem solved.)

Little by little, the kids at TLC are warming up to us.  Baby steps, you know.  With a lotta love and a little TLC (so to speak), they’ll be able to get past this rough patch in their life.  And, hopefully, all of us at Team Phil take pride in the fact we brightened their day in some small way.

Little known fact: “Corroboree” is a term coined by Australian Aborigines that means “nocturnal festival”. And, conveniently, it also happens to be a rockin’ party held at the Kansas City Zoo each year by PForm’s charity of choice, SAVE Inc.

SAVE Inc. is Kansas City’s oldest provider of housing assistance to individuals and families who are living with HIV/AIDS. SAVE Inc. helps over 600 individuals and families every single month. Plus, the organization spends nearly $300,000 every month in rental assistance to maintain its nine residential properties. When you’re living with HIV/AIDS, housing is a matter of life and death.

In this depressed economy, it’s refreshing to see people get together for a good cause and help raise much-needed funds for a worthy charity. And who doesn’t like great parties with Australian themes? Throw another shrimp on the barbie! And OMG – is that ONJ?

2008 marks the fifteenth year of this vibrant event — which began as a mere gleam in the eyes of a few friends back in 1994. Back in ’94, Lion King was #1 at the Box Office, and Ace of Base “The Sign” topped the Billboard Hot 100, Oprah was in a thin-phase, and a DEMOCRAT was President … less I digress.

Every year Corroboree gets bigger, wackier and zanier … and this year was no exception. From the minute you set foot on the Zoo Tram, the party is in full swing. I should know … I was the Tram Host. Best of all, SAVE graciously handpicked PlattForm to volunteer at the event … and, once again, PFormers turned out in droves to help ensure fun and merriment for all.

PlattForm’s internal philanthropic committee – the aptly named “Team Phil” – has a laundry list of charitable organizations that we work with throughout the year. Some are our charities of choice – like our upcoming ADA “Step Out To Fight Diabetes Walk” on September 27th.

Other Team Phil events are of a much smaller-scale, but still wildly important. A few weeks ago, there was a local story in the KC Star about Jana Mackey, a young woman from Lawrence, KS who was brutally murdered by her boyfriend. Even more tragic was that she had been a well-known advocate for women and assisted victims of rape and domestic violence.

There’s a Public Advocacy fund being set up in her name right now. One of PlattForm’s team members was friends with the victim. Our co-worker was so incensed at this senseless crime; she quickly rallied Team Phil to help raise awareness about domestic violence.

Typically, PFormers aren’t usually wan to just shell out miscellaneous dough for any ol’ cause. So Team Phil decided to make a day of it … an upcoming bake sale, BBQ, winner-take-all trivia contest and pool tournament. And I’ll guarantee it’ll be a successful event.

Why?

1) It’s for a good cause.

2) It’s for a good cause AND there’s food involved.

According to a recent Fort Hays University study, more than 100,000 Kansas women are the victims of domestic violence every year. And while a bake sale might seem trivial or old school … hopefully, the money we raise will help raise awareness. And, more importantly, keep Jana Mackey’s legacy alive.

This is not the first time Team Phil has helped combat domestic violence against women and children. Last year, PlattForm’s Video Production Department produced a powerful pro-bono video for the YWCA of Wichita. Some of the women’s stories and some of the statistics in the piece are both heartbreaking and woefully disconcerting. You can see it below.

But in the end … the more the word gets out, the more we can do to stop this on-going cycle of abuse.