Hard to find many things more gratifying that seeing a something – or someone –  you believe in create something special. In this case I’ve got a story of a something and a someone!

A few years back Mark Starkey approached us about sponsoring his new event “Kayak for a Cure” (KFAC) up in Vancouver. He was passionate, driven and had vision – you could actually feel it over the phone. We offered him a little bit of help that first year by way of a grant for promotional products – and the event was a success.

Fast forward to 2010, the 5th anniversary of the Vancouver event held this past weekend and it was spectacular by all accounts.  KFAC is raising more money than ever and is now an event in nine cities in Canada and the US – with more to come I’m sure.

Thanks to Mark and the KFAC Crew for reminding us all again that anyone can make a difference  - you just have to decide you want to.

P.S. If you’re part of a charitable organization making a difference where you live, check out our ‘one by one’ program. It’s a way for you to get a promotional items grant that you can put to work creating something special for people in need!

Every business day we give $500 in promotional products to charitable organizations as part of our one by one® program. I’m constantly amazed by the number of fantastic organizations out there trying to make the world a better place – it’s really quite amazing. What’s also amazing is how they choose to use promotional products to achieve their objectives.

If you’re part of a charitable organization, or know someone who is, please tell them about one by one®. To get a feel for what I’m talking about you can read a profile of two one by one grant recipients here.

Every business day we give $500 in promotional products to a charitable organization through our one by one® program.  These organizations are out there everyday making the world a better place, and I’m excited to see how they use the products they select.

Victoria from Unity House in Troy, NY sent us some snaps of how they used one of our reusable shopping totes to distribute food to those in need, reminding the recipients that they should reuse the bag should they need to visit the food pantry.

Ideally, organizations like Unity House wouldn’t need to exist, but given that things aren’t always ‘ideal’ I’m sure glad they do!

(p.s. – If you know a charitable organization that could use promotional products to deliver services, raise awareness, raise money or thank volunteers, be sure to tell them to check out one by one®!).

Above: Unity House puts resuable grocery totes to the best possible use.

Recently, the American Red Cross ran a campaign called ‘Heroes’ to raise funds and awareness to support the vital work they do to help those in times of need. We helped the Northeast Wisconsin region with imprinted ceramic piggy banks used to recognize ‘Heroes’ who have contributed  to helping ‘make it happen’.

Steve and Barbara from the chapter stopped by to give us a beautiful framed version of an ad that featured a picture of our little piggy! Guenevere from our research team really drove the process and she’s the one holding the bank.

Kayak for a Cure (KFAC) is  an event we’ve participated in (as a sponsor, and now John V. from our team is a ‘two-peat’ paddler!) from humble beginnings that raises money for the Canadian Cancer Society, and now also the American Cancer Society. We’re happy to be involved again this year as the event continues to grow and  raise awareness and money for a cause we’ve all been touched by in one way or another.

I’ll have more posts about KFAC as the event draws near but for now, I just wanted to invite you to check out the official (and just about complete) Kayak for a Cure website from a marketing perspective. Mark Starkey, the brains behind whole deal, always puts together great creative. He really gets how to connect you to the cause through the people and their stories-  you feel part of something – and he uses all the available tools (YouTube, Facebook, twitter, Flickr – you name it).

Good stuff.

(OSHKOSH, Wis.) – Promotional products retailer 4imprint donated $137,500 in in-kind grants to charitable organizations in 2008 through its one by one charitable giving program.

Making new grants every business day of the year, the Oshkosh, Wis.-based company supported 275 charitable organizations in the United States and Canada. Among these organizations were charities from 43 U.S. states and six Canadian provinces.

“The success of this program comes from the organizations that do the really important work helping others,” said Kevin Lyons-Tarr, President, 4imprint. “The demand for their services is great. And, their work has never been more important than it is right now. It’s exciting to see how they use promotional products in creative ways to support the work they do to meet the needs of the communities they serve.”

In-kind grant applications for 2009 are now being accepted at http://onebyone.4imprint.com.

From October 1-December 31, 2008, 4imprint awarded a total of $26,500 to:

ABATE of Wisconsin Safe Rider, Inc. – Black River Falls, Wis.

A-MAN Saturday Science Academy – Inglewood, Calif.

American Cancer Society – De Pere, Wis.

American Red Cross, Outagamie Chapter – Appleton, Wis.

The Arc Fox Cities – Menasha, Wis.

Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator, Calumet Co. – Chilton, Wis.

BayouClinic, Inc. – Bayou La Batre, Ala.

Beaufort Jasper Hampton Comprehensive Health, Inc. – Ridgeland, S.C.

Best Buddies – New York, N.Y.

Boise Museum Association – Boise, Idaho

Camp Summit – Dallas, Texas

The Canadian Hearing Society – London, Ontario

Child & Family Services of Michigan, Inc. – Okemos, Mich.

Child Adoption Resource Association – New London, Conn.

Communities in Schools, Dallas Region, Inc. (CISDR) – Dallas, Texas

D.V. Read and Learn – Drayton Valley, Alberta

Day One – South Portland, Maine

Dental and Nutritional Public Teaching – Anchorage, Alaska

Downtown Oshkosh Business Improvement District (BID) – Oshkosh, Wis.

GFWC New Tampa Junior Woman’s Club – Tampa, Fla.

The Giving Movement Organization – Plano, Texas

Green Lake Area Animal Shelter – Green Lake, Wis.

Hale Mahaolu – Kahului, Hawaii

I’m Too Young for This Cancer Foundation – Brooklyn, N.Y.

Ingleside Senior Services – Wilmington, Del.

Lake Erie Nature & Science Center – Bay Village, Ohio

Linn-Mar Community School District – Marion, Iowa

Macomb Homeless Coalition – Warren, Mich.

Mid-Eastern Council on Chemical Abuse (MECCA) – Iowa City, Iowa

Necessities Bag Sacramento Inc. – Sacramento, Calif.

New Beginnings International Children’s & Family Services – Tupelo, Miss.

North Fond du Lac Fire Department – North Fond du Lac, Wis.

Operation Gratitude – Encino, Calif.

Operation: Kid Equip – Royal Oak, Mich.

Oshkosh Fire Department, Local 316 – Oshkosh, Wis.

PCBOE/SCC Adult Education & Literacy Program – Somerset, Ky.

Pediatric Therapy Center – Wenatchee, Wash.

People’s Resource Center – Wheaton, Ill.

Rebuilding Together, Fox Valley – Appleton, Wis.

REST Ministries, Inc. – Converse, Ind.

Scenarios U.S.A. – Brooklyn, N.Y.

Second Harvest – Toronto, Ontario

Shalom Ministries – Spokane, Wash.

Shining Stars Foundation – Tabernash, Colo.

St. Clair Children’s Advocacy Center – Pell City, Ala.

Sunrise of Pasco County, Inc. – Dade City, Fla.

Sweethearts for Soldiers – San Diego, Calif.

ThedaCare Physicians – Oshkosh, Wis.

Total Woman Body System – Memphis, Tenn.

Tyler Foundation, Inc. – Groton, Mass.

United Way of Baytown Area – Baytown, Texas

Youth Heart Watch at CHOP-Sk8 the States – Philadelphia, Pa.

Zuni Healthy Lifestyles Program – Zuni, N.M.

About 4imprint’s one by one program

one by one is the charitable giving program of 4imprint. Now in its fourth year, 4imprint’s one by one program supports nonprofits with IRS-approved 501(c)3 status or Canadian-registered charities, religious organizations and accredited schools. Since the program began, the promotional products retailer has awarded nearly a half-million dollars in promotional products grants to nonprofit organizations.

4imprint, Inc., is the North American division of 4imprint Group, plc, an international provider of promotional products, imprinted items and corporate gifts. Learn more at http://onebyone.4imprint.com or follow the one by one program on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/4onebyone.