Checks are still coming in yet, but as of today the money raised by the impressive Two by Four-managed Off the Street Club luncheon Dec. 6 is a whopping $564,000. This is the largest amount of money raised for the Club in its 112 year history, according to Ralph Campagna, OTSC’s indefatible executive director.
“A huge group of people were involved in this fund-raising effort for almost half the year and we’re ecstatic with the results,” says Jennifer Nicks, Two-by-Four’s VP/development who helmed the agency’s hosting responsibilities of the annual event that helps keep the West Side safe haven afloat.
“This was an all-agency effort that paid off handsomely for the Club. The list of agencies and persons that were involved in making this a huge success is long one,” notes Two by Four communications director Jessica Montrie.
Each agency had a role in promoting, organizing and selling the event – 800 guests attended the luncheon at the Swissotel — with a shout out by Montrie to Digitas for having secured all of the many raffle prizes.
The big raffle prize was $10,000 cash, donated by the Chicago 4s board, was won by a college graduate in her first job in advertising. Elleson Reason, an assistant strategist on the State Farm account at OMD, was given the raffle ticket as part of an introductory sales call by a rep for Yext, an online business location service.
Shocked and thrilled by the unexpected windfall, Reason says she will figure out what to do with the money when the check arrives. A native of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., Reason attended Miami of Ohio and graduated last May with a degree in mass communications and immediately thereafter joined OMD.
Two by Four’s luncheon was “It’s not every day you can change a kid’s life on your lunch hour.” Supported by the advertising community for 103 years years, OTSC works tirelessly to keep disadvantaged kids in crime-ridden neighborhoods safely off the street and out of trouble with a variety of learning and recreational programs and specific centers.
Cramer/Krasselt will host next year’s 104th annual OTSC luncheon.
