Experiential Events

Supply It Forward

As the Executive Director of the Avon Education Foundation during COVID, Amanda uncovered a need. Avon was the first school in the country to shut down due to a positive case of COVID at one of its schools. Students were sent home on March 9, 2020. The amazing lunch ladies at the school were still providing 9,000 breakfasts and lunches to families in need during this time in a drive thru style. Amanda began handing out school supplies in this drive thru. When she flew the supplies that she had prepared, her mind began to wonder…is there a bigger need here that isn’t being met? She asked the superintendent if she could host a supply drive before students returned to in-person learning. This request was met with a “yes”, but also the comment “there’s no way you can raise the $30,000 you need in 30 days. Well….challenge accepted. Amanda raised the money in 20 days and put together the event that had been formulating in her mind. This wouldn’t be just any supply drive. This would be a shopping experience for these children that don’t normally get to shop for back to school supplies. Students arriving at the event were paired with a personal shopper and given a school supply list based on their grade. They were able to choose their own backpack and go down a row of supplies and make all of their own choices….which color art box they wanted, which color ruler, scissors, etc. Once they filled their backpacks with the items on their list, they got to shop for a new book and were given a goody bag filled with hygiene items, a water bottle, a free meal from Chick-fil-A, and more. The next gymnasium was full of resources for parents. The superintendent was on-hand to answer questions, township assistance, the local food pantry, scholarships for the local youth sports program, COVID vaccines, and so much more. Students and families didn’t leave until they received a free breakfast or lunch. This event is one that Amanda is most proud of. 1,200 students went through that first year and the event is still being held annually to this day.

Simon Kidgits Club

Amanda had the pleasure of running a kids’ club at 103 malls across the country. During the 10 years running this program, Amanda was in charge of running annual events as well as creating local programming. These annual eventsevents were run in conjunction with Radio Disney and included major sponsors such as Dr. Seuss, Universal, Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Bros, Nickelodeon, American Greetings, Fisher-Price/Mattel, Hasbro, Oriental Trading, Barilla Pasta, Cabbage Patch Kids, The Children’s Place, Kids Foot Locker and American Red Cross. Annual events included:

  • Book Blast

  • Super Duper Mini Chefs

  • Breakfast with the Easter Bunny

  • Breakfast with Santa

Local programming included: Pirates Adventure, Princess Party, Kidgits Carnival, Dino Days, Back to School, Earth Day celebrations and more!

Simon Super Chefs Live!

A 25 mall tour at some of Simon’s most popular properties. We built a stage in the middle of the mall and created two cooktops on top of that stage. Local chefs would battle it out on-mall to see who could create the best dish. The main entertainment for the day was a celebrity chef. We worked with notable names such as Duff Goldman, Martin Yan, Daisy Martinez and Guy Fieri with hosts Marc Silverstein and Bill Boggs.

The event included local activation from local sponsors (think coffee samples, wine samples, local businesses, local restaurants, etc) as well as activation from national sponsors Barilla Pasta and Coca-Cola.

A complete marketing campaign leading up to the event included social media, radio, on-mall posters, email blast campaign, and PR blitz that included segments on local news stations.

Back At It!

A 20 mall tour in association with Teen Vogue. This event centered around the Back to School timeframe to help students get ready for the back to school season in style. The event included a fashion runway show run by Teen Vogue, Q&A with Teen Vogue editors, musical performances and celebrity appearances.

The event included local activation from local sponsors as well as activation from national sponsors Vans and Claires.

Click image to view event video recap

Click image to view Super Chefs in San Diego

Click image to view Debby at Northshore Mall

Re-Branding

Re-Branding

Re-branding a company takes more than just creating a new logo. It requires buy in from all key stakeholders. A brand isn’t just a logo that is slapped heedlessly on letterhead or your company’s website. It’s your company’s essence. It’s who you are. A good brand will illicit an emotional and sometimes physical response from your consumers.

Amanda has led re-branding efforts for 3 companies, created a brand for a new company and created branding elements for a political campaign. This process doesn’t begin with a graphic designer. This process begins with determining who you are as a company. Many people in the finance field believe that finances are where a company must begin. Amanda believes that branding and marketing are the foundation for a company. Without a mission, without a clear vision, without a brand essence a company has no purpose. A good brand embodies all of these elements and is the heart of your company. But in order to create an exceptional brand it requires a good leader to take key stakeholders through branding exercises. Watching a brand come to life with an entire team’s buy in is nothing short of magical.

Fundraisers

Fundraising & Business Development

Amanda has led many fundraisers during her career as well as securing significant funding through sponsorship sales and donor programs. Some of these include:

  • Monte Carlo Night

    • Amanda started this event at the Avon Junior Athletic Association. The Avon Education Foundation liked it so much that they began hosting is as well. When Amanda became the Executive Director for AEF she took over hosting duties again. The event has been held in Hendricks County for 15 years.

  • Stars & Pars

    • Regular golf outings are a dime a dozen. So Amanda decided to bring a night golf outing to the Avon Education Foundation. Event attendees teed off once the sun set and use light up golf balls that active when they are hit. The greens and holes are lit up with LED lights. Add a bonfire, drink cart and prizes for the best decorated golf cart and this event was a raging success!

  • AEF Annual Breakfast

    • Attended by community leaders, senators, congressmen and sponsors. This breakfast was a chance to say thank you to our community and showcase what the foundation had done over the past year to secure sponsorship and support for the coming year.

  • Broadway Kids

    • A week long summer camp where kids get to put on a play for their parents at week’s end.

  • COVID Initiatives

    • $100,000 grant from United Way, of which a little over $28,000 was given to Avon school for handless water refill stations to replace drinking fountains

    • Secured a semi-full of Lysol wipes for Avon schools

    • Raised $30,000 in 20 days to host the 1st Annual Supply It Forward

  • Title Sponsor

    • Secured the first ever title sponsor for the Avon Junior Athletic Association in the amount of $75,000

Click image to view Monte Carlo Night recap

Facebook Impressions for AEF during Amanda’s tenure (46% increase in page followers)

Digital Marketing

Digital Marketing & Website Development

Amanda has led many digital marketing campaigns as well as created new websites. Examples include:

  • Led the creation of 3 different websites that integrated SEO optimization, pay-per-click advertising and one that integrated a new, more efficient member management system.

  • Avon Alumni on the Front Lines (COVID Initiative)

  • Avon Teachers Don’t Give Up, They Step Up

  • VICTOR Bear

    • VICTOR is a teddy bear that received a custom-made branded t-shirt. He has a backpack that includes a notebook and a pen. VICTOR stands for….you are Valued, you are Irreplaceable, you are Cared about, you are Treasured, you are Outstanding, you are Respected.

    • VICTOR spends time with an individual who takes photos and posts about their time and travels with VICTOR and then the person with VICTOR writes in his notebook about someone that emodies his qualities and Pays It Forward to the next deserving person.

    • VICTOR has been featured on Officer Craig’s TikTok (162,000 followers)

    • Students go bananas to this day when VICTOR comes to visit their school

  • Brought hyper-local journalism to life through Facebook and Instagram posts designed to create engagement.

Community Driven

Click image to see Murphy Aquatic Park

Community Driven

Amanda has given back to her community for the past 15 years, whether volunteering, sitting on boards, working for local non-profits, or running for public office. She successfully ran and won 2 campaigns and served 2 terms as the Secretary of the Board for Washington Township, Hendricks County. Accolades during that time include:

  • Approving the budget for and helping provide the vision for Murphy Aquatic Park, a state-of-the-art water park and the only one of its kind in the world that is 100% all-inclusive for individuals with disabilities.

  • Building 2 new fire stations to meet the needs of a growing community

  • Purchasing and/or building 3 new parks including Murphy Aquatic Park, Pecar Nature Center and Pock Park

  • Lobbying the state house for staggered terms for township board members

  • Lobbying the state house for an increased tax levy to support the hiring of new firefighters to outfit the new fire stations