This blog is a little different this month. Although I’ll still provide information about PROMO and how it can help reach many different types of goals, this one’s a little more personal. One of the best parts of my role is the opportunity to bring our community together to bring awareness to local causes and needs and support the individuals and organizations working tirelessly to respond to these needs and make our community stronger. And during my almost five years with SJA Promo, I’ve not only had the opportunity, but also the encouragement, to continue to use our PROMO powers for good.

This campaign is a personal one. Like many of you, cancer has touched my life and I know the importance of having the vital equipment to enhance patient experience and reduce the necessity for patients to travel outside of our community for treatment. My mother went through her first cancer journey over 16 years ago and at that time, it involved many trips outside of the community as well as the local support, from a much smaller Cancer Clinic at the time.

Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be the end of my family’s need for excellent cancer care in our community. Over the last three years, both of my parents have been reintroduced to our local Cancer Centre. Although my dad’s journey was not long, my mom’s journey continues knowing she has a fabulous local team supporting her. My hope is that this program will not only show our appreciation for the support we’ve received but also help to ensure they have the tools they need to support our community. ~LJ

There are so many reasons to enjoy a career in the Promotional Products Industry. You get to be creative and have access to so many fabulous products that support companies and organizations to promote their brands. You see the pride on a business owner’s face when they see their logo, a reflection of their hard work and energy, showcased on a great product for the first (or the fiftieth) time. You go to an event and see how a fabulous product can enhance the experience of participants or how a piece memorabilia can help bring back memories.

You see, in our business, you really get to know your customers and the story behind the project they’ve brought to you and when you can find that right item for them, it makes you feel a part of the project. So, yes, when your products arrive, we are as excited to see them as you are. And when we’re in the community and we see your branded merchandise, we are as proud as you are.

But probably one of the best things, is the ability to use our PROMO powers for GOOD. I can’t remember the superhero show or movie that this came from, but the thought always sits in the back of my mind – use your powers for good (not evil, I think was the message in the show). You see, what works to promote a brand can also help raise awareness to a cause and raise money to address needs in our community. But we don’t do it alone, because we know that when you partner and engage others, the impact grows.

Let’s talk about a project we’re working on right now. Over a decade ago, one of our suppliers introduced pink mittens to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society. These were the same style as the ever so popular 2010 Olympic mittens. They raised over $1 million! Earlier this year, I received an email that the supplier is bringing back the mittens and they will be contributing $2 from each pair sold to the Canadian Cancer Society.

Now, we need to go back in time a bit to one of our fabulous customers, the FSJ Hospital Foundation. They started talking to us last year about the fact that they would be celebrating their 30^th Anniversary in 2024. Because of our ongoing relationship with the Foundation, we were already aware of the fabulous impact they have in our community and have worked on projects to show our support. We also know about the fact that when contributing to the Foundation, there is opportunity to channel your donation to different funds depending on how you would like your donation to be used.

So now you can see a connection. How can we use these mittens to help raise money in celebration of their 30^th anniversary? Well, we could buy some mittens and sell them in our showroom and be able to provide a small contribution but what if we could do more by engaging our customers and the whole community?

What if we could buy more mittens? Well, that could be tough for us to do on our own but what if we could involve others to help support the purchase? But the key would be, how would donating to this project have more impact than just donating directly to the Foundation? What if their donation could be doubled if it supported the project because the mittens could be sold for more than our cost for them?

Okay, but that’s still a lot of mittens. How could we possibly sell all those mittens, because although we have the pleasure of seeing many people in our showroom, we just don’t have enough traffic to sell that many mittens. What if we also had partners who could help make the mittens more accessible to the entire community?

And so it starts.

We connect in with the Foundation to see what they think of the project. They share our enthusiasm and although they’re busy working on all the plans they have for their 30^th anniversary, they ask how they can help. We assure them that we can take care of the details if they’re comfortable with us branding the mittens with their logo, so customers know where the proceeds for the mittens are going.

We begin to talk to our partners to see if they are interested in the project and get favourable responses (we already have two locations where mittens will be sold and support to start to cover the cost of the mittens so that 100% of the purchase price can go directly to the Foundation). We begin planning for the logistics and marketing to be able to start getting partners for the program.

How will it go? I guess you’ll have to see. The order has been placed and the mittens will arrive at the end of summer.

How can you help?

• If you or your organization would like to donate to the FSJ Hospital Foundation and “double the impact” of your gift, please contact LJ@sjapromo.ca to become a partner. The donation would go directly to the Foundation and you would receive a charitable receipt.
• Help to sell the mittens. Do you or your organization have a retail location or event in September where the mittens can be sold? The more accessible the mittens are, the easier it will be to sell all 1200 of them. Let’s talk if you can help.
• Buy a pair of mittens. Watch for our pre-sell store later in the summer to be sure you secure a pair or head to the various organizations that will have them for sale.
• Volunteer your time to sell the mittens. There may be special events or tables set up around the community to sell the mittens in person. If you can spare a couple of hours, let us know.

I know, with the engagement of our community, we can help to ensure that we have the equipment and support our hospital needs for cancer diagnosis and treatment, it will reduce the necessity for travel for our friends and family already struggling with their health and provide more support to the professionals at our clinic to enhance the care and comfort of the patients.

To find out more about the program and see how you can help, click here.