Walks and runs have grown in popularity as ways to raise funds. But apart from offering information via signage and pamphlets, organizations sometimes struggle to truly engage and educate participants about the event's purpose as they make their way along the designated course. United Way of Greater Los Angeles looked to address that missed opportunity at its ninth annual HomeWalk event on November 21.
Events by Fabulous, led by Kimberly Seeherman, worked with the nonprofit’s Molly Neville, Shanda Pierce, Taulene Kagan, and Lisa Cleri Reale to create what the production team described as an "educational journey," meant to inspire walkers along the route. The event company devised a series of powerful billboards and selfie stations to communicate key messages about homelessness in the local community. While this educational component has been consistent throughout the event’s history, this year the team approached it with fresh ideas and doubled down on the interactivity component.
For instance, for the past several years HomeWalk has featured straightforward billboard messaging and basic props. But in an effort to make the campaign more personal and impactful this year, Events by Fabulous staffed the vignettes with live people, and printed real people’s stories on the billboards. The team also designed and built thematically coordinating selfie stations, positioned next to each billboard. Volunteers encouraged walkers to stop along the way to engage, take pictures, and share their impressions via social media.
For example, walkers passed a billboard focusing on a homeless veteran. Next, they engaged in the selfie station designed to convey messaging about homeless veterans in the local community. Specifically, the activation was a Pop Art diorama of a park with a 3-D bench, featuring the outline of a person sleeping on it. Walkers were encouraged to participate by lying down on the bench to take in the perspective in a meaningful way.
Another selfie station tackled the issue of homeless families, with a hand-drawn bedroom painted on a brick wall. The billboard's text read, "Because children deserve a good night's sleep." To take a photo here, walkers had to actually sit on the ground—an experience designed to elicit powerful emotions.
“The goal of the activation was to provide the event's 14,000 participants with insight into the problem and solution,” said Seeherman. “The interactive nature of this year's execution rendered a difficult discussion accessible, and provided walkers with an opportunity to socially share their experience, becoming more effective advocates for the cause.”
