Volume 1, Issue 4
August 26, 2002

Stampede Generate $50,000 For Six Charities

Sioux Falls Stampede's 2002 Playhouse Promenade Promotion Is Recognized Nationally By The Association of Home Builders

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CONTACT: Jim Loria, President

ORGANIZATION: Sioux Falls Stampede, United States Hockey League

PROGRAM TITLE: Playhouse Promenade

OBJECTIVE: The Mission Statement for the Playhouse Promenade community project is as follows: "To Help Build A Better Future For Our Youth In The Sioux Empire".  The project builds awareness and distributes funds to six local charitable organizations.  In addition, the playhouse program helped open up partnerships for the Stampede in the following sponsorship categories:

     1. Shopping Mall
        2. Real Estate
        3. Home Builders Association

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: The Stampede have hosted the "Playhouse Promenade" project for the past two years, raising over $55,000 in funds from bids taken in by a silent auction of the playhouses and raffle!  A contribution of  $10,000 has been distributed to five (5) individual Sioux Falls children's charities!

The project features four (4) life-like playhouses and eight (8) prominent home builders who will design and construct these properties at "no cost". Each playhouse, built to an approximate 11'x11' height/width dimension, has its own "exclusive" themes as chosen by the builders. They include:

1. Country Store Playhouse
2. Log Cabin Playhouse
3. Story Book Playhouse
4. Victorian Playhouse

The playhouses were put on display at The Empire Mall in Sioux Falls from April 1-30.  Businesses and The Empire Mall shoppers were welcomed to visit the playhouses at any time and place a silent bid!  Hastings, Johnson & Nelson, the official "real estate" partners of the project, supplied their agents at the mall every Sunday during the month of April, providing inside "TOURS" for the shoppers.

100% of all net proceeds raised from the "Playhouse Promenade" auction and raffle, were donated to six (6)  Sioux Falls area charities this year. They included:

1. Children's Care Hospital & School
2. Children's Home Society
3. Children's Miracle Network
4. Make-A-Wish Foundation
5. Sioux Falls Stampede "Foundation-For-Kids"
6. Sioux Falls Home Builders Association "Scholarship Fund"   

     PLAYHOUSE "SILENT AUCTION"
To participate in the silent bid process, consumers were encouraged to pick up a bid sheet on site at any of the four playhouses or they could obtain a bid sheet by e-mail through the address of [email protected] that was set up and hosted by Hastings, Johnson and Nelson Real Estate.  Bid sheets could also be accessed off of the Stampede playhouse website (http://click.exacttarget.com/[email protected]_HTML).

     PLAYHOUSES DONATED
A year ago, local companies purchased each of the five playhouses and donated the properties to needed charities.  This year, individuals purchased all four playhouses and maintained ownership for their personal property.

     "PLAYHOUSE HOME DELIVERY"
Parker Transfer & Storage also partnered in with the builders and provided "free" delivery service for the playhouse home owners anywhere within Sioux Falls city limits once the project came to an end on April 30th.

     PLAYHOUSE PROMENADE "BUILDERS"
What makes the "Playhouse Promenade" a unique fundraiser is that each of the eight local home builders donate 100% of their labor, materials and time. In addition, there are literally hundreds of vendors brought in by the builders who also donate their materials and resources in support of the project.

     SPONSOR BENEFITS
* The project builders and the Sioux Falls Home Builders Association view this program as a built-in "home show" for 30 days with over 500,000 shoppers viewing their workmanship.

* The Empire Mall, home builders and real estate company are put into the forefront for one month with five radio stations driving home the message - to visit the shopping center! Over 500 commercial spots were provided by the Midcontinent Radio stations..  KELO-TV, a local CBS affiliate, filmed the playhouses on-site and provided the builders, shopping mall and Stampede with tremendous exposure.  The Argus Leader newspaper photographed each playhouse and inserted the properties inside a full color ad layout.  Each playhouse was featured along with sponsors of the project in five ads.

* A 12-page full color brochure was created and 5,000 pieces distributed to the chamber of commerce business mailing list and Stampede season ticket holders.  The brochure featured photographs of the builder's playhouse along with descriptions of the home builder's company; charities that will be supported through the project; info on the realtor and storage company.

* The Stampede created a Playhouse Promenade website that promoted all
parties associated with the project and was in operation for two months
prior to April 1st.

* Each of the home builders received a personal interview on the sponsor radio stations.

SPONSOR: what was the reaction?

A year ago, The Empire Mall conducted "focus groups" and the number #1 recall of any project or promotion held at the mall, was the Playhouse Promenade!  The Home Builders Association grew their sponsor support and now look to the promenade as a means to help support their scholarship fund.  The Stampede provides the HBA with a financial donation for their fund in exchange for their builders involvement.

RESULTS: This was a tremendous community project for the Stampede.  The team was kept in the media spotlight for one month.  Not only were their sponsors viewed positively for their incredible community support but the event charities were given strong financial support and great awareness. 

CONTACT: Sioux Falls Stampede by email: [email protected] or phone: 605/336-6060.

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