Stay at home orders didn’t stop readers of Southlake Style from having fun and supporting its community. The team at Southlake’s longest running city magazine put its creativity and marketing skills to work to launch its very first community-wide virtual fundraising event in April.
“We’ve been known for supporting our community in fun and creative ways for years,” says Southlake Style publisher Mike Tesoriero. “Our regular live events are well attended, but with the pandemic forcing all gatherings to shut down, we challenged our team to find new ways to share our positivity in a time of social distancing.”
The concept of the Zero-K Virtual Fun Run invited fans to buy a custom-designed shirt and “race at their own pace.” The team partnered with Metroport Meals on Wheels to promote the virtual event where community members could pledge on the honor system to run, walk or sit any distance they wanted before May 15, 2020. One hundred percent of the proceeds of shirt sales went to purchase gift cards from Southlake staple Feedstore BBQ and More, one of the organization’s local restaurant partners.
"We are so thrilled to see the enthusiasm this fun and unique virtual event generated! Hearing our beloved couch potatoes exclaim, ‘This event was made for me! This is one race I know I can finish!’ was so exciting,” says Metroport Meals on Wheels community engagement director Amy Robinson.
She also noted that Feedstore BBQ and More is a crowd favorite and has been a long time partner and supporter of Metroport Meals On Wheels.
“We’re so thankful to everyone who purchased a shirt,” said Southlake Style’s marketing and events coordinator Kristan Borges, “Together our community raised $750 for the purchase of gift cards for Metroport Meals on Wheels, and to be able to support a local restaurant at the same time made everything that much more special.”