Dollar-Help Wins International Award for "Warmthgiving Weekend" Creative Campaign
St. Louis, MO (May 3, 2007) - St. Louis-based Dollar-Help, Inc., has been awarded a 2007 Summit Creative Award for its Warmthgiving Weekend campaign. The drive, unveiled in 2006, encouraged children across the Greater St. Louis area to host their own hot chocolate stands in order to raise money and awareness for Dollar-Help, which helps the less fortunate pay their utility bills.
Dollar-Help teamed with Adam Timmerman and Will Witherspoon from the St. Louis Rams to create public service announcements and enlisted their help to launch the campaign. Similar to traditional summer lemonade stands, children purchased discounted boxes of hot chocolate from Dierbergs Markets, then sold cups of hot chocolate and donated their sales to Dollar-Help.
"Following 'Warmthgiving Weekend,' Dollar-Help experienced some of the highest donation rates in the organizations 25-year history," said Dennis Kelley, president of Dollar-Help. "We saw a 7% increase in our 'Check a Red Box' donations over the same time period last year. Every dollar received goes directly to paying someones heating bill, so every dollar really does make a difference; it is really exciting to see the kids of St. Louis support such a worthy cause."