Thinking bigger is foundational to the Red Thinking team. Our ideas are bigger. Our impact is bigger. So, it tracks that when we set out to make a difference in the world around us, We. Go. Big.
This year, our collective passion is dedicated to helping the non-profit Drew Strikes Back and its incredible leader, Stephanie Snapkoski. During our 2022 offsite retreat the Red Thinking team shifted our value of “Giving Back” to “Paying it Forward,” preferring to be proactive and thoughtful about the ways we serve others. We also re-envisioned our general non-profit, pay-it-forward program and will launch the application process this fall for 2024. More to come!
Sharing of ourselves – time, talent, and resources – is the right thing to do, and it feels good. Psychologists suggest that helping others brings a bigger purpose to our lives and helps cultivate our own sense of gratitude.
We know that spending time volunteering together forges new relationships, increases team collaboration, and gives us an outlet for innovation. It also gives every Red Thinking employee a sense of pride to know that our work is making a positive impact in their community.
That brings things back to our 2023 project, Drew Strikes Back. We have a unique insight into this effort because Stephanie Snapkoski is a long-time client and friend, and many of us watched and listened as the Snapkoski family faced the cancer diagnosis of their young son, Drew, with bravery and determination.
Diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in March of 2018, then five-year-old Drew was sent to INOVA Children’s Hospital in Fairfax, VA where he would begin three years of chemotherapy treatments. A painful port placement to start the process, recovery meant repeated spinal taps and countless injections. As the chemo doses increased, so did Drew’s frequency of illness, his immune system too weak to fight off infection. As resilient as they come, the pain of treatment was not the worst part of cancer for Drew…it was the isolation. An avid baseball fan, Drew dreamed of being on the field, pitching and playing with his friends. Instead, he would be forced to quarantine. Drew continues to persevere, inspiring us every day to fight on for a cancer-free future.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Visionaries of the Year campaign, formerly Man and Woman of the Year, is a 10-week philanthropic competition for leaders in local communities across the United States. Candidates and their team members raise funds for LLS in honor of local blood cancer survivors, our Honored Heroes. The title “Visionary of the Year” is awarded to the candidate whose team raises the most funds during the competition. Our Team, branded Drew Strikes Back, is made up of a passionate individuals and businesses with their own connection to the mission of LLS. Our team’s goal is to raise $552,000, and we are grateful for any support you can provide to help us get there.
Thankfully Drew is now in remission, yet the fight continues because blood cancers, like Drew’s, continue to ravage families. Stephanie has turned her efforts to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Visionaries of the Year campaign.
Stephanie shared her “Why now?” story with our team. At a recent conference, the speaker, an oncologist, said he believed that everyone in the room, all professionals of working age, would see a cure for cancer in their lifetime. Wow. That really speaks to the timeliness of funding cancer research. Who wouldn’t want to be part of the push that helps us get there?
To aid Stephanie’s efforts to raise $552,000, Red Thinking is doing what we do best: developing a strategic and creative campaign! Our work will help raise awareness of the LLS mission in our community and showcase Drew Strikes Back fundraising events.
Red Thinking creative includes the team logo, sponsorship packages, signage, postcards and the list goes on. Of course, it also includes a robust social media strategy so that every Drew Strikes Back fundraising effort becomes a major success.
To learn more, or follow along on our journey as a Drew Strikes Back team member, follow us on IG, FB and LinkedIn.
