For 24 hours straight, advertising and public relations students at Grand Valley State University put their creative and strategic skills to the test by providing nonprofit organizations with free marketing and communications services. The annual event, CreateAThon, was hosted by GrandPR and followed the theme of community impact.
Clients for CreateAThon included Still I Run, Momentum Center, John Ball Area Neighbors, the Padnos/Sarosik Center for Civil Discourse and the Empowered Trail Foundation. The goal was to help nonprofits amplify their missions and make a lasting difference in their communities.
CreateAThon was no ordinary workday for the event’s participants. It was a marketing and communications sprint in which students tackled a range of projects, including designing mission statements, brochures, planning events and creating mascots. Participants split into teams, who developed strategic plans, content calendars and brand materials to help the nonprofits continue their work effectively once the event commenced. The event allowed students to develop valuable professional skills in a high-pressure environment. Participants learned how to collaborate, manage time efficiently and think creatively under tight deadlines.
For GVSU student Shelby Huerta, who served as the event’s account executive and coordinator, planning CreateAThon took months of preparation. A dedicated GrandPR team worked behind the scenes by coordinating with nonprofits, recruiting student volunteers and securing event sponsors. With the event taking place without a hitch, Huerta’s memories of CreateAThon are nothing short of fulfilling.
“Working alongside fellow GrandPR members was both exciting and rewarding,” Huerta said. “Engaging with sponsors and clients pushed me beyond my comfort zone (and) helped me discover a (deeper) passion for nonprofit organizations and their missions.”
Similarly, Ana Zapata, GrandPR’s chief operations officer, played a key role in ensuring the event ran smoothly. Zapata had participated in previous CreateAThons and knew what to expect from the tireless commitment.
“We had several different activities throughout the day (and night) to keep our teams energized,” Zapata said. “I didn’t sleep for the entire 24 hours, but it (CreateAThon) was all worth it to see how much we accomplished in such a short time.”
The Padnos/Sarosik Center for Civil Discourse has worked with GrandPR on multiple projects over the years, and was a strong partner of the event.
“GrandPR has forged a strong partnership with the Center for Civil Discourse through multiple projects, professional development and some GrandPR members (have even) worked in their office,” said Zapata. “It (the partnership) made this project that much more meaningful for the team (of participants) that worked on it (the event).”
The event itself has been a mainstay for GrandPR since 2018, while the national CreateAThon organization was created in 2002. Each year, the event focuses on a different theme. In 2024, the theme was education, and this year, it revolved around community impact.
“CreateAThon provides students with the unique opportunity to see how much they can accomplish within a 24-hour time frame,” Zapata said. “The work we do during CreateAThon is incredibly impactful for the organizations we work with.”
