Client: Easterseals Central Illinois
We turned simple design support into a branded legacy and growing community impact.
In the late 90s, the historic Easterseals Central Illinois chapter came to us for help with designing invitations for their Tribute Dinner. What started as a simple ask turned into decades of creative event support, additional branding efforts and a collaborative partnership that lasts to this day. Easterseals Central Illinois’ more than 100-year-old mission, to help children with special needs reach their full potential, is a service we are proud to support. We strive to help them continue to grow as they leave a lasting impact on our community.
  • Research
  • Branding 
  • Concepting
  • PR & Social Media 
  • Events

Challenge

A decades-long partnership
When Easterseals Central Illinois first approached us to provide marketing support for the Tribute Dinner, we knew immediately we wanted to get involved. The Tribute Dinner honors the children Easterseals serves, as well as the broader Easterseals community. The dinner also aims to raise money for the organization, so as to continue its mission. We started with invitations and program creation. However, we saw an opportunity to standardize the brand by creating a logo and consistent design guides to help the event grow year after year.

The logo for the Easterseals Tribute Dinner was created to embody the heart of the event.

Solution

Their fundraising + our marketing, creating an interactive moment

Every year, in preparation for the Tribute Dinner, we meet with the Easterseals team to learn about the honoree and the year’s theme. Then, we begin researching and concepting ideas for the event’s theme. Although their team are experts at the services they provide and fundraising efforts, we were able to use our marketing expertise to connect all the dots between the event, their honoree(s) and their branding and goals. Everything we produce, across all touchpoints, are personalized and intimate –– from video content of the event itself, to one-on-one interviews.

We always look for ways to make the Tribute Dinner more experiential and interactive. The 2020 quarantine created a challenge because the event had to be held virtually. After brainstorming solutions, we opted to commission a sculptor to create an art piece to be installed outside the Peoria Riverfront Museum. People were able to visit the sculpture and take photos with it. Even though we all couldn’t gather together, we were able to create a moment over social media to build awareness for Easterseals.

This immersive program for the 33rd annual Tribute Dinner "Don't Stop Believing" includes references to the band Journey throughout the copy and visuals.

Sculptor Heather Brammeier created a physical manifestation of a rainbow for the 2020 Easterseals Tribute Dinner filled with arcs, triangles and a sense of childlike wonder.

Outcome

We do it for the community
We’re proud that the Easterseals Central Illinois Tribute Dinner has grown year after year. Due to our long-term involvement, our team has gained knowledge and understanding of the program to help us continue to deliver exactly what is needed while always bringing more solutions to the table. While we have folks who’ve been involved in this work since it began, we also try to introduce newer employees so they can take part in making a difference in our community as well. That’s what means the most to us: seeing the children making progress with Easterseals and benefitting from its incredible mission.

A team of passionate Simantelites attended the Easterseals Tribute Dinner to support the community and assist the event.

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