“Yes, we should,” Teresa agreed, with the look of a brainstorm on her face. “But we should do it for charity.”
That small exchange between CreateAthon founders Cathy Monetti and Teresa Coles resulted in CreateAthon 1998, the first year RIGGS offered pro bono services to nonprofits in the Columbia area during a marathon, 24-hour creative blitz. Since then, RIGGS has expanded the local CreateAthon event to business and civic nonprofits from all over South Carolina, with overwhelming support from printers, photographers, production companies, and media vendors across the state.
In 2002, RIGGS decided to expand the program to form an international CreateAthon Network. The goal: to extend the reach of CreateAthon to the thousands of men, women and children who are in need around the country.
Since that time, more than 40 agencies across the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada have participated in the CreateAthon movement, conducting CreateAthon events in their respective markets during National CreateAthon Week in September. This network of agencies has helped 832 nonprofits with 1,809 projects at an estimated market value of $7 million.
Visit www.createathon.org to learn more about the international CreateAthon Network or the nonprofits helped during National CreateAthon Week.