ColorWalk Raises Critical Funds for Public Education

​​Los Altos, CA: When David Trescot, CEO of Hybrik, asked After Midnight to help promote a fundraising walkathon for a local public school, we were delighted to step up. After Midnight frequently offers its services pro bono, and quality education is a cause that we are particularly pleased to support. This year, the Covington Elementary School PTA’s “ColorWalk,” held on October 15th, raised over $60,000 to help fund classroom technology and supplies, as well as library, music and art programs.

Earlier this month, the Santa Barbara Independent reported, ”voluntary contributions are becoming more essential [for California public schools] — increasingly they are line items in the budget rather than icing on the cake.” According to the California State PTA, “Due to devastating cuts to the state budget in recent years, PTAs [are] increasingly filling the gaps and helping to fund basics such as classroom supplies and equipment as well as librarians and school nurses.”

Covington Elementary School serves kindergarten through sixth grade students in Los Altos, California. The school's Mission Statement is “To develop to the fullest each student's intellectual potential in an atmosphere of empowerment, to expose students to character building and enrichment, and to encourage respect for each other and our community.” The PTA’s annual fundraising walkathon supports this mission by allowing students to directly improve their technology, music, art and library programs through soliciting community support. It has become the school’s largest community fundraising event of the year, with 90 percent of Covington families participating.

This is the second year that David Trescot has volunteered to lead Covington PTA’s walkathon fundraising efforts — with marketing assistance from After Midnight. Last year, we were challenged to communicate an innovative, new approach inspired by traditional spring Holi festivals in India, when throngs crowd the streets and fling brilliantly colored powders onto passers-by. Transforming the walkathon into a carnival of color made it far more fun, boosting both participation and proceeds. So in 2016, the ColorWalk continued, with the Trescot-After Midnight team created a compelling marketing program including tee shirts, banners and posters featuring the school’s Coyote mascot howling out the invitation to join the parade.

Caps off to the corporate sponsors, families, educators and kids who all made the 2016 Covington Elementary School ColorWalk a spectacular success!