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Forge 54, a non profit powered by Sparkhouse, concluded their 2^nd annual skilled giving event, where marketing and media enthusiasts donated time, talents, and creative services to Playworks SoCal, a chapter of a national organization. The Forge 54 volunteers joined together at DGWB Advertising & Communications to work for 54 hours straight in order to create marketing deliverables, which included a mobile app commercial, microsite, PR and social media plans, video content, and more. The deliverables can be viewed on Playworks Forge 54 Recap.

During the high-energy, 54-hour event, 81 volunteers were divided into teams according to their skill sets, and worked together to produce ready to use content for Playworks. The deliverables were focused around the development of the first ever Playworks mobile application, which features a detailed Playbook outlining Playworks’ games and principles.

LaVal Brewer, Playworks SoCal Executive Director, said, “The biggest reason we’re excited about the app is that we have a vision to have every child in America engaged in safe, inclusive play everyday, and this app is our vehicle.

”After downloading the free app, users will have access to hundreds of Playworks games through searchable filters based on age, number of participants, obtainable equipment and more. The app is available for download on iOS devices and can be accessed via this mobile-friendly microsite.–Hyperlink the microsite.

Based on feedback from the 2013 event when Forge 54 donated over $160,000 in marketing assets to OC Food Bank, this year’s team created “Playbooks” for the non-profit in several areas. These “Playbooks”, or marketing how-to guides, will allow Playworks to implement an ongoing video marketing strategy and have a larger takeaway from the weekend.

Mentors from various professional agencies met with team leaders to give feedback and help guide teams on how to improve their final products. The weekend-long event kicked-off on Friday, Sept. 12 at noon and concluded on Sunday, Sept. 14 at 6 p.m. with a complete presentation of all deliverables to Playworks.

According to Forge 54 President, Torrey Tayenaka, the team is already looking forward to putting on another successful event next year. Interested volunteers, non-profits, hosting agencies or sponsors can find more information on the Forge 54 website or by emailing info@forge54.com.
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‍About Forge 54
‍Created by Torrey Tayenaka and powered by Sparkhouse, Devise Interactive and Ad2OC, Forge 54 is a collaborative, weekend-long marketing experience where advertisers, designers, developers, creatives, professionals and students donate their time and talents to create, inspire and support great causes. During each 54-hour event, Forge 54’s creative teams adopt a non-profit organization and work together to revamp their marketing and branding efforts. More information is available on the Forge 54 website and Facebook page.

‍About Playworks
‍Playworks is a national organization that believes recess should be a fun, safe and inclusive time for all children. They are the only non-profit organization in the country providing trained, full-time coaches focused on recess to hundreds of low-income schools in major urban areas. Coaches encourage kids to bring out the best in themselves and each other, and kids learn the value of fair play, compassion and respect. Playworks also provides training and technical assistance to schools, districts and youth organizations to ensure that every kid can have safe and healthy play that will transfer to success in the classroom and life. More information is available on the Playworks website.