EDPA SE Participates in The Shoebox Project
by Kerstan Szczepanski, Exhibit City News
Charity and community are core tenets of the Experiential Designers and Producers Association (EDPA). Members, coming from the exhibits and events industries, come together to further charitable works, and social experiences not just for those members but for the communities they call home. For EDPA Southeast, The Shoebox Project is a perfect fit for serving the Greater Atlanta community.
Companies and organizations pack travel size items such as shampoo, lotion, deodorant, toothbrushes and toothpaste, hairbrushes, hand wipes, band aids, antibiotic ointment, socks, rain ponchos, and more into decorated shoeboxes to be given to homeless or low-income people in the Greater Atlanta area. Exhibit City News asked Sandra Braun, National Accounts Director at Nth Degree and President of EDPA Southeast, about the association’s participation in The Shoebox Project.
“Several years ago our chapter was looking for a community outreach program and one of the board members suggested doing this,” Braun says. “We started out small, I believe 50 shoeboxes and we continue to grow the event every year. We had around 12 to 15 companies involved (the event was hosted by Brumark) and completed over 200 shoeboxes.”
The project is popular with EDPA Southeast, especially Braun. “This is one of my favorite events to be a part of!” she enthuses. “The SE Chapter pulls together to collect the items and we have the best time filling the boxes with all the items, as well as decorating them with motivating messages.” One can imagine when experiential designers get together to decorate and write inspiring messages on shoeboxes, they can get pretty inspiring. Braun stresses the satisfaction the project can bring when helping others. “The best part is knowing the boxes are going to people in need and hoping it brings a little bit of joy,” she finishes.
Future events for EDPA Southeast include “Get Out of the Gutter – for a good cause!” on August 22, 2024, “Trivia: SEEDPA vs. Texas Trivia Challenge” on October 9, 2024, and, possibly the jewel in the crown of exhibition industry charitable events, the Randy Smith Memorial Golf Classic “The Randy” on September 26, 2024.
For more about EDPA Southeast visit www.southeastedpa.org
