At Marketing Works, we live by our four core values, which are “We Get It.” “We Do What it Takes.” “We Do the Right Thing.” and “We Care.” We also take our core purpose of “being a conduit to success for everyone we touch” very seriously. A key part of living our values and purpose is giving back to the community. We dedicate 10% of our profits every year to charitable causes and also donate hundreds of hours of service work to community organizations. You can find some of the organizations we support here.
What follows is a recent example of how one of our associates is making a difference in the lives of others.
Melissa Howard, our Senior Project Manager, has spent the last three years volunteering her time to an organization that is near and dear to her heart.
In 2016, Melissa’s daughter was diagnosed with a rare genetic syndrome called Kleefstra Syndrome. She always knew her daughter was “special,” but getting that diagnosis made it real. She knew she would never have the opportunity to participate in sports and activities with “typical” kids, so in 2017 she looked into her county’s Special Olympics programs and found a gymnastics team to join. But, not only did she sign her daughter up for the team, she volunteered to be an assistant, parent coach.
“Having a special needs child can be challenging in many ways, but one of the biggest challenges is finding a network of friends who “get” each other and have the same opportunities. I had heard great things about the Special Olympics organization and I decided to get her involved.”
Melissa volunteered again in 2018. Then, in 2019 she and the other two mom coaches decided to branch off from Special Olympics and start their own special needs team, which is called Central Ohio Abilities Gymnastics. Their group provides an opportunity for girls/women with special needs ages 8-adult to participate in a fun and all-inclusive gymnastics experience.
“It’s so fulfilling and rewarding to be a part of this amazing group and to see the progress the girls have made in the last few years.”