We’ve recently heard back from our friends at Escola d’EE l’Arboç with some pictures of the children enjoying what we’ve left behind at the school. And while there is no doubt as the good we’ve done in so many other places, these pictures have touched our hearts in a way that really brings home why OmnicomCares exists. The joy expressed by these children, in working in the garden, playing on the swings, interacting with the sensory boards and using the computers we’ve installed, is truly inspiring.

It is difficult to put into words how it feels to know that what most of us would consider such a small gift of our time and resources could be translated into such a different experience. These particular smiles say it all.

To all the members of the OmnicomCares family, thank you. This is truly why we’re here.

The latest OmnicomCares soccer tournament was a great success. The event, organized by Simon Dalby from DAS Asia Pacific with the help of Auditoire, was held to raise money for Braille without Borders (www.braillewithoutborders.org) and to encourage collaboration and networking between Shanghai-based Omnicom businesses. Ten teams battled it out for the coveted OmnicomCares Trophy. In the final, our client Pernod Ricard triumphed over their agency of record TBWA.

Serge Dumont opened the event together with Paul Kronenberg, co-founder of Braille without Borders. Paul explained the amazing work that this organization has done in Nepal with blind people and their Institute for Social Entrepreneurs in Kerala, India, which aims to help socially disadvantaged people to realize their dreams.

Over 150 people attended the event which raised over 85,000 RMB (over USD$ 13,000) for our cause. This is enough to purchase two scholarships for students to attend the Kerala course.

Many thanks to the agencies (plus one of our clients!) who so enthusiastically supported this event, and raised donations:

BBDO
Consultech
DDB
Flamingo
Hornall Anderson
Jigsaw Hall & Partners
OMD/PHD
Pernod Ricard
Shunya
TBWA
Unisono
Direct Partners

Thanks also to individual donors Serge Dumont, Simon Dalby, Young Sohn, Doug Pearce, Maggie Shi.

Photographs of the event can be viewed by clicking here and you can also support Braille Without Borders by visiting their website.

On Saturday October 22nd our Asian colleagues will hold their second Omnicom Cares Charity soccer tournament in Shanghai. Eight teams will be participating from Omnicom agencies as well as some clients. It looks like a fun and worthwhile afternoon of sports and collaboration.

Whilst you may not be able to attend in person please consider a donation to the cause – Braille Without Borders – a charitable organization that has done inspiring work helping establish a rehabilitation and training centre for blind people in Tibet as well as The International Institute for Social Entrepreneurs (IISE) in Kerala, India, a ‘dream factory’ where disadvantaged individuals from all over the world are trained to create social change back in their home countries. The team is looking to raise a minimum of 60,000RMB (US$10,000) to fund a scholarship to send an individual from China to the IISE.

Any donation however small will be very welcome. You can donate via PayPal via this link http://www.braillewithoutborders.org/ENGLISH/support.html

Check out our wonderful new video of our service project in Barcelona. We really think this captures the spirit of the day:

On Saturday, September 10 2011, OmnicomCares descended upon a school for disabled children in Mataró, Spain.  The Escola d’EE l’Arboç provides a wonderful, caring therapeutic environment for physically and emotionally challenged children, some quite severely, ranging in age from 5 to 16.  The local government had just completed construction on a brand new facility for the school; the building although lovely in its own right, was badly in need of some personalization and color.

Approximately 150 volunteers from all over the globe arrived in the morning ready to work.  We had the largest ever group of volunteers from local Omnicom agencies, many with spouses, children and friends in tow.  And while the language differences were initially difficult, people quickly found ways to communication and make friends while rolling up their sleeves and getting the job done.  We painted three beautiful murals, installed a pergola and fencing in the patio area, and completely transformed the garden areas with new plantings and trees.  Twenty new touch screen HP computers were installed with special software to help the kids learn new skills and practice what they have already mastered.

And when the work was done, the school fed all the volunteers with homemade paella and sponsored a party that included local Catalan traditions.  All in all, it was a day to remember for all who participated.

See the photos here.

This September, OmnicomCares is off to Barcelona, Spain.  Our next Public Service Day is being held at a school for severely disabled children called Escola d’EE l’Arboç in a place called Mataró, which is a small town northwest of Barcelona. The children range in age from 5 to 16 and are severely disabled physically, some psychologically as well.

In the past year a brand new school has been built and it is there that OmnicomCares is going to weave its magic. Our outdoor projects include planting , laying irrigation, creating an aromatic garden, building picnic benches and installing some fencing.   In addition, there is a large patio area which is in direct sunlight, so we are building a large pergola to give some very needed shade.  Inside, there are lots of bare white walls both inside and outside screaming for some colour; we will paint murals to help brighten the place up and install new computers.  All of our projects are designed especially with the needs of disabled children in mind.

Here are some ‘before’ pictures of the school:

Here’s a short video on the latest beneficiary of OmnicomCares … the Carver Ranches Boys & Girls Club extreme makeover and largest paint-by-numbers project.

Well it has been almost a week since the OmnicomCares brigade finished their one-day ‘extreme makeover’ and ‘paint-by-numbers’ rehabilitation of the Carver Ranches Boys and Girls Club.

At the head of the creative direction and much of the implementation was the Zimmerman Agency.  Jordan Zimmerman has since written a beautifully inspiring blog post.  We strongly encourage you to read his thoughts and see some of the wonderful work that was done.

Also, Milan De Vito allowed us to reprint below what he sent around to his creative team after the project was completed:

Driving to the Carver Ranches facility early Saturday morning, I felt a growing sense of excitement that the day had finally arrived. After spending several evenings after work preparing the stencils, transferring them to the walls, and making sure everything was in order for the volunteers, we were finally ready to bring our ideas to life with the help of dozens of volunteers. One could feel the energy in the air after walking in and seeing the hustle and activity.

Everyone gathered in the gymnasium for opening remarks, and the sense of scale became clear when you looked around and saw the small army that had gathered to spend a full day volunteering and working on projects. After the commencement, we delegated our assigned volunteers to teams, gave them instructions, guidance, and materials, and kicked off.

For me, the experience was even better than expected. I was less concerned about finishing the murals than I was about coordinating the mass of volunteers, but everyone involved was eager, excited, and genuinely happy to participate – to my relief, it made the process very easy and manageable. The hours evaporated quickly, and I watched as layers and layers of color, brushes, and hands attacked the murals with detail and care. When we started winding down, you could hear the laughter and camaraderie from the shared experience as volunteers marked one of the walls with their handprint.

As the halls emptied, and the original mural artists surveyed the finished result, we stood in awe of what had been achieved. There was a strong sense of pride and gratitude, and an intangible satisfaction that we had done some real good for the community. The Carver Ranches facility had been transformed from a generic concrete container to a special and unique destination, a place that children and their parents would never forget.

Thanks again to all!

Whew!  Yesterday was quite a day.  Some folks tell me it was a miracle.  Yesterday the Carver Ranches facility was antiquated, cluttered, and – to be blunt – pretty depressing inside.  Today it is new, modern, and – thanks to Zimmerman designs and a whole lot of talented painters – downright exciting!

Here are some of the numbers behind the ‘paint-by-numbers’ … (Let me know if I missed anything!)

• 1,675 feet of patch cable installed
• 30 new computers set up
• 10 flat panel displays hung
• 6 Microsoft Kinnect game consoles installed
• 10 wall murals and 30 canvas murals painted
• 230 gallons of paint brushed and rolled (and spilt!)
• 4,226 feet of wood cut and sanded
• 19 picnic tables built and stained
• 30 cubbies / benches built and painted
• 2 basketball courts designed, coated, and painted
• 1,536 bottles of water drunk
• 50 slim jims eaten (sorta)
• 1 bandage applied

Over 250 volunteers and 7 hours later.  A brand new home for over 400 local children this summer.

Thanks, everyone!

More photos to come!