Kansas City, MO – #TweetNMeet. That was the signal used to draw several local radio and CSBev fans to a single location Tuesday night with the hopes to make a difference in the lives of many local children for the holidays. Central States Beverage Company, no stranger to the social media scene, turned Kansas City Pizza Bar into a social media gathering place/silent auction forum with the rallying call of a hashtag. What started as a social gathering ended up raising several thousand for the Ozanam Home in Kansas City.
“We spend so much time developing a connection with our online community,” says Jon Poteet, VP of Marketing for Central States, “we’ve just always found it weird in a way that we never actually meet them.” The company promoted the idea through Twitter for two weeks, working with local radio station 96.5 The Buzz to gain a broader reach. Together, they were able to bring an estimated 120 out to Pizza Bar, located in the Power & Light District, and raise $4,000 for Ozanam, a local organization with over 65 years of providing quality care to children in need.
Among the items auctioned off were a home-brewing kit and a signed Mumford & Sons guitar. All of the proceeds will go towards helping Ozanam. “The organization’s goal was to have $24 for every child in need. After the grand total, we’ll be able to spend $52,” said Poteet, “That just speaks volumes for the community, it’s partners and the power of social media in general.”