In an unprecedented year, Geonetric revamps event as a “Remote Refresh” to better suit needs of nonprofits and the Geonetric team.
Cedar Rapids, IA – September 10, 2020 – In this unprecedented year of a pandemic and derecho, Geonetric is revamping its popular Operation Overnight event to better suit the needs of the nonprofits and the Geonetric team. For the first time in the event’s 9-year history, it will be held fully online. In addition, this year the nonprofit organizations were selected from Operation Overnight alumni, who are eager to update and add to their websites.
“With our team working remotely due to the pandemic, we knew we couldn’t have Operation Overnight as normal,” says Linda Barnes, Chief Executive Officer. “But we also knew we couldn’t skip the event – it means too much to the community and to our team. With the help of our Operation Overnight committee and input from employees, we decided to implement a fully-remote program focused on helping some of our previous recipients. Many of our alumni nonprofits have actually expanded their mission since we first did their website, and certainly all nonprofits need support more than ever in this difficult year.”
The ninth annual Operation Overnight event will be held over the next four months, with one week each month dedicated to an alum of the program. Each event will still have the same amount of work time as a traditional event, only this year it will be spread out during a week to make it more flexible for everyone. The schedule is:
- September 14-18: Olivet Neighborhood Mission (2015 Alum Year)
- October 19-23: WRAP (Wheelchair Ramp Accessibility Program) (2013 Alum Year)
- November 16-20: African American Museum of Iowa (2016 Alum Year)
- December 7-11: St. John of the Cross Worker House (2016 Alum Year)
The event also has a lot of support from area businesses, who provide direct donations such as meals, snacks, coffee, or monetary donations. Even though the teams aren’t working around the clock in person this year, Geonetric wanted to ensure previous sponsors still feel like part of the event and included their logos on the website and t-shirts. Multiple year sponsors include Almost Famous popcorn, Chrome Horse Saloon, Bimm Ridder Sportswear, Green State Credit Union, Farmers State Bank, Hills Bank, Catering by L.J.s, and PDCM. A full list of sponsors can be found at www.geonetric.com/operation-overnight.
To date, Operation Overnight has built and launched websites for 33 area nonprofits.
About the 2020 Operation Overnight Recipients
Olivet Neighborhood Mission – The organization is built on a foundation of service and dignity restoring hope to families and individuals in need by providing basic needs such as food, clothing, and household items. The Mission also provides youth programs that encourage self-esteem, independence, and community service. We aim to foster self-sufficiency and achieve long term success through respect, compassion, and community support. Olivet Neighborhood Mission has been serving the Cedar Rapids community since 1976 and offers all our programming and services free to area residents. Donations made to Olivet Neighborhood Mission stay in our community to serve our community.
W.R.A.P. (Wheelchair Ramp Accessibility Program) – The Wheelchair Ramp Accessibility Program (WRAP) provides timely home access to people in need. They are a Coalition of volunteers and service organizations who work together to build custom wheelchair ramps giving people with limited mobility the freedom to easily enter and leave their homes.
African American Museum of Iowa – The African American Museum of Iowa is a statewide museum dedicated to preserving, exhibiting, and teaching Iowa’s African American history. As Iowa’s leading educational resource on the topic, they educate more than 30,000 people each year through museum tours, traveling exhibits, research services, youth and adult education programs, and community and fundraising events.
St John of the Cross Catholic Worker House – They assist people in need of food, shelter, or a better tomorrow. It is through their prayers, resources, and compassion that the Catholic Worker House seeks to improve the lives of those less fortunate in our community. They carry out the Corporate Works of Mercy through the generosity of many individuals, churches, corporations, school groups, and other organizations.