Cedar Rapids, Iowa – August 29, 2016 – Five local nonprofit organizations will each receive a new website — and a sixth will receive digital marketing services, including social media strategy — during Geonetric’s 2016 Operation Overnight event. They are:
- Website recipients: African American Museum of Iowa, Café 361, Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity, Metro Catholic Outreach, St. John of the Cross Catholic Worker House
- Digital marketing services recipient: Dogs Forever
The six nonprofit organizations were selected from a pool of applications. Qualified nonprofits must be a 501(c)(3) organization based in Linn County, Iowa. Applicants were asked to share how a new website and/or digital marketing services would help them accomplish their missions in the Cedar Rapids area.
Geonetric, which builds websites and provides digital marketing services for healthcare clients, launched Operation Overnight in 2012. During this unique event, Geonetric developers, designers, writers and strategists set aside two days to deliver websites and digital marketing services to local nonprofits free of charge. McNary Marketing & Design and Sculpt provide training support and other services to the event’s nonprofit organizations.
To date, Operation Overnight has built and launched websites for 21 area nonprofits.
“We have long been aware of Geonetric’s great work through Operation Overnight, and we are honored to be one of the newest partners in this endeavor,” says Jeff Capps, executive director of Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity, which Geonetric selected to receive a new website this year. “Habitat is so grateful for the many relationships that we have in this community, and we are hopeful that a new and improved website will enhance our abilities to reach even more people. We can’t wait to get started with the Operation Overnight team!”
The fifth annual Operation Overnight will begin on Thursday, October 20 at 8 a.m. The new websites and digital marketing materials will be unveiled during a reveal party at noon on October 21 in Geonetric’s café.
Find more details about Operation Overnight, including links to last year’s winning sites and a full list of sponsors, at www.operationovernight.com.
About the 2016 Operation Overnight Recipients
African American Museum of Iowa
The African American Museum of Iowa strives to preserve, exhibit, and teach the African American heritage of Iowa. Since its founding in 1994, the AAMI has become one of the leading educational resources on African American history in Iowa, offering tours, exhibits, family programs, and youth education programs for pre-K to 12th -grade students. With numerous statewide programs, the museum serves more than 30,000 people annually. For more information, visit www.blackiowa.org.
Café 361
Cafe 361 is a leadership program for disadvantaged middle and high school students that builds life skills through cooking. The girls meet monthly to plan, prepare and serve themed dinners for 75 to 100 guests. The program strives to build confidence, self-esteem and communication skills through teamwork while providing a safe environment where the girls can interact with positive role models. The program is an outreach activity of First Congregational Church, which is located in the heart of the Wellington Heights neighborhood. For more information, visit www.cafe361.org.
Dogs Forever
The mission of Dogs Forever is to save the lives of homeless dogs at risk of being euthanized at killshelters and in counties without an animal shelter. Dogs of all ages and breeds are rescued, with an emphasis on senior dogs, since they are usually the first to be euthanized at shelters. We are an allvolunteer organization. Three shifts of volunteers come to the shelter each day to care for, feed and socialize the dogs. For more information, visit http://dogsforever.org.
Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity
Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry dedicated to building and rehabilitating simple, decent, and affordable homes in partnership with families in need in Linn and Benton counties. Partner families make a down payment, invest hundreds of hours of sweat equity into the construction of their homes and other Habitat homes, and make monthly mortgage payments on a zero-interest loan. Since 1988, Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity has built or rehabilitated more than 140 homes. Cedar Valley Habitat aims to serve up to 20 additional families in 2016 through a combination of projects, including new construction and exterior painting/repair projects. The organization also operates the downtown Cedar Rapids ReStore, which supports local Habitat homebuilding through the sale of new and gently used home improvement items and building materials. Learn more at www.cvhabitat.org, or follow us on Twitter @cvhhinfo, and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cvhfh.
Metro Catholic Outreach
Metro Catholic Outreach is a collaborative effort of the 11 Catholic parishes in the Cedar Rapids metro area. Thanks to the time, talents and treasure of our volunteers and donors, we provide 5,645 boxes of food to clients in our community. Metro Catholic Outreach also assisted 549 families with rental or utility assistance in the last year. The office fielded 9,844 phone calls for assistance. Volunteers in the MCO garden provided 690 hours of service in support of our mission. At the core, MCO believes if you are hungry, we will feed you. We are funded through the generosity of the 11 Catholic churches and our individual and organizational donors. For more information, visit www.metrocatholicoutreach.org.
St. John of the Cross Catholic Worker House
Catholic Worker House serves a unique purpose. We are a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation providing shelter for single women, single women with children, and married couples with or without children. Residents receive shelter regardless of religion, ethnicity, age or reason for homelessness. We are able to carry out the Corporal Works of Mercy through the generosity of many individuals, churches, corporations, school groups and other organizations. For more information visit www.catholicworkerhouse.org.
About Geonetric
Geonetric helps healthcare brands thrive through effective marketing and distinguished websites. As a marketing agency and software developer with deep technical and creative expertise, Geonetric provides hospitals, health systems and medical groups with a healthcare-specific content management system, hosting, marketing strategies and creative services optimized for the unique needs of the healthcare industry. While Geonetric works with clients across the country, the company remains focused on improving the Cedar Rapids community. From supporting local entrepreneurs to building websites for nonprofits during the annual Operation Overnight event, community involvement is built into the foundation of Geonetric’s culture. For more information, visit www.geonetric.com or twitter.com/geonetric.