The Kutztown Community Library has a float for the Kutztown Bicentennial Parade thanks to the design efforts of Kutztown University student Chelsea Gassert.
Gassert, from Hamburg, created the float design during Kutztown University’s Designathon on March 27 to 28.
“Designathon is all about showing our students that they, too, can give back to the community. What better way than through design?” said KU communication design professor and event co-founder Vicki Meloney, in a release, http://www2.kutztown.edu/news-and-media/news-releases/march-2015/communication-design-department-celebrates-designathon.htm. “Now, the 24-hour pro bono design event will celebrate its 10th anniversary with an expected 90+ students, a dozen faculty and alumni and over 30 nonprofit organizations. Over the past 9 years, the event has drawn in almost 600 students and the entire communication design faculty (including 23 alumni). Participants totaled over 15,500 donated hours-worth more than $925,000 in design services-for over 50 local, regional and national nonprofit organizations.”
“This year’s 10th anniversary celebration Designathon event is something our department is incredibly proud to host,” said KU communication design instructor Denise Bosler in the release. “We look forward to continuing many more years of community support.”
Kutztown Community Library Director Janet Yost was particularly excited about this year’s Designathon. This is the sixth time the library has been involved with Designathon.
“Students have created our library logo, created a newsletter format, informational signs, the mural on our back exterior wall of the library building and now a float for the Kutztown’s Bicentennial Parade,” Yost told The Patriot. “The library is given professional, quality design work at no cost to us. It is filled with creative and fresh ideas.”
Yost explained that the parade float, “Cultivate Your Community,” highlights what the library has for the community- books, DVDs, computers, programs, storytimes, passport processing and more.
“It features two previous Designathon projects- the fox from 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten and the mural (on the back exterior library wall). The fringe and the flowers are made from book pages,” Yost said.
What Yost finds exciting about this event is its energy.
“There is such a buzz of creative energy when you arrive at Designation. You break off, meet your team of designers to be interviewed about your needs and wants. Then they kids are off working on a 24-hour marathon. Sometimes you get a call in the middle of the night for clarification,” said Yost. “The students are a bit more subdued when you get to the “reveal”. Their work is phenomenal and now they are ready for bed.”
Yost said this is an annual event open to non-profits.
“Kutztown University is generously providing the community with the opportunity to have a professional way to promote their business at no cost,” she said. “The Kutztown University students are able to use these designs in their portfolios when seeking jobs. The students have helped the non-profits and the non-profits help the students. It’s a win-win situation.”
Kutztown’s Bicentennial Parade will be held Saturday, Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. Rain date is Sunday, Aug. 2 at 1 p.m. Entry forms are available at http://www.bokutility.com/bicentennial/index.html.
