Savvy at Serendipity: Creative Thinking in Action

What do a llama, a marketing whiz and a videographer all have in common?  If you said they all enjoy making a scene, you would be clever but wrong.

In this case, they have each shared their hearts with SVP Investee, The Serendipity Center, in a time when resources, bandwidth and community support were most desired. Just this past month, the Serendipity center was looking for a creative solution to meet a major need for their Pearls of Hope fundraiser…but who had the answers? And more importantly, who had the time to think it through? (Dim the lights, cue the drum roll please….)

SVP Encore Fellow and volunteer Bonnie Gilchrist has been a lead member of the group of committed SVP Partners and volunteers helping Serendipity Center for the past year.  When asked to serve as coach for their annual “Pearls of Hope” fundraiser, she saw the power of Serendipity in the work they did on a daily basis, and she wanted to make sure everyone knew about it.

She understood people needed to hear the Serendipity story…and quick! But how could they share the Serendipity story with everyone…before the day of the event?

Ideally, everyone would be able to go on a tour of the school grounds, but Bonnie knew that wasn’t practical due to the school’s location.  So…she suggested a video for its versatility and unique vantage point. Included in the effort were Serendipity’s staff, teachers, parents and students, along with supportive members of the community. The production team included Bonnie as the producer/script writer; Dennis Looney, videographer and friend of SVP Partner Paul Fields, who donated his services; and Jelena Doney, Serendipity Center’s Development Specialist, who helped schedule all of those involved.   It’s been an incredible team effort and an astounding example of the power of a small group of committed hearts! Thanks to Bonnie, Paul, and team!