VFI Reveals New Merchandise
By Lois Thompson
In planning for new VFI (Voices for Independence) merchandise for the organization's annual consumer picnic, Steve Johnson made the comment, what could be better than if we had one of our consumers design something? He admitted that in the past, "Merchandise had been pretty simple with our logo and branding and not much else. So we wanted to think outside the box and do something in conjunction with the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act."
Johnson, director of marketing for VFI in both Washington, PA, and Erie, brought the idea to activities director Tiffany Frey, who showed Johnson an illustration Jared Froess had drawn of Tiffany and two others in her office. "That looks just like what we're going for," Johnson said.
"We met with him and explained what we were looking for. He had his sketchbook, showed us his prior work, and we were already sold on the idea. We contracted with him and paid him for his work, and he wanted to start right then and there." Froess' design included six characters – each representing a different disability – that line up across the shirt or hoodie. The VFI logo is on top, and a circle around the entire design holds it all together. It also points out the VFI mission statement of empowering people with disabilities and promoting independent living.
“We have a lot of consumers who come in our doors and take part in activities and create really great artwork or crafts – but this is the first time we’ve ever brought someone into the fold with merchandise and branding, so it’s a unique experience for us. So maybe next time we could commission a few artists. That’s been a goal of ours, I want them to be part of the process.”
Johnson said VFI did a countdown on social media every day for a week where they unveiled a new character each day. On the seventh day, the site featured a photo of Froess holding his original designs, which Johnson said they will probably raffle off as well.
Reveal day was at a consumer picnic in Erie in August. As Johnson explained, "In conjunction with the picnic, VFI holds a disability health expo, with as many as 20 to 30 vendors who set up in our gym, so the consumers can go through the tables and meet with everyone on the way out." Once everyone was through, Johnson took the stage and introduced Froess and presented him with the thank you. Johnson said Froess' mother was also in attendance, so she was able to see her son receive the plaudits for his work.
Johnson called the response to the new merchandise "overwhelming," saying VFI received "tons of orders as we were working the picnic. The response was huge.
"This is the first time we've taken the next step to integrate (consumer interaction) into the back end of what we do, and it was neat to see all of it come together and everybody be so supportive."
For more information, call (724) 223-5115 or visit www.vficil.org.