The new year saw preparation forCreateathon Oregon, a three-day creative marathon during which UO students and marketing professionals will create pro bono marketing assets for local nonprofits in need.

This new, campuswide initiative will provide UO students with the opportunity for hands-on, experiential learning by working directly with actual clients and local marketing professionals.

Createathon teams will fulfill 10-20 marketing projects for the nonprofit partners over the weekend-long event. Students will come away with work for their own professional portfolio while nonprofits will be able to incorporate the creative student work into their own organization’s marketing strategy.

Organizers received more than 20 applications from Eugene- and Springfield-based nonprofits and selected the following 10 nonprofits as this year’s client partners:

• Cascada Prepared
• DisOrient Asian American Film Festival of Oregon
• Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide
• Eugene Ballet
• Eugene Family YMCA
• Eugene/Springfield NAACP
• Hearts for Hospice Oregon
• Occupy Medical
• South Lane Mental Health
• The Trauma Healing Project

Organized by the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Club with support from the Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship and the School of Journalism and Communication, Createathon Oregon will be held January 24-26 in Allen Hall.

Createathon Oregon is part of the national Createathon movement founded in 1997 by Riggs Partners, a marketing consultancy in Columbia, South Carolina, that has provided more than 1,500 nonprofits with marketing assets developed from volunteer local creative talent. Createathon Oregon organizers hope to run the event annually on campus going forward.