SEMpdx Joins in Celebrating Inclusive Play at Harper’s Playground

This past weekend, SEMpdx members and their families joined other Portlanders in celebrating the third annual Community Play Day at Harper’s Playground. SEMpdx added to the festivities at the North Portland park by donating $1,000 to the nonprofit Harper’s Playground, which was SEMpdx’s Charity of Choice for 2014-2015.

Each year SEMpdx selects a Charity of Choice to support, offering ten percent of its proceeds from the year, along with pro-bono digital marketing expertise to the charity.

“SEMpdx thought that Harper’s Playground was a great fit for us because they are trying to create playgrounds that are inclusive, accessible by all, for all to play,” said Alan George, SEMpdx President. “They are just passionate about what they are doing and we want to support that.”

Harper’s Playground transforms communities by increasing access to inclusive play areas where kids of all abilities can thrive. The first playground (located in Portland’s Arbor Lodge Park) was created with the help of many supporters by Harper’s Playground Executive Director, Cody Goldberg. He explains it this way, “my daughter (Harper) uses wheels to get around and was unable to play at our community playground so we first set out on changing that.”

Now the nonprofit’s immediate goal is to develop accessible play parks in each quadrant of Portland, with plans currently in place for parks in Northwest and Northeast Portland. It holds long term goals of making inclusive play areas accessible on a national level.

“It was just a little over a year ago that SEMpdx chose us to be their Charity of Choice and we have been honored since Day 1 to have received their support,” Goldberg said. “They have provided us all sorts of digital marketing expertise; and, of course, today, a big check was delivered and that certainly helps when you are in the nonprofit business.”

If you were at SEMpdx’s Rooftop Networking Party on August 11, or Member’s Appreciation event in May, you may know that the Brody Borlaug Foundation is this year’s (2015-2016) Charity of Choice. SEMpdx and its members are excited to be a part of Team Brody.

Over the next year, SEMpdx board members will provide digital marketing services free of charge, including search engine optimization (SEO), management of the Google Grants program for advertising donations, social media marketing, as well as 10 percent of its 2015-2016 proceeds. The Brody Borlaug Foundation will also receive recognition and free attendance at monthly SEMpdx educational events and SearchFest, the daylong digital marketing conference on March 10, 2016.