Y is for Y2K

After college, I got a job as Account Coordinator for Bouvier Kelly Inc., a mid-sized advertising agency in downtown Greensboro, NC. It was customary for new hires to oversee the pro-bono account, and back in 1999, the agency was helping the local Habitat for Humanity with its holiday fundraising efforts.

As we planned our strategy for a new direct mail piece, the group couldn't help but talk about the growing fears of Y2K. For those who've forgotten, in the weeks before the calendar flipped from 1999 to 2000, nightly news reports of a pending computer breakdown due to representing the year with two digits had people stuffing their mattresses with cash. All this Millennium madness made it tough to get the word out about Habitat's winter building blitz and holiday card sales. I suggested that we push back the build and tell local residents "to do some constructive" for Y2K and host the first-ever New Year's Eve building blitz. The group loved the idea and we called it Bring Your Own Hammer, or B.Y.O.H.

"Dreamhouse" by Ryhan Forman

We used the excitement over the event to promote Habitat's beautiful holiday cards for sale. The design was inspired by the first place I called my own -- my childhood tree house. We commissioned an artist to paint the original watercolor for the cover, it was called "Dreamhouse."

At the same time we were finishing the printing of the cards, we found a company to donate a large warehouse to keep the volunteers warm during the event. I arranged for WFMY News-2 to report live as the walls of this new home were lifted during the countdown to midnight. Word of Habitat's unique event spread on morning radio programs and in local newspapers and donations came pouring in all with the same message from people -- "thanks for reminding me what Christmas is all about."