Students turn creativity into community impact in 24 hours

March 31, 2026 (Volume 49, Number 14)
Article by Kristina Humbarger

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Students who participated in GrandPR's CreateAthon in early February are pictured.

While much of Grand Valley's campus emptied for an early February weekend, Lake Ontario Hall was filled with the energy of what looked like a classic college lock-in with pizza boxes stacked high and a few students catching sleep in classrooms before sunrise. This was not a slumber party, but a 24-hour push to turn creativity into community impact.

GrandPR, GVSU’s award-winning student-run communications firm, hosted its ninth annual CreateAthon, bringing advertising and public relations students together to tackle the communication needs of local nonprofits. Supported by agencies and businesses across West Michigan, students delivered fully developed strategic campaigns in just 24 hours. 

"I can't emphasize enough how important it is for students to get this type of experience before they graduate,” said Kim Bode, founder of 8THIRTYFOUR Integrated Communications. “The investment into this event, our local community organizations, and the tangible deliverables they get to walk away with after 24 hours is what sets the GVSU School of Communications apart."

For Girls on the Run West Michigan, students created an event-promotion strategy for the organization’s celebratory 5K, which will bring together girls from across Kent County to the Valley Campus in May. Another team led a digital brand relaunch for Lake Michigan Academy, aligning the rollout with the academy’s revised brand identity to better connect with families and key stakeholders. Students also partnered with GVSU’s Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) Voyage program to develop a student ambassador program to strengthen peer connections and increase overall program visibility.

“CreateAthon is a powerful example of experiential learning in action, and a key contributor to the development of the CLAS Voyage program,” said Donovan Anderson, client and interim dean of CLAS. “Our advertising and public relations students apply their classroom knowledge to real-world projects under significant time constraints, producing professional results that reflect teamwork, creative problem solving, and critical thinking at the heart of a liberal education.”

CreateAthon was supported by BlackTruck Media + Marketing, 8THIRTYFOUR, SeyferthPR, and the West Michigan Public Relations Society of America.

— Kristina Humbarger, a senior advertising and public relations major, is the student assistant for presidential communications.

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