Before there was even a hint of a project in Salem, Oregon, Joan Kroc (wife of McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc) said that she took a tour of San Diego and it was then that she recognized a community that was in desperate need of a safe gathering place, a place with facilities and trained professionals to nurture children’s social skills, arts appreciation and athletic potential. She described The Kroc Center as being a beacon of light and hope in the community.

Mrs. Kroc entrusted The Salvation Army with $90 million to build the first Kroc Center in the Rolando neighborhood of San Diego. Sadly, she passed away a little more than a year after it opened. She was so pleased with what was accomplished there that she left $1.5 billion to The Salvation Army to build centers like it across the country. Today, there are 26 Kroc Centers nationwide with Salem, Oregon’s location being among the first built after the success of the San Diego campus. At the time, the donation that was provided it was the single largest donation to a non-profit ever!

We were contracted in Salem, OR to do the initial Pre-Launch Branding and Marketing Plan recommendations and worked with the project an additional 8 months to include seasonal fundraising efforts, special event marketing and printed item logistics, “thank you” specialty printed items, post card mailers, and more.

Today, you can see the legacy of our design efforts in many of the campus locations on their Basketball Courts, Signage, Staff Uniforms, RJ Kroc Mascots (costumed character we helped create) and even at the event that President Obama held in support of safe community locations for kids to learn and get healthy.