December 27, 2021 | Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Somerset County
Nehal Bajaj | 4-H/Middle Earth Student Ambassador for Community Health
In November, the 4-H/Middle Earth Student Ambassadors for Community Health (SACH) hosted “Rediscover Your Community,” an event in Bound Brook and South Bound Brook. Our team of youth members went through an extensive planning process. First, we reached out to local businesses to get them interested in being a part of our event. To do that, we drafted a business proposal, created a flyer, and ironed out what responsibilities each business would have on the day of the event. The most effective way we found was to go in person to each business to pitch the idea. The event was meant to increase customers for small businesses in the area as well as bring the community together after COVID restrictions eased.
Participants received a passport and a map of the area that listed the 15 highlighted businesses. They were able to choose their own route around the downtown areas and receive a stamp on their Bound Brook passport. Each business had small giveaways personalized with our logos such as sanitizer, notebooks, tote bags, phone wallets, and sunglasses for the participants. In the end, they returned with their stamped passport and were entered into a prize raffle. When one of the families completed the adventure, their young child exclaimed, “We had so much fun on our journey!”
One major lesson that we learned was how to improve our advertisement strategy. With a greater focus on target audience, we believe that there would have been increased participation in our event. Instead of relying on social media, going into the community multiple times as well as putting up flyers and yard signs would have been more effective in reaching the right audience. SACH members appreciated the opportunity to bring joy to the people of Bound Brook and South Bound Brook while also lending a hand to the small businesses in the area.
READ ➜ SACH Mini-Grant Report