Valpak® Franchises Team Up for Good of Communities in "Valpak Saves" Contest

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Nov 25, 2013, 12:10 ET

LARGO, Fla., Nov. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- What started as a $5,000 donation to one needy charity, now blossomed into an opportunity to help hundreds of organizations around the country.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080107/CLM009LOGO-b )

Recently, Cox Target Media President Michael Vivio challenged the Valpak franchise network -- 170 franchises throughout North America -- to "save something" in their communities, and earn thousands of dollars for the nonprofit of their choice, by introducing the Valpak Saves contest at the company's convention Coupon U.

That challenge inspired the Valpak franchise network: They planted trees, fed the homeless, mentored kids -- and made a difference across communities throughout North America. Twenty-two franchises from across the network logged hundreds of volunteer hours for this community outreach contest.

Held in conjunction with a consumer contest called 10,000 Reasons to Save, the contest ran during September in honor of National Coupon Month, or "Save-Tember."

During the Coupon U convention, keynote speaker/artist Erik Wahl, known for his graffiti art and speed painting, donated one of his paintings. Two Valpak franchise owners were especially inspired by the presentation and the artwork, so they bid on the special auction and then donated the painting proceeds to the contest, increasing the Valpak Saves prize total to $35,500.

"Giving back has many rewards," said Michael Vivio, president of Cox Target Media, provider of Valpak. "I've found there's no greater feeling than being a part of the greater good."

The winning Valpak franchises and their charities are:

Valpak of Indianapolis - Managing Partner Jim Brantley, Owner Bob Slattery; $20,000 total to:

The Salvation Army Indianapolis $10,000
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Indianapolis $2,500
Ivy Tech Foundation $2,000
Humane Society of Indianapolis $2,000
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful $1,500
Cystic Fybrosis - Indiana Chapter $1,000
The Children's Play TherAPlay Foundation $1,000

Valpak of Denver - Owners BillBuczek, Don Duncan & Brad Cohen

The Gathering Place $10,000

Valpak of Northeast Wisconsin - Owners Cliff & Lynn Halley

Rachel's Operation Act of Kindness Fund $2,750

Valpak of Salt Lake City - Valpak Owner Gary Heaton

Kids On The Move $2,750

"I'm so proud of our group and what they did in the month of Save-tember," said Jim Brantley, managing partner for Valpak of Indianapolis. "We work all year long in the community. But the push for September was really strong. For that month alone, we calculated we volunteered over 170 hours and were involved in raising over $127,000."

For videos and photos of the entrants and their causes, visit Valpak Saves Donates $35,000 to Charity on the Valpak blog.

Valpak franchisees have given thousands of hours of service to their communities over the years, but this marks the first franchise-wide contest. Valpak plans to hold the contest again next year.

About Valpak®
Valpak, one of the leading direct marketing companies in North America, is owned and operated by Cox Target Media. With nearly 170 franchises across the United States and Canada, the signature Blue Envelope® delivers coupons and savings to nearly 40 million households each month. Annually, Valpak will distribute some 20 billion offers inserted in more than 500 million envelopes. Valpak also offers digital solutions online through http://www.Valpak.com and http://www.valpak.ca, sites offering free coupons, e-commerce and coupon codes. Additionally, the Valpak coupon mobile coupon app for smartphone platforms delivers easy to find savings for consumers. For more information about advertising with Valpak, please contact 1-800-676-6878.

About Cox Media Group
Cox Media Group is an integrated broadcasting, publishing, direct marketing and digital media company that includes the national advertising rep firms of CoxReps. Additionally, CMG owns Cox Target Media, which operates Valpak, one of North America's leading direct marketing companies, and Savings.com, a leading online source for savings. The company's operations currently include 14 broadcast television stations and one local cable channel, 57 radio stations, eight daily newspapers and more than a dozen non-daily publications, and more than 100 digital services. CMG currently operates in more than 20 media markets and reaches approximately 52 million Americans weekly, including more than 30 million TV viewers, more than 4 million print and online newspaper readers, and 14 million radio listeners. For more information about Cox Media Group, please check us out online at www.coxmediagroup.com.

Contact information:
Marsha Strickhouser
8605 Largo Lakes Drive
Largo, FL 33773
727-399-3175
[email protected]

SOURCE Valpak