Columbia, South Carolina – The City of Columbia Parking Services is partnering with the American Heart Association for the third year in a row in a creative effort to raise awareness of heart health. A distinctive and visually appealing campaign using the city’s parking meters seeks to inform the public on the need of cardiovascular health.
The project for this year emphasizes changing parking meters into striking displays that not only fulfill their normal purpose but also serve as beacons of heart health awareness. Limited to 15 sponsors, the initiative lets companies and groups fund a parking meter in one of Columbia’s three downtown areas: Five Points, The Vista, and the Main Street District. Five newly painted meters in each neighborhood will provide a path of heart-health warnings throughout the busy hubs of the city.
With every sponsorship spot costing $500, the chance for sponsorship is first-come, first-served. Importantly, as it directly benefits the American Heart Association, the whole amount of the sponsorship charge is tax-deductible. The project transforms daily street ornaments into instruments for social benefit in addition to generating money.
Traditionally, May is a month to concentrate on heart health; the funds gathered from these uniquely decorated meters will go to the American Heart Association. This direct donation emphasizes the aim of the campaign to assist continuous research and education on heart disease, the main cause of death across the world.
Under City of Columbia rules, sponsors are granted artistic flexibility to select their meter’s site and participate in the decorating process. This personal touch gives sponsors a feeling of ownership and personal involvement in promoting the message of heart health, hence enabling them to relate more closely with the campaign.
Sponsors will get the adorned meter head at the end of the campaign in recognition of their participation. Displayed in offices or public areas, these meter heads would be a permanent reminder of their donation to this important cause.
City of Columbia’s official website has more information and the application procedure for those wishing to become sponsors. Applications are open until Thursday, April 10, 2025. For more questions, prospective sponsors may contact George Floyd, Parking Services Business Liaison, using the below information.
Through this artistic collaboration, the American Heart Association and the City of Columbia continue to combine public service with health advocacy to produce an active, community-oriented campaign that interacts with people directly in their homes and places of business.
For more information and to submit applications, please contact George Floyd, Parking Services Business Liaison at 803.521.7758 (mobile) or via email: [email protected].
