Each year, Nike holds a benefit for Portland, Ore.-based Doernbecher Children's Hospital, part of Oregon Health & Science University in Portland. The benefit, which has raised $24 million for the hospital in the past 15 years, revolves around six hospital patients who design shoes and apparel alongside Nike designers, according to Adweek.
Here are five things to know about the event:
1. The fundraiser, called Doernbecher Freestyle, began in 2003. Nike's former creative director, Michael Doherty, pursued the campaign after joining Doernbecher Children's Hospital Foundation's board of directors in the early 2000s. He credits his son for coming up with the idea of including Nike designers in developing new shoes to sell online.
2. Mr. Doherty and some of his Nike co-workers began visiting Doernbecher to develop the program. The hospital brought six pediatric patients into the program, who were provided one of six shoe platforms to build out. Since its first year, 91 pediatric patients have helped design Nike shoes for auction, according to Adweek.
3. The auction for the first six shoe designs brought in $60,000 for the hospital. After Nike's retail team got involved and featured the shoes in Nike stores, that total began to increase. Nike's 2016 Freestyle collection raised $1.8 million for the hospital, and $2.6 million in 2017.
4. This year, brands outside of Nike like Salesforce and 3M sponsored the fundraiser for the first time. External partners play a large role in boosting sales, 100 percent of which go to Doernbecher.
5. "The best part of the program is the engagement of the kids and the fact that their designs, every year, are their own story," Mr. Doherty said, according to Adweek. "And because of that, it's a unique collection."
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