Accelerate Spotlight: Project Coping Box

The Missing Link’s Health and Wellness initiative for sensitive, adult populations earned $2000 in the seventh annual Accelerate: Citizens Make Change civic pitch competition presented by the Cleveland Leadership Center in partnership with Citizens Bank. 

by Laylah Allen

Project Coping Box

The Missing Link is a grassroots organization dedicated to arming youth with tools and skills to address trauma and lead productive lives. With the onset of Covid-19, the organization has intentionally maximized its Health and Wellness initiative with the development of Project Coping Box, a community effort focused on shifting mindsets through sharing healthy coping mechanisms. The Coping Box is an 8x8x4 box that contains 10 to 12 physical items that promote self-care, self-expression, journaling for insight, and the adoption of healthy coping mechanisms.

Expanding program reach

Today, the grassroots organization has distributed over 500 coping boxes to youth in Cuyahoga County since October of 2020.

Throughout distributing coping boxes to youth, the organization recognized a demand for adult coping boxes. In response to several inquiries, The Missing Link created distinct coping boxes for three sensitive, adult populations: individuals experiencing homelessness, addiction recovery, and mental health complications. The Missing Link’s ultimate goal for this expansion is to develop a seamless referral network with various organizations currently servicing said populations.

The catalyst

I learned about the Cleveland Leadership Competition from a fellow Neighborhood Leadership Development Program Cohort XIII graduate who was a 2020 finalist. She assured me the competition was the perfect platform for Project Coping Box–she was spot on.

The Project Coping Box pitch was submitted on December 7, 2021. I received notification of acceptance just ten days later. From the beginning, it was evident that the competition was going to be a very structured, competitive process. 

Presenter guidelines were defined as follows: 

• Must be 5 minutes or less

• No A/V permitted (power points, videos, etc…)

• You may have a visual or prop to use during your pitch

• If you did not apply with a co-presenter, you are permitted to select a co-presenter

Naturally, I took to the presenter page to scope out the competition. As I quickly reviewed the other pitch ideas, I noticed the similarities and differences amongst the selected participants. Some pitch submissions were in the idea phase. Others were based on projects that were already underway. Some participants even developed pitch ideas to simply join the competition. It was also cool to find that a few presenters were returning to compete for the second and third time. 

Joining the pitch competition was the perfect opportunity to share Project Coping Box and garner support for program expansion. The Accelerate: Citizens Make Change civic pitch has propelled several community initiatives since 2015. While the financial gain is evident, the competition is invaluable to participants. 

Cleveland Leadership Center facilitated three complimentary training workshops leading up to showtime. 

Andrea Peck, Facilitator, Consultant, Coach, led a workshop focused on how to create a pitch and prepare to present. We discussed skills for delivering your best pitch, debunked myths about public speaking, ways to connect with your target audience, and physical delivery.

Dawn Arrington, Cleveland Action Strategist from ioby Cleveland, joined us to discuss crowdfunding as a fundraising option to implement ahead of and after Accelerate 2021. Dawn had previously assisted me with two successful IOBY campaigns. It was calming to see a familiar face. She did an excellent job of sharing approaches to asking and garnering support.

Two weeks later, Accelerate facilitated a training workshop focused on practicing pitches in front of Accelerate supporters and fellow competitors. We were divided into groups based on competition categories. Previous Accelerate presenters, staff, and competitors offered constructive advice to each presenter.

Initially, I was taken aback by this setup for obvious reasons. This was a competition, right? Why do I want to show my competition my blueprint? As we shared our pitches and gave constructive criticism, it became clear. Accelerate is a competition, but it is also a community. In sharing our ideas, we validated one another’s missions. We inspired one another to take our initiative one step further and ultimately forged new connections. 

About one week later, Accelerate welcomed Michael Obertacz, Executive Director of the Near West Theater to offer techniques and advice to help presenters with the nonverbal aspects of presenting. He also offered presenters the opportunity to practice their pitch for additional feedback. Nervous jitters aside, I took full advantage. Michael emphasized the importance of the strategic placement of words and infliction. I made adjustments and continued practicing with my partner, family, and colleagues.

Accelerate is historically facilitated in-person, in front of a live crowd. Amidst a global pandemic, producers decided to facilitate the competition virtually, using an event and conference app called Whova. Whova, is a mobile app that made it easy to connect with like-minded individuals and garner project support during and post-competition.

Category pitches were pre-recorded with the production company, Goldfarb Weber Creative Media. Much like any other speaking engagement, I had good jitters. Presenters are only granted one take. The timer started and The Missing Link delivered a clear, touching pitch in less than the five minutes allotted. The production crew cheered in amazement. It was done. 

On competition day, our pre-recorded videos were streamed via Whova. Project Coping Box was declared as the winner of the Health and Wellness category and advanced to the final round where pitches were delivered in-person and streamed live. 

Accelerate gave the viewers four minutes to select the overall competition winner via a text vote. While The Missing Link did not win overall, the competition further shaped my organization’s expansion and gave me the confidence to move forward with bringing the idea to fruition. 

The Whova app will remain active 6 months post-competition. I have used the app to connect with new supporters and foster relationships with individuals that I’ve wanted to meet with in the past. 

Next steps and how you can help

The Missing Link is still in the early stages of developing practical coping boxes for adults. To ensure that their newest coping boxes are ideal and effective, the organization has scheduled a Community Focus Group Series. Taking place over three days, the focus group is open to individuals who identify with the target populations, case managers, mental health specialists, recovery counselors, program directors, those directly affected by the target populations, and concerned community members. Registration is currently open on Eventbrite. 

Registrants are welcomed to participate in every focus group session selected based on knowledge or experience.