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Our Impact (and a Really Unique Gift Idea) 🎁

Hi <<First Name>>,

Happy holidays! I hope your holiday season has been cheery and restful so far. For me, this holiday season has been a good opportunity to connect deeper with loved ones and focus on serving them. How has it been for you?

Every day, you and I have the opportunity to make someone's life better, regardless of the resources we have. Our 2021 at Heidt and Depth is a testimonial to this.

Stories from 2021

This year, we had the pleasure of working with people in 11+ communities around the world to accomplish the following things:

Completed 7 community planning and design-build projects that were used by at least 310 people (more stats here if you're interested)
Helped a K-8 school develop a budget and plan for a playground and community space
Designed and helped build custom kinesthetic playground equipment for 2 preschools (details)
Teamed up with a small business in Kansas City to win a public art commission; the piece explores the long history of division in the region and has the potential to reach tens of thousands of viewers in 2022 (details)

Contributed to a land development plan for a hospital and community resource center in rural India (details) - a collaboration with our friends at EMI and Fulfilled Engineering
Helped create a functioning landscaping committee for a neighborhood
Helped a psychiatric nurse practitioner explore the possibility of opening an equine therapy ranch (details)

Helped a church explore options for relocating in a challenging real estate market
Presented ideas on empathy and creative community planning solutions to a nonprofit that addresses homelessness
Taught 8 homeowners how to select plants for landscaping projects through a community workshop (details)
Taught a classroom of 2nd graders some of the basics of community planning (video)
Completed 7 branding and marketing projects that were viewed by at least 1,029 people (Note: As of November 2021, Heidt and Depth no longer offers graphic design as one of our services. However, Neal continues to provide this service elsewhere.)

...and all of this to help people like you do good in their community.

The gift of placemaking

This is the time of the year when many people are thinking about what to buy for those on their list, how to support small businesses, and what their tax write-offs will look like in the upcoming year. Have you ever considered giving placemaking as a gift? You might be asking, "What does that even mean?"

So here's the deal. Somebody, somewhere, is looking to make a positive impact in their community. In order to do that, they may need to navigate the complicated world of "placemaking" - contractors, red tape, esoteric jargon, funding, etc. - just like the people and organizations we mentioned above did. This is where we come in. Heidt and Depth equips those who do good in their communities with the design, construction, research, and representation they need.

I'm sure many nonprofits and businesses have come to you this season asking for things, especially your money. What makes our ask so unique then? Consider the possible ways you could provide your time, money, connections, and/or expertise to make our placemaking and placemaking-related projects happen:

A community-minded nonprofit who was displaced from their community due to a challenging real estate market
A school looking to build a new playground in Summer 2022
A podcast that attempts to inspire others through the stories of those completing community-oriented placemaking projects
...and more projects we will share as we receive them.

How can YOU give placemaking?

Thanks for your time and consideration, and I look forward to the next time I get the honor of connecting with you!

Neal Heidt
Placemaking Strategist
Heidt and Depth
HeidtandDepth.com