CALLAHAN

40th Anniversary

For 40 years, Callahan's values played an integral role as part of the agency culture. But the truth is, these values are shared by lots of businesses, including those in our own community. So, to celebrate our 40th anniversary, we chose to give away $40K to local businesses that inspire us and share some of those same values. You know, toot someone else's horn.  


THE CASE STUDY

01: COURAGE

THE VINTAGE HAWKS
In the first of four films, we celebrate our value of Courage. We know firsthand that it takes a lot of courage to run a business, whether you’ve been open for 40 minutes or 40 years, and we want to help these young entrepreneurs as they connect generations through the power of nostalgia. In 2020, twin brothers Tae-Vheon and Sae-Vheon Alcorn retired from the KU track team to focus on their futures. With a passion for entrepreneurship and a history of a million followers on Vine, they took that knowledge to found and run the online vintage clothing company @The Vintage Hawks. There, they curate and sell KU gear from the 80’s, 90’s, and 00’s.

Watch the film:

02: RESPECT

LFK PRESS
In the second film, we celebrate our value of Respect by highlighting @lfk_press founder and owner Leslie Kuluva as our second recipient of $10,000. Leslie created the LFK, or Lawrence F*ing Kansas, moniker while touring the country supporting her favorite bands. She would tag LFK anywhere she could to share her love and the spirit of Lawrence. LFK grew into a community-wide rallying cry, but Leslie’s part in the story got lost somewhere along the way. As creators ourselves, we believe it’s important to respect artistic ownership by giving credit where it’s due. There’s no question that Leslie has made a huge contribution to the community with LFK. And we think that’s pretty F*ing cool.

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03: CURIOSITY

PET WORLD EXPERIENCE
Our third film features Pet World Experience co-owner Sherry Emerson. Along with her husband Tim, Sherry works to inspire kids’ curiosity about animals. Pet World Experience partners with local schools to provide classroom pets and offers summer camps where kids ages 3-10 can learn about animals and nature firsthand. As a dual-license pet store and exotic animal shelter, they are uniquely positioned to cultivate compassionate curiosity among children. Callahan also believes in the power of curiosity. Our client partnerships are strengthened by tapping into our own curious natures. A love of learning opens new ways for us to serve those we work with and the Lawrence community.

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04: GENEROSITY

LADYBIRD DINER
In our fourth and final film, Meg Heriford shares her story as the owner of Ladybird Diner in Lawrence. Meg exemplifies generosity by nourishing as many people as possible, regardless of the ability to pay. During the pandemic, she handed out more than 60,000 free sack lunches with the help of donations and volunteers from the community. Callahan is inspired by Meg’s continuous generosity and commitment to our community. We are not ashamed to care. About each other, our profession and our community.

Watch the film: