By Jessie Pounds
Wound around wrists, tied up in hair, woven through a scarf, and laced through shoes, the slogan came through loud and clear.
On Wednesday, 27 Heritage High School marketing students helped Riverside Runners launch a new product and marketing campaign during a ribbon cutting ceremony for the store’s new location on Rivermont Avenue next to Magnolia Foods.
The students are now selling and promoting the store’s new electric-green shoelaces, printed with the phrase “Inspire Movement” as part of their Marketing 101 course.
Following the 1:30 p.m. ceremony, the shoe-lace bedecked students planned to hit the streets and online social networks to drum up support for the campaign.
“We are really pleased with their ideas and their support for what we are trying to do in Lynchburg,” said Jeff Fedorko, owner of Rivermont Runners. “They are just a group that has so much energy.”
Each pair of shoelaces sells for $5, with $1 per pair going directly to a new “Inspire Movement” scholarship fund. The store plans to match that donation with another $1 donation for every pair sold.
The scholarship will benefit a high school student who makes a difference for health and wellness in the Lynchburg-area. Students must submit an essay and a letter from a guidance counselor confirming a grade point average of 3.0 or better.
The connection between Riverside Runners and the Heritage students formed through the Lynchburg City Schools’ Partners in Education program, which aims to enlist businesses as educational partners for schools.
Marketing teacher Ann Britton said it’s been great for her students to work with Riverside Runners and their partner, Full Circle Marketing and PR.
“It’s wonderful for someone else to come in and talk to them and say the same things I say in class,” she said.