CreateAthon@USC announces 2025 nonprofits
November 4, 2025
Nine local nonprofits and about 100 students are gearing up for the 12th annual CreateAthon@USC on Friday, Nov. 7, and Saturday, Nov. 8. CreateAthon@USC is a 24-hour event where Gamecocks donate their time and talent to help nonprofit organizations in the community.
This year’s event is special as CreateAthon@USC is teaming up with Trio Solutions Inc. (TRIO), a Charleston-based full-service marketing communications agency founded in 2001. TRIO staff will join USC alumni, faculty, and other creative professionals as mentors, bringing their philosophy of “work hard, enjoy life, and make a difference.”
CreateAthon@USC gives students a chance to learn and give back at the same time. They will work with professional mentors to give the nonprofits the strategic communications they need — from logos and identities to advertising campaigns, posters, brochures, PR and social media, web strategies, billboards, video and radio PSAs and more. 
This year’s event will partner with these nonprofits:
Central South Carolina Habitat for Humanity
Columbia, S.C.: Central South Carolina Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit housing organization that brings people together to build homes, communities, and hope. They partner with individuals and families in Richland, Lexington, and Fairfield counties to create strength, stability, and self-reliance through affordable homeownership.
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Crescent Region
Columbia, S.C.: The organization is dedicated to youth development, serving South Carolina for over 60 years. The mission of the organization is to help young people, especially those in need, achieve their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens.
Dickerson Children’s Advocacy Center
Lexington, S.C.: The organization works on the front lines in the fight against child abuse throughout the Midlands of SC. They serve children ages 0-18 who have been abused physically or sexually, or who have witnessed crime or drug endangerment. They provide forensic interviews, medical exams, and therapy to ensure that every child receives the services they need free of charge.
South Carolina Center for Community Literacy
Columbia, S.C.: The mission of the South Carolina Center for Community Literacy (SCCCL) is to provide all youth with access to quality materials that encourage a love of reading. They want to accomplish this through materials, creating a community of practitioners and partners who share these goals.
Wholespire
Columbia, S.C.: Wholespire provides communities with proven, sustainable approaches that increase access to healthy choices for all people. The organization works to inform influencers and empower communities to collaborate and ensure equitable access to healthy options. Its focus areas include connecting and convening partners, sharing knowledge, advocacy, and driving policy, systems, and environmental change.
Charleston Hope
Charleston, S.C.: Charleston Hope envisions a world where every child has access to the mental and behavioral health support they need to thrive. They do that through their mission of increasing access to mental and behavioral health programs in Title 1 schools to enhance student well-being.
Pathways to Healing
Columbia, S.C.: The organization’s mission is to end sexual violence through advocacy, education, and supportive services. PTH is a rape crisis center that offers supportive services to survivors and their loved ones at no cost. It also provides violence prevention education for youth.
Midlands Fatherhood Coalition
Columbia, S.C.: The organization engages fathers in the positive support of their children and enhance community support for fatherhood throughout the Midlands.
EmmanuWheel
Lexington, S.C.: The organization’s mission is to provide access to individuals who have impaired mobility due to illnesses, accidents, birth defects, or degenerative conditions.
The CreateAthon@USC leadership team includes School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s visual communication faculty member Scott Farrand; Kristin Walker and Erin Newman, two new advertising faculty members; and Sports and Entertainment Management professor, Dr. Haley Mercado.
CreateAthon@USC is now recruiting student volunteers and creative professionals to serve as mentors for this year’s 24-hour event on November 7-8 in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Started in 2013, CreateAthon@USC is part of the CreateAthon™ onCampus network. As of this year, more than 1,002 USC student volunteers have helped 80 South Carolina nonprofits, producing marketing and creative services with a value of more than $2.3 million. The students lock themselves in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication building for 24-hours each fall to deliver their clients free services so the nonprofits can serve their communities even better.
About CreateAthon™
CreateAthon™ was founded in Columbia, South Carolina by Teresa Coles and Cathy Monetti of Riggs Partners and is a 501(c)3. CreateAthon™ has generated well over $24 million in pro bono marketing services for more than 1,300 organizations throughout the U.S. and abroad.
About the College of Information and Communication
The CIC is a community of scholars, teachers, practitioners and staff who provide inclusive transformative experiences, cutting-edge research, and interdisciplinary learning that produces real-world-ready graduates. We do this by embracing change, adopting emerging technologies, collaborating with academic and industry partners, and bridging the fields of communication and information science.
