A rising tide lifts all boats.

In 2012, Brooks Sports created a national grassroots marketing contest. "Submit your idea for an amazing community event, and you have a chance to win the grand prize for you and your staff."
Well, we had an idea! We created a $5 5K for charity. All proceeds for that week's $5 5K would go to a local charity. By strengthening those in need in our community, we're strengthening our whole community.
Brooks loved the idea, and we won. Brooks was prepared to give us thousands of dollars for staff to have an amazing trip/party/adventure, whatever we would choose. The problem was... there were only a couple of us on staff, we had just opened our store in Rochester, and we didn't feel like we deserved such a gift. So, we requested all of the money we had won in the form of shoe certificates, and we gave over 100 certificates (2 certificates per charity), to 50 Rochester charities. Our stipulation: Give 1 pair of shoes to someone working for the organization that has gone above and beyond, and another pair to someone outside of the organization that is passionate about contributing to the overall success and longevity of the organization.

The same people that created the Grassroots Marketing idea in 2012 are gearing up for "Operation Next." This time, there are a few kids that are intimately involved in the process.
We're excited to be consulting with the next generation of community strengtheners, and we hope to inspire young entrepreneurs to lead with passion and inclusivity.