How to throw a party for 500 friends.

If you have been to a GRMC Blue Jean Ball, you know that it is a fun party. When the idea first came up, GRMC staff and volunteers were talking about hosting another great GRMC Gala fundraising event. However, we were all in the middle of some tough economic times five years ago and we thought it was time for the popular GRMC Gala to get out its blue jeans and get a little casual.

The ball is held in the fall and in 2011 it went hand-in-hand with the Grinnell Optimists’ annual fly-in breakfast. It took an army of community volunteers from sun up into late the next morning to host both events at the Grinnell Municipal Airport. Just over 300 guests bought incredible auction items, danced to The Dweebs, and partied into the night with the hangar door wide open on a lovely September evening.

In 2013, the event moved to the Grinnell Athletic and Recreation Center at Ahrens Park. Those who had a blast in 2011 told all their friends what a great party it was. Nearly 500 tickets were sold and the GARC hosted the entire function along with our new best friends, The Dweebs. More than $32,000 was raised that night for GRMC.

We’re not the only ones who think the Blue Jean Ball is a fabulous event! It’s now won two national awards!

GRMC’s second Blue Jean Ball earned a bronze award from the Thirty-First Annual Healthcare Advertising Awards out of more than 3,700 entries. A national panel of judges reviewed entries based on creativity, quality, message effectiveness, consumer appeal, graphic design, and overall impact. Gold awards were given to 297 entries; silver awards to 279 entries; and bronze awards to 252 entries.

Other Iowa winners included the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, Unity Point, St. Luke’s Hospital, and Mary Greeley Medical Center. National winners included AARP, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Johns Hopkins HealthCare.

Award-winning graphic design by Jennifer Hawkins,
GRMC's graphic designer

The event also won silver in the Aster Awards, hosted by Marketing Healthcare Today Magazine and Creative Images, Inc. This program recognized outstanding healthcare professionals for excellence in their advertising/marketing efforts for the calendar year 2013.

The 2014 Aster Awards received nearly 3,000 entries from across the United States as well as Canada and South America. All entries are judged by industry experts and are scored on multiple criteria with a possibility of 100 total points. Participant’s entries competed against similar-sized organizations in their specific groups and categories.

Best of Show – Only 1 issued in 2014

Guests bid on more than 60 auction items at BJB 2013

Judges Choice – Score of 100% (only 8 issued in 2014 – top 1%)

Gold Awards – Score of 95 to 99 (top 5% in the nation)

Silver Awards – Score of 90 to 94 (top 12% in the nation)

Bronze Awards – Score of 85 to 89 (top 16% in the nation)

Awards were issued for entries that received top marks from judges placing them in the top 16% of the nation for advertising excellence. Submissions were scored on multiple criteria which included creativity, layout and design, functionality, message effectiveness, production quality and overall appeal.

Honorary co-chairs for GRMC's Moving at the Speed of Life
comprehensive campaign at BJB 2013. Addison Jones for
the late Marion Jones, Jewel Kintzinger Day,
Leila Maring, and Waldo Walker.

Here’s the thing. Most of the hospitals and healthcare systems receiving these awards had external advertising agencies doing the work. GRMC is one of the few hospitals in the country with our own internal “advertising agency.” All our ads, our quarterly Healthletters, brochures, are designed and often printed in house or printed by local printing businesses.

We know that this award is a testament to the volunteers who helped plan this event. It is truly a labor of love that takes a lot of effort to make it a success.

BJB 2013 Emcees Ben Latimer and Mike Pearson.

And now we have big news!

The Dweebs are coming back for Blue Jean Ball 2015!

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Harris Center, Grinnell College

We’ll start planning the event later this fall for next year. Be watching for more information on the event over the next year and get ready for Blue Jean Ball 2015.