FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 17, 2002 — Squeaky Wheel Media

Squeaky Wheel Media Launches Site
Promoting Sportsmanship

NEW YORK, N.Y. — Squeaky Wheel Media, a digital communication agency specializing in Web-based creative services, recently launched the first online position for The Kindness Counts Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization that offers an acclaimed free resource for promoting sportsmanship in youth sports.

The site, www.kindness-counts.org, recently launched as part of the initiative by Kindness Counts to give sports leagues, recreation departments and families an easy way to help adults support their kids. Mike Schapiro, president of the foundation, said the availability of its new free video, Kids Come First, should encourage organizations to initiate or upgrade a sportsmanship program.

“Some of the behavior in sports throughout recent years has been extremely inappropriate by both children and adults, and we adults often don't understand how our behavior affects kids,” Schapiro said. “Inappropriate conduct and pressure on children causes many to quit sports — the video addresses these topics.”

The video has been hailed by the chairman of the Center for Sports Parenting, Rick Wolff. "This tape should be required viewing for any and all sports parents," he said.

Schapiro chose Squeaky Wheel Media to create their digital face after the foundation opened its doors in West Orange, New Jersey, back in February of this year. The creative solutions firm designed and produced the non-profit’s site, logo and packaging for their sportsmanship video. Hosted by Major League Soccer Star Tab Ramos, the tape includes testimony about adult behavior from young athletes, league officials and sports psychologists.

“Through the new site, Squeaky Wheel Media has accomplished the goal of getting the foundation’s message out to the public in an attractive and appealing way,” Schapiro said. “We wanted a site that is not too busy, but is simple and to the point — Squeaky has executed this extremely well. It takes a lot of skill to develop such an attractive and effective design. I look forward to working with them in the future and having them as a partner in this cause.”

Anthony Del Monte, president and founder of Squeaky Wheel Media, said communicating Kindness Counts’ message of positive behavior in youth sports was imperative to creating the new site.

“Working with the Kindness Counts team and bringing their passion to the Web was an exceptional experience,” Del Monte said. “It was exciting to utilize our marketing experience to reach a broader audience by establishing a cross-media identity system for a non-profit.”

Ed Mullen, creative director of Squeaky Wheel Media, said the aesthetic design of the new site serves dual purposes for the foundation.

“We established visually the fact that Kindness Counts is a credible not-for-profit venture, as well as identified the Kids Come First video as a fun and legitimate source of information for adults and children,” Mullen said. “We took special care to create a system in which the two separate goals felt related but were clearly distinguishable.

About Kindness Counts - www.kindness-counts.org

The Kindness Counts Foundation, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, is a resource for leagues, recreation departments and others wishing to promote good sportsmanship. Their free educational video, Kids Come First, will be available for shipping on October 1, 2002, by applying on their Web site. It was produced by Mike Schapiro, president of the foundation and an officer of the Mid-New Jersey Youth Soccer Association, a 12,000-player league.

Schapiro and two sport psychologists established the organization in February 2002 as an outgrowth of the SAGE (Set A Good Example) sportsmanship program initiated in 2000 by the MNJYSA. Schapiro has about 25 seasons as a coach.

About Squeaky Wheel Media - www.squeakywheelmedia.com

The digital communication agency is based in New York City and specializes in Web-based creative services. The base of their service offering includes creative, consultative and Web-development services which translate to the delivery of world-class online marketing vehicles.

An executive team that shares more than 20 years of combined industry experience, their services include: Web design and programming, E-commerce, branding, information architecture, online marketing, database, multimedia, graphic design, consulting, copywriting, usability and QA testing.

Current clientele includes: Equine Performance Supplements, Chelsea Premium Outlets, Loral Space & Communications, SoBe/Pepsico, Tishman Construction, and Financial Times.

Back to Public Relations