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Project Harlow

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With our recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the influx of veterans coming home has created a need for physical, mental, financial, and educational support. While our federal government has fallen short, non-profit organizations such as Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) and the Wounded Warrior Project have been providing individual services and programs to help service members and their families.

Jingoism aside, support for veterans can be sporadic; with our Public Interfaces’ class, I wanted to outline a project that attempted to bridge the gap between citizens and veterans. Utilizing New York City’s access to a percentage of bus shelter advertising spaces, I proposed a campaign called Project Harlowe that would partner the IAVA, Wounded Warrior Project, and NYC & Company – the city’s marketing and partnership organization. Through the project, local veterans and their stories would be featured in ad placements throughout the city to help raise money for individual needs or a program. Using a flip or smart phone, New Yorkers and visitors could text-to-donate money towards a fundraising goal, listen to recorded veteran stories, and be recontacted once the goal was reached.