How a Financial Platform -DPOUSA- led to an Epilepsy Awareness Campaign
We all need to find some time to do good, and leave a positive imprint. Easier said than done, as business and life in general can be all consuming. I believe though, that if we all keep in mind what we can do to help, help when we can, and be proactive in creating opportunities for good, we can fit in more positive efforts than we think.
As one of the 49 Members of the DPOUSA Special Council, we make it a point to work together when we can. Fellow member Steve Raack, a veteran of multiple start-ups and exits, is currently focused on VOTOCAST, a new platform for social media video campaigns, and more. Steve asked me to take a look at what he was doing, and so we spent some time together, and I was quickly sold, and jumped aboard.
Brad and Candy Levy, are co-founder of Epilepsy Awareness Day at Disneyland (EADDL). They co-founded this event to spread awareness about epilepsy, and to help share their experiences with their daughter Sofie, now seizure free for eight years. Brad is a consummate entrepreneur, and we crossed paths many times over the years in Newport Beach. As Candy and I have had the opportunity to become better acquainted recently, I learned more about their passion to spread awarenss about epilepsy.
I thought about some of the areas where I might be able to help, and one of which was to see if we might be able to do a video campaign with VOTOCAST. I brought it up to Steve at our next face to face, and once I said epilepsy, he was in. Steve and his wife have 2 epileptic daughters. We put some ideas together, discussed with Brad and Candy, and went to work.
Whether we had 100 videos submitted or 10, didn't matter. If the campaign brings just one family into the event, and they meet a doctor or specialist that can change thier lives for the better, it is worth it. What we do know, is it is working, we have some great and heartfelt videos uploaded, and that there will be new people coming to the event. Next year, getting started earlier, we will have much larger impact.
Today, I had the opportunity to spend some time with Brad at his office, and saw first hand the great work that he does. It is not an easy thing for many families, and Brad and Candy have made it their mission to help, and they do an absolutely fantastic job.
I learned two things about epilepsy today:
- Many autistic children are also epileptic, and most hospitals are not equipped to handle their needs.
- There are children/teens who grow up perfectly normal on the outside, who may be epileptic and not know it, with a first seizure coming with no warning.
Below is the full press release about the Video Awareness Campaign we put together, and the event itself.
Epilepsy Awareness Day at Disneyland Video Awareness Campaign
Commences - To Bring Epilepsy Out of the Shadows
IRVINE, CA - (WORLD STOCK WIRE) - October 19, 2016 -- Epilepsy Awareness Day
at Disneyland (EADDL) takes place on November 2nd and 3rd, 2016. To help promote
the event, and more importantly for people to share their experiences, users can upload
their videos, and the public can vote on their favorite videos. The winner will receive a
special VIP package for Epilepsy Awareness Day.
“We wanted to create an opportunity to drive awareness and to give someone new the
opportunity to join us at Disneyland,” stated Candy Levy, Co-Founder of EADDL. “This
contest is the best idea, as the videos tell the stories of more people, and with viewers
voting on the winner, it really drives awareness.”
EADDL is an annual event operated by the Irvine based non-profit foundation Sofie’s
Journey/EADDL, now in its fourth year. The video campaign was created by two
Orange County, California technology platforms, Irvine based DPOUSA, and Newport
Beach based VOTOCAST, and utilizes the VOTOCAST patent pending technical
platform.
“November is National Epilepsy Awareness month. Awareness is key to overcoming
challenges created by epilepsy. So, we're hosting a very important awareness
campaign. We want to hear from you - your experiences, your feelings,” said
VOTOCAST CEO Steve Raack. “As a dad with two daughters who have epilepsy, we
are learning every day and appreciate what EADDL is doing. Our goal is utilize our
platform to help spread more awareness.”
“The ability to use the DPOUSA platform to assist non-profit initiatives is an aspect we
are very excited about, and this is a perfect example of fostering the connectivity
amongst users to really assist a great cause.” said Brian Jue, DPOUSA Special Council
Member.
About the Video Campaign
Between now and October 27, 2016 we want to know
what epilepsy means to you
.
Anyone with epilepsy, your friends, family and caregivers. Submit a 30-second video on
the VOTOCAST app (
www.VOTOCAST.com
) sharing your experiences.
Upload your videos, share your videos on social networks and via email, and have your
friends and family vote for you. The video with the most votes wins an exclusive
experience. Best video wins the following:
- VIP Package for Epilepsy Awareness Day at Disneyland Resort event on 11/2/16
- 2 tickets to Disneyland
- $50 Disney gift card for food
- Mickey and Minnie prize package
- Event gift items
INSTRUCTIONS to Participate:
1) Download VOTOCAST app
2) Confirm email address
3) Upload video
4) Share with your friends and family
5)
Video with the most votes wins!
About Sofie’s Journey/EADDL
Epilepsy affects over 2 million Americans, with onset often beginning with children.
Sofie’s Journey began with Sofie Levy, who had her first seizure at 5 years old. After
years of pursuing treatments and options, the Levy family was given the opportunity of
brain surgery for Sofie. Sofie is now in 11th grade, and is eight years seizure free. To
further focus their passion for epilepsy awareness, and to ensure others are afforded
great epilepsy care, Sofie’s parent’s Candy and Brad Levy created EPILEPSY
AWARENESS DAY AT DISNEYLAND RESORT, with the first event held on November
7, 2013. Now in its fourth year, EADDL draws people from all across the globe. For
more information, visit https://www.epilepsyawarenessday.org.
About VOTOCAST
VOTOCAST is a new social networking app which hosts video contests, sweepstakes
and competitions for brands, events and topics of interest. The best videos win prizes.
Campaigns are hosted for free on the app and VOTOCAST provides the campaign
sponsor with several valuable features to improve consumer engagement.
VOTOCAST also provides branded, private label social networking platforms for anyone
with a passionate fan base – musicians, celebrities, sports teams, radio stations,
brands, etc. Their framework is patent-pending in 148 countries and was built to
improve fan engagement, direct fan communication and overall brand experience. For
more information, visit
www.VOTOCAST.com
or email [email protected].
About DPOUSA
DPOUSA is a financial platform providing client companies the opportunity to have 24-
hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year, visibility to an investor base of over 30,000 accredited
investors and financial institutions. DPOUSA is a financial media company with decades
of financial market experience merged with current technology. DPOUSA is featured
regularly in over 1200 news portals, including ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX affiliates
across the United States. The connectivity aspects of DPOUSA provide opportunities
for entities of all kinds, including non-profit initiatives. For more information visit
www.DPOUSA.com.
Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements: Except for historical information
contained herein, the statements in this new release are forward-looking statements
that involve risks and uncertainties and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions
of the Private Securities Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve known
and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause the Company's actual results in
the future periods to differ materially from forecasted results.
CONTACT
Candy Levy
www.epilepsyawarenessday.org
Steve Raack
www.VOTOCAST.com
Brian Jue
www.DPOUSA.com