This year for the annual Communication Campaigns Tradeshow, students created a nonprofit organization based on the theme of anti-texting and driving.

Jill Barrile photo: Junior Craig Small and seniors Lindsay Dorrion and Patrick Ellement created TTYL for the Tradeshow.

The event is a part of the Communication Campaigns class. Students in the course team up to create their own businesses, which they unveil at the trade show.

The Communication Campaigns Tradeshow took place Tuesday, May 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Hermann Student Union Great Room.

Each campaign focused on creating awareness of the dangers of texting and driving.

Communication Department Chair Anne Zaphiris, Ph.D., said, “This year’s theme is very pertinent for young people.”

There were five nonprofit organizations created and all were founded on personal experiences or tragedies involving texting and driving. The organizations were Focus, iTxtL8r, D-txt, Drive Smart: Don’t Text in Your Kart and TTYL.

Each organization was judged by Erie professionals and Mercyhurst alumni in the field. Additionally, anyone who visited the trade show was asked to vote for their favorite booths. Winners will be announced later this week.

Senior Kylie Rossler and juniors Katie Wagner and Spencer Hunt worked on the organization called Drive Smart: Don’t Text in Your Kart. Their campaign was an initiative that used Mario Kart characters. The campaign was simulation-based where individuals replicate the dangers of texting and driving by requiring gamers to text while playing Mario Kart.

“I have found that, in order to work on my campaign, I have had to draw on almost every single class that I have taken up to this point,” said Wagner. “So it has really helped to show me the ways that I can put what I have learned to use.”

“I think the trade show is a great way for the students to show off what they are capable of doing,” Wagner said. “It has really been a lot of fun to do.”

The trade show portrayed the dangers of texting and driving to attendees and those who were a part of the organizations.

Junior Courtney O’Brien is the founder of iTxtL8r. O’Brien said the research done for their campaign opened up “a whole new perspective on texting and driving.”

“I have noticed I’ve been cutting back on texting and driving,” said O’Brien. “I even tell my friends to put their phone away if I see them texting and driving.”

Jill Barrile photo: Seniors Sarah Hricko, Kristen Grenga and Grazia Padgett created the business D-txt.

Sophomore Abby Robinson attended the trade show and was impressed with what she saw.

“One of my favorite booths was D-txt,” said Robinson. “I liked that you could write down your last text, and it really made you think about whether the message was worth risking your life for.”

“The groups did a fantastic job with their materials to make people aware of the dangers of texting and driving,” Zaphiris said.