Creating Lasting Memories and Building Community One Movie at a Time
For many, a night out at the movies is a core memory of childhood.
“Everybody has different memories of going to the movies, but everybody loves and enjoys that experience,” said Alex Williams, Director of Community Engagement at Wellpoint Care Network.
That’s why in December of 2022, Wellpoint Care Network decided to partner with Marcus Theatres for a ‘Night at the Movies.’
“We were looking for an opportunity to celebrate our foster and kinship families,” said Williams. “We filled a theater with our clients and showed Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. To be able to have representation on screen of a hero that looks like most of them was very empowering.”
Williams quickly realized that families appreciated the free night out and that this experience was a great way to build community.
“We saw the joy on kids’ faces and on parents’ faces, so we knew we had to do it again.”
In summer 2023, Wellpoint Care and Marcus Theatres once again teamed up to invite families for a showing of The Little Mermaid.
“After that, I would be out at community events and both kids and families would come up to me and thank me for organizing the movie nights,” added Williams. “For kids to associate that with us — them having a good time and being able to be out with their family — it’s amazing. The parents and kids deserve it. Times are hard. The work that they do isn’t easy, so being able to give them a break or reprieve is incredible.”
As we approached the one-year anniversary of our partnership with Marcus Theatres, another amazing movie opportunity for Wellpoint Care families took place.
“I got an email from our partners at Marcus Theatres saying that we had been invited to an exclusive screening for the remake of The Color Purple,” said Williams. “Given that this film is about family, trauma, resilience and caring connections, it felt like a natural fit for our organization. To be able to give our clients and families the opportunity to see a film that talks about some of these themes is perfect. And, it’s only possible because of fostering that relationship with Marcus Theatres.”
With 2024 on the horizon, Williams believes this partnership can only get bigger and better.
“I think it’s important for us to continue to provide opportunities for kids and families throughout the community. If we can reach moviegoers with a 15-second ad before a movie or perhaps being able to speak before a film — just having Wellpoint Care somewhere in the theater — is huge for our brand awareness. It’s important to let people know what we do, why we do it and that we’re available in the community. I think that access to resources and awareness of resources is often lacking. Being able to get in front of people seeing a movie and say, ‘Here’s an organization that licenses people to be foster parents, that helps with mental health, that trains people in Trauma Informed Care’ is huge. This partnership with Marcus Theatres deepens our ties to the community, helps them deepen their ties to the community and ultimately helps us both expand our reach and footprint within the community.”
If you are interested in partnering with Wellpoint Care Network for an upcoming event, please reach out to our Community Engagement team at [email protected].
