When Rick Hillbrand’s neighbors set up a non-profit to find a cure for Fanconi anemia (FA), the owners of Cottrell Printing in Centennial, Colo., pitched in with pro bono printing, which the company has been doing since the Kendall and Taylor Atkinson Foundation (KATA) was created about seven years ago.

The Atkinson’s lost two children, Kendall and Taylor, to the rare bone marrow disease and have dedicated much of their lives to eradicating it and helping others who have been diagnosed with FA.

“They’ve raised over $1 million and the money goes directly to research. The money they’ve raised has also benefitted cancer research since there are similarities in the treatments,” explains Hillbrand, one of Cottrell’s owners. “It’s not just cash donations that help worthy non-profits like KATA; print shops like ours can really help defray their advertising costs and get the word out.”

Cottrell Printing’s latest project for KATA was at a local McDonald’s, which is donating proceeds from its food sales on Dec. 15 to KATA. Cottrell Printing created two window graphics for either side of the McDonald’s, and printed about 20,000 flyers, to encourage the neighborhood to participate in the drive on Dec. 15.

Cottrell Printing used LexJet Simple Perforated Window Vinyl (60/40), which was printed with the company’s HP Designjet L25500 and then applied to the outside of the windows. “The printing went well and the installation was easy with two people. There were no complications at all, particularly since they were installed at street level,” says Hillbrand.

They also added a QR code to each print: “We’re using QR codes on our prints more often now; it’s a good way to get people to go to a site and find out more about it. A lot of people will scan it just because it’s there if they have that app on their phone. They don’t have to remember a website; it’s just snap and go,” adds Hillbrand.

For more information about KATA and how you can help, go to www.katafoundation.org.