Some days on the podcast feel especially full-circle.
This was one of them.
We had one of our Good Circle interns, Cole Elizondo, a senior at Station Camp High School, join us alongside Blake Parks, Executive Director of Gallatin Cares. And if you’ve ever wondered what happens when young talent meets real community need… this is it.
Let’s talk about good work.
Meet the Project: Gallatin Cares
Each fall, we select a handful of high school seniors for our Good Projects internship. They:
- Choose a nonprofit or startup
- Build a full marketing strategy
- Develop brand clarity
- Learn how to use AI as a support tool
- Present a complete, actionable plan
Cole chose Gallatin Cares.
And his reason was simple:
“Why have I never heard of this?”
That question right there? That’s a marketing question.
Because when something meaningful is happening in your own community, and people don’t know about it, that’s not a mission problem. It’s a messaging problem.
What Gallatin Cares Actually Does
If you’re unfamiliar, Gallatin Cares serves families who are facing traumatic or dramatic life events. Families trying to make impossible choices like:
- Pay rent or buy groceries
- Purchase medicine or keep utilities on
They operate:
- A food pantry
- A thrift store
- A shelter/protection benevolence fund
Over Thanksgiving and Christmas week alone, they provided groceries for nearly 1,000 families.
Read that again.
In one week.
And yet, many students in our own schools had never heard of them.
That’s why this project mattered.
Branding Isn’t Fluff. It’s Clarity.
One of the first things we uncovered was brand inconsistency.
Different logos.
Different signage.
Different versions of the name.
No unified look or feel.
So Cole worked through our Marketing Machine framework:
- Who you are
- Who you help
- How you help
- How you tell the world
We partnered with Josh Bratcher to create a consistent, branded logo that protected the acronym within “C.A.R.E.S.” and added clear visual identity.
Branding isn’t decoration.
It’s alignment.
When your truck, website, sign, and stationery all tell the same story?
Trust grows faster.
A High School Senior with World Experience
Let’s pause and brag on Cole for a second.
Through DECA, he’s placed:
- Fifth in the world
- Third in the world
He’s led career development projects and community awareness campaigns. And yet, what impressed Blake the most wasn’t the awards.
It was this:
“He caught our culture after one visit.”
That’s good marketing.
Marketing isn’t loud. It listens first.
Using AI the Right Way
Part of every Good Project includes an AI component.
Not to replace thinking.
Not to shortcut strategy.
But to support execution.
Cole said something I loved:
“It’s less something to use as your brain and more something to help your brain brainstorm.”
That’s it.
AI can:
- Generate content ideas
- Help draft calendars
- Suggest SEO angles
- Refine calls to action
But you still choose.
You still edit.
You still think.
Tools support. People lead.
Serving > Receiving
One of the most powerful shifts in this strategy was reframing messaging around service.
Not:
“Look what we have.”
But:
“Here’s how you can step in.”
Blake said something that stuck with me:
“I don’t want you to show up for two hours and hang clothes. I want you to see the fruit.”
There are so many people who want to help.
But they want:
- To know it matters
- To know there’s a role
- To know they won’t just stand around
Marketing can bridge that gap.
The Reality We Can’t Ignore
Over the past 18–24 months, demand at Gallatin Cares has doubled.
Rent increases.
Job instability.
Interrupted benefits.
Medical emergencies.
These aren’t statistics.
They’re families.
And here’s the truth:
The need isn’t slowing down.
Which means the good work can’t either.
Cole’s Next Step (And Ours)
Like most seniors, Cole is sorting through next steps.
Marketing?
Business?
Something else entirely?
He doesn’t have it all figured out yet.
And that’s okay.
What I do know:
- He knows how to listen.
- He knows how to think strategically.
- He cares about impact.
That combination will serve him anywhere.
As for Gallatin Cares, this marketing plan is just the beginning. We’ll continue to support implementation and make sure the strategy doesn’t sit on a shelf.
Because a plan without action isn’t good work.
What Good Work Means
When I asked Blake what good work meant to him, he said something simple:
“More blessed to give than receive.”
He also shared that earlier in his corporate life, he focused on building his own kingdom.
Now?
He’s building something that feeds families.
That’s a shift.
And it’s one worth multiplying.
If You Want to Help
Gallatin Cares welcomes:
- Food pantry volunteers (Tuesday & Wednesday mornings)
- Thrift store volunteers (Monday–Friday business hours)
- Financial donations
- Community advocates
If you’re local and looking for somewhere your time truly matters, this is a place to start.
There are people who need help.
And there are people who want to help.
Good marketing connects them.
That’s good work.