Codding served as command central and headquarters for the volunteers and staff running the OKC Pride Parade. Oklahoma City's Chamber of Commerce held a monthly Sunset Reception networking event on site recently. OHM Space a "hackerspace," a pre-incubator setting where tinkerers/ creators can use manufacturing equipment that would otherwise be too costly to use also holds its planning and board meetings at Dunlap Codding. Other recent events sponsored or hosted by the firm include: benefit to raise money for an apartment and school complex for the homeless after-party Gallery's Red Dot Recharged VIP Party, an upcoming event to benefit the Gallery forum and community website) and other family oriented events that require a space to gather and strengthen commitments and ties and have fun as they collaborate to host and participate in these varied events. Networking opportunities abound. Of and kitchen/lounge as an impromptu neighborhood networking space. The firm is also a sponsor of "Premiere on Film Row," a monthly Art Walk/Street Festival, and provides its community space to local artists and musicians. As part of Premiere, Dunlap Codding partners with a community organization to orchestrate family-friendly events, such as bounce houses in August, an innovative science instruction "parklet" in September, and a haunted house in October. All of these occasions are not simply a way of drawing the community together, but also serve as opportunities for members of the firm to rally together and work as a team. The recent haunted house was a particular team effort as attorneys and staff carved pumpkins, turned the interior of the firm into a frightening haunted Asylum, dressed as zombies, and created a terrifying experience for the children and parents of the community. IgniteOKC, a fast paced speaking event originally started and sponsored by Dunlap Codding in Oklahoma City, was one of the first community creative groups to make use of the firm's hospitality, holding its board and planning meetings on site over the course of several weeks leading up to IgniteOKC 5. The firm also hosted a leadership and training meeting and party for the students during the to its profession and the community in more traditional ways, such as by volunteering time and donating money to causes and initiatives. The firm has found, however, that providing a place for the community for everyone in the community to gather is oftentimes greater than the sum of both money and time. Dunlap Codding, like the Hawaiian missionaries of old who "came to do good of its neighbors, the creative community and the community at large. For a firm in the business of helping clients protect their reputations, inventions and brands, the small step of opening its doors and inviting people into its space has been a way to give (and receive the blessings of giving) organically. |