Red text with a white background over an illustration of a reindeer in a white apron vacuuming up red and green ribbons on a blue background

Founder Russ Berrie started his business with $500, he rented a garage in Palisades Park, New Jersey, and launched his own firm named after himself. Berrie intended to design, market, and distribute “impulse” gift items. From the start, Russ Berrie & Company produced a string of hit products that quickly found their way onto countertops, desks, and dashboards across the country. Among the company’s earliest creations: Fuzzy Wuzzies (tiny fur ball-like critters bearing messages like “You’re My Best Friend” or “Wild Thing”), troll dolls (squat gnomes with plumes of brightly colored hair) and the Bupkis Family (a motley collection of endearingly ugly rubber figurines). The owner believed in the power of “transformational giving,” partnering with energetic, visionary leaders to change the world for the better. He took an entrepreneurial approach to philanthropy, using his keen interpersonal skills to identify people and causes in which to invest and working closely with partners to hone strategies and set expectations.  “There is nothing more important in life than helping a fellow human being.”  — Russell Berrie (1933-2002).

Black text around an illustration of Santa's head on a blue and yellow background on a white background

Black text and a red illustration of a person holding a crutch sitting in a circle on a light blue background

Mary’s Peak Trek is an annual fundraiser hosted by Shrine Clubs to raise funds for the Portland Shrine Hospital for Crippled Children, now known as Shiners Hospital for Children.  The event has been hosted since 1946 and been called the “world’s largest family picnic.” It is hosted on the first Sunday in August each year at Mary’s Peak, the tallest mountain in Oregon’s Coast Range, and includes prizes for participants in addition to entertainment and games during the day.

Black text with illustrations of black and white hands on a white background with the number 100252.   

The March on Washington was a protest that took place in August, 1963. Over 250,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C. to draw attention to the inequalities and challenges of African Americans, calling for equal opportunity in employment and fair treatment to all citizens regardless of race. During this event, Martin Luther King, Jr., gave his famous "I have a dream" speech.

Although each of these participant badges produced by Donnelly/Colt has a unique number on it from 100001 to 100999, not all participants were given numbered badges for showing up at the event. Many who participated in the protest were dressed in fine clothes and did not wear tokens to distinguish themselves as part of the protest on their person. Many other items exist promoting the event and encouraging participation as there was no standard issue design. Many designs for the March on Washington include portrayals of black and white hands shaking hands, raising fists, or showing peace signs.

Blue text on gold with an illustration of a white dove with a blue female symbol with a blue background

International Women’s Day has been celebrated in the United States since 1909. Despite its socialist roots, the holiday has become a rallying point for suffragettes, women’s rights advocates, and anti-war activists. In 1917, as World War I made basic goods increasingly difficult to obtain, Russian women protested for “Bread and Peace” on March 8. The UN later adopted this date as International Women’s Day.

The dove emblem is possibly a reference to peace, in keeping with the day’s association with anti-war causes. The logo featured on the bottom of the button is that of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (Alliance de la Fonction publique du Canada). Today, the union represents workers in federal agencies throughout Canada.

Illustration of a pink flamingo with a yellow sun on a blue background with black text

The Mainsail Arts festival started in 1976 by the marina of Saint Petersburg Florida. The festival’s trademark logo was a large hoisted sail, and in 1986, they added the pink flamingo. Over the years, many events have been hosted during the festival including an awards ceremony and Sunday morning breakfast. In the beginning, they had only a first and second place award for each category of art. In 2008, they added awards of excellence among other merits. Cash prize was around $4,200 total when the festival began and now, the prizes add up to $50,000. Entertainment during the festival showcases local and regional artists and bands.

Blue and white text around an illustration of the Columbia space shuttle on a black background with an outer white edge

STS-3 was NASA's third Space Shuttle mission and also the third mission for Space Shuttle Columbia. Astronauts Jack R. Lousma and C. Gordon Fullerton were both crew members of STS-3 which launched its eight-day mission on March 22, 1982 from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The mission insignia shows Columbia emerging from a star. The Shuttle Remote Manipulator System which is series of robotic arms used on Space Shuttles is also depicted conducting experiments. 

Lousma was the Commander and  Fullerton was the pilot of STS-3. Lousma was an American aeronautical engineer who was on the support crew for Apollo 9, 10, and 13 and was the recipient of the CAPCOM “Houston, we’ve had a problem” from Apollo 13. He became the STS-3 Commander when STS-2 Commander Fred Haise retired from Nasa. Fullerton was a United States Air Force colonel and was on the support crew for Apollo 14, 15, 16, and 17 missions. He had previous experience co-piloting Space Shuttle Enterprise alongside Fred Haise in a couple of test programs in 1977.

Black text on a white outer edge with a green and blue illustration of a lake and mountains

Lake Placid, formerly North Elba, is a village located in the Adirondack Mountains in Upstate New York. The population, as of 2010, was 2,521 people. Like many places in the Adirondacks, the History of the Lake Placid area developed in the early 19th century. In the 1840's, Gerrit Smith began buying tracts of land to grant to former slaves, reformed land laws, and all around demonstrated his support for Abolitionism. John Brown, an Abolitionist in Kansas, heard of these efforts and left Kansas to buy land and help former slaves in the Adirondacks with Gerrit Smith. Around the end of the 1800’s, Lake Placid was discovered as a place of leisure for the wealthy and eventually the Lake Placid Club was founded. This is also around the time the village formally changed its name to Lake Placid. The area was officially incorporated as a village in 1900, making 2000 its centennial year.

 Lake Placid hosted the Winter Olympics in 1932 and in 1980. It has hosted other events such as the Empire State Games, ESPN’s Great Outdoor Games, which have since been discontinued, an annual ice dance competition, pond hockey, and many more. Lake Placid has many outdoor recreational opportunities and facilities, including alpine and Nordic skiing, a golf course, mountain biking, hiking the high peaks, and is home to one of only 16 bobsled runs in the Western Hemisphere.

Illustration of a head wearing a yellow crown and with long yellow hair and a beard over a blue ribbon with yellow text over black text on a white background

Kingfest was a summer event held in Kingston, Ontario (Canada) in the 1980s and 1990s. Kingfest was billed as a two-week series of special events, seminars, and workshops for children, youth, and adults. Events included an arts and crafts show, live music bands and entertainment, an outdoor art sale, and the Black Powder Challenge. The Black Powder Challenge was an international competition with muzzle loaders and antique rifles.

Black text above and below an illustration of a brown plane over yellow circles on a yellow background

The Wright brothers tested the first powered, heavier-than-air machine to achieve piloted flight on December 17, 1903 between Kill Devil Hills and Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The aircraft was named the Wright Flyer and had four successful test flights, the longest lasting 59 seconds. The Wright Flyer is exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.

From the Wright Flyer, the Wright brothers created a series of flyers used to perfect the flight control possible because of their rear rudder deflection technology—discovered in 1902—that is used on modern aircraft. This patent caused an American and European patent battle that eventually led to all U.S. military aircraft design originating from the French and British in World War I.