Highlights from MREF’s 2026 Month of Service

The fourth annual Month of Service by the Marketing Research Education Foundation (MREF) took place this January. The purpose of the Month of Service is to encourage marketing researchers to do good in their communities and organize service groups.

Below you’ll find a roundup highlighting some of the amazing work completed by the MREF community.

Reading with elementary students

Start Lighthouse, a 2025 Race Around the World for Education beneficiary, provided an opportunity to employees at Emporia Research to read with elementary school students. Co-founder and CDO Mark Hannan expressed his gratitude on LinkedIn: “It always warms my heart to read with elementary school students, and seeing their curiosity and excitement never gets old.”

A New York-based nonprofit, Start Lighthouse is dedicated to improving childhood literacy through a social justice lens. It aims to create compelling and rewarding reading programs for children and families.

Ultramarathon for H.O.P.E.

Justin Bailey, Bellomy, spent his 48^th birthday running his age in miles! He ran 48 miles to raise money and awareness for H.O.P.E of Winston-Salem, a nonprofit focused on providing nutritious meals for families and children struggling with food insecurity.

Volunteering with a food bank

The Austin office of Emporia Research volunteered their time at Central Texas Food Bank and helped to sort 9,899 pounds of donated food to provide over 8,000 meals for those in need. Emporia Research encouraged their followers on LinkedIn to consider donating or volunteering at a food bank as well.

Conducting pro bono research

MREF community members at inca Nexxt Intelligence spent January conducting pro bono mental health research in Canada. Partnering with The Logit Group, the research team provided research to Bell, Canada’s largest communications company, to support Bell’s annual mental health initiative. The researchers aimed to focus on Canadian perspectives through experiences, expectations, and unmet needs for mental health concerns.

Donating blood

Gina Meola, Escalent, chose to make a positive difference in her community through a blood drive. Meola shared her experience, citing a close friend’s cancer diagnosis as a reason she began donating platelets as well as blood. After seeing the impact firsthand, she’s committed to donating platelets 18-24 times a year. Meola is part of only 3% of Americans who donate blood, despite 62% being eligible. She encourages all that are eligible to donate as you can help save a life.

In addition to the experiences listed below, a group of MREF volunteers traveled to Costa Rica to volunteer at Hogar Montiel, a program that serves young girls between the ages of 5-12 in Costa Rica who have high social risk, facing problems such as neglect, abandonment, and abuse. To learn more about the Vision Trip, check out the blog by participant Maddie Swenson, Quirk’s Media.

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