Kansas City Corporate Challenge in 2020
20 in 2020 Challenge Founded in 1980, the 2020 season of the Kansas City Corporate Challenge (KCCC) was the 41st of the nation’s oldest corporate games. On Friday, March 13, 2020, the Games were officially canceled due to COVID-19. Involving a participant base of more than double that of the Olympics, many employers, sponsors, volunteers, and athletes throughout the entire KC Metro were filled with disappointment. With over 33,000 individuals gearing up for three months of competition, the KCCC staff and Board of Directors were faced with their very own challenge: how can we still provide our competitors with a very welcome distraction, a fun competition, and some healthy engagement during this unprecedented time?
Bake cookies.
The 20 in 2020 Challenge was developed as a virtual competition in which KCCC participants could complete a minimum of 20 activities and challenges in order to earn a gold medal. Participants could choose from over 60 different activities each categorized among the three pillars of KCCC’s mission: health, wellness, and camaraderie. Activities ranged from completing a 5K to reading a book to mailing a greeting card to a friend. Additionally, participants could utilize a “wildcard” option in which they could determine the activity. Participants documented the completion of each task through photos that were then submitted to the KCCC Office.
Go for a bike ride.
Learn a new skill.
8 |
Kansas City Corporate Challenge • 2021
An unexpected silver lining to the cancellation of the Games and the formation of the 20 in 2020 Challenge was the opportunity for KCCC staff and the Board of Directors to get to know their participants in a truly unique manner. Every submission was reviewed in full by the Executive Director, before then being made available to the Board of Directors. This allowed for names to finally be put with faces and to learn that the familiar face seen year-after-year at the track meet, was also an incredible baker and cookie decorator. The KCCC season is one that many look forward to throughout the year as an escape from the board room and an opportunity to do something so uniquely engaging with their coworkers. The cancellation of the 2020 season was an added layer of disappointment for many professionals that were already experiencing the taxing effects the pandemic had brought upon their workplace. Many pleaded that KCCC was needed now more than ever. Throughout the two and a half months that the 20 in 2020 Challenge was offered, nearly 300 participants joined in the fun. A drive-thru victory parade was held in July at the Theater in the Park of Shawnee Mission Park for each medalist to retrieve their hardware and celebrate their achievements. www.kccorporatechallenge.com
