Outreach That Sticks: How Arkansas RAPPS Uses Merch to Start Health Conversations

An average table at a community event holds flyers, condoms, and health information. People often walk right past tables like this every day. However, Arkansas RAPPS takes a different approach. We turn outreach into an experience.

Our team brings Spin the Wheel RAPPS Trivia to events across Arkansas. People are drawn in to answer questions about HIV prevention, PrEP, sexual health, harm reduction, and stigma. Winners leave with prizes. More importantly, they leave with information that supports their health. Our custom promotional merchandise plays a central role in this strategy.

Spin the Wheel Trivia game at the AR RAPPS event, featuring topics like ChemSex, Harm Reduction, and Sexual Health, engages participants in awareness and education activities.

AnyPromo recently featured Arkansas RAPPS in an article highlighting how organizations use branded products to strengthen community engagement. Their story looks at how Arkansas RAPPS combines education, interactive games, and useful merchandise to create real conversations with people who might not otherwise stop at a health outreach table.

As the article explains, Arkansas RAPPS focuses on outreach that feels welcoming and accessible. In their words, the program works by making HIV prevention “feel approachable, human, and worth engaging with."

The trivia game drives engagement. People spin the wheel, answer a question, and they win a prize. Crowds form and friends join the line. Staff gain time to talk with participants about HIV testing, PrEP, and sexual health resources available in Arkansas.

Prizes make a measurable difference. Arkansas RAPPS selects items people want to keep and use. Fanny packs, color-changing cups, and other practical items often appear at Pride festivals, college campus events through our Peer Prevention Advocate program, and health fairs across the state.

Some outreach moments stand out even more. During an event with the Diamond State Rodeo Association, Arkansas RAPPS brought custom cowboy hats as prizes for trivia winners. The hats quickly became one of the most sought-after items at the event. Participants returned with friends to try their luck at the wheel and test their knowledge.

Colorful custom cowboy hats on display as prizes for the Diamond State Rodeo Association's Biannual Gay Rodeo, featuring vibrant hues and presented against a bright red backdrop.

These moments turn brief interactions into meaningful conversations. When someone walks away with a prize, the impact continues. A hat, bag, or cup travels into everyday life. The item reminds people of the message they learned and the services available to them.

For Arkansas RAPPS, outreach works best when people feel welcomed into the conversation. Interactive games help to lower barriers. Useful merchandise keeps people engaged. Together, they create opportunities to share lifesaving information about HIV prevention and care.

AnyPromo captured this approach in their feature about Arkansas RAPPS and the role promotional products play in our work across Arkansas. You can read the full story here: https://www.anypromo.com/promotional-product-academy/How-Arkansas-RAPPS-Builds-Real-Community-Connections-with-Purpose-Driven-Promo-Products

If your organization, campus, or community event wants to bring engaging HIV prevention outreach to your space, connect with Arkansas RAPPS. Our team brings education, resources, and interactive activities designed to meet people where they are and keep communities informed, prepared, and healthy.