Thankful for the Opportunity

Hello FPRA Treasure Coast!

Did you think I forgot about you yesterday? No way! I took the day off to go on a field trip with my son’s class. Since he is in the 3rd grade, I figured it wouldn’t be too much longer that he would not want me to participate in things like that with him ~ so I took advantage of some fun time with him and his classmates!

Given that it’s the week of Thanksgiving, I wanted all of you to know how thankful I am to be serving as your Treasure Coast Chapter president this year. I am meeting a lot of new people, learning many new things and making tons of new friends! I’m thankful for the support and enthusiasm you show me on all of the projects and programs this year.

Thanks to President-Elect Bryan Beaty, AFP and FPRA member Judy Cruz and AdFed and FPRA member Robin Delgado for taking the lead on the Holiday Mixer! Ring in the Holiday Season at the Treasure Coast’s Ultimate Holiday Mixer on Tuesday, December 9th from 4-7 p.m. at the NEW Port St. Lucie Civic Center. FPRA will join forces with the Treasure Coast Advertising Federation and the Indian River and Treasure Coast Association of Fundraising Professionals to co-host this networking event. Tours of the new Civic Center will be available and Center staff will also be on hand to answer questions about how you can have your next event in this beautiful new facility. We will also take this opportunity to raise funds for the Treasure Coast Food Bank to assist them in serving those in need during this Holiday Season. Staff from the Food Bank will also be on hand to accept a “BIG CHECK.” The media will also be invited to cover this event.

Invitations have already been emailed, so RSVP now by clicking http://www.fpratreasurecoast.com/index.php?template=events&nav=4&event=25. Also make your contribution to the Treasure Coast Food Bank online by clicking http://www.fpratreasurecoast.com/index.php?template=events&nav=4&event=26 then “RSVP HERE.”

A very special thank you to Jennifer Fleming Moore for designing the beautiful invitation for the Holiday Mixer!

On Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 3:30 p.m., we will have a Board meeting at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce. Board members, please make sure your calendars are marked for this quarterly meeting.

If you are a football fan and like this view (and who doesn't like a view of Tim Tebow?), then you will want to mark your calendars for the FPRA Annual Conference on August 9-12 in Boca Raton. Bryan Beaty, President-Elect, won tickets to sit in the President’s Box at the University of Florida vs. The Citadel football game at last year’s FPRE Education Foundation fundraiser. Prizes like these are always available on the silent and live auction.

I wish you all a blessed and Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your time with family and friends!

Linette

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

Hello FPRA Treasure Coast!

Time sure flies when you are having fun and these weeks sure fly by quickly! I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s monthly business meeting here in Stuart. I hope to see many of you as we hear from Alexis Walkenstein, Director of Communications for the Catholic Diocese of Palm Beach. She will share her story of “How Public Relations Played a Role in the Elections” from the Catholic Church’s perspective.

There's still time to renew your FPRA membership! The membership renewal period officially ended on October 31. If you have not renewed your membership by the end of November, you will no longer receive member services. On December 31, 2008, your name will officially be removed from the rolls and you will incur a $25 late fee to reinstate your membership. As incentive to retain members this year, the State launched a promotion called “Invest in Yourself.” There is no better time to “Invest in Yourself” than during a tough economy. And now FPRA is going to reward you for renewing your FPRA membership and “Investing in Yourself!” By renewing now, you will be eligible to win Travelocity dollars, FPRA “bucks” and Visa “cash.”

It is with a sad heart that I have to announce we are losing our Treasurer, Debi Malcomson. Debi was our Rising Star Award recipient last year and has done an outstanding job with our financials. At the end of the year, Debi is moving to Virginia to be with “the love of her life” and she will be sorely missed by all of us at FPRA. I hope you will join me in wishing Debi the best of luck and happy trails in her new adventure! By the way, that means we are on the lookout for a new Treasurer. I am happy to take nominations, referrals and volunteers. Please don’t make me beg!! :-)

It is my pleasure to announce that FPRA Immediate Past President Suzanne Sparling, APR, will be the Treasure Coast Chapter liaison. Suzanne is a long-time member of the Space Coast Chapter and a former president. She has served at the state level for six years now in various VP, President-Elect and President positions. She is definitely a valuable resource for our chapter and someone who is always willing to lend a helping hand.

While we plan an article in our newsletter about Suzanne, please know that in her everyday work, she is the VP/Investor Relations for United Way of Brevard County, a mom for two young sons and is currently working on her master’s degree at University of Central Florida. Talk about energy! Hope she’ll share some of that with us!! Thanks, Suzanne, for signing up for your neighboring chapter.

Just a reminder that it’s never too early to start thinking of silent and LIVE auction items for the annual FPR Education Foundation fundraiser at annual conference 2009. We don’t need the gifts until summer, but as you get ideas drifting through your heads and onto your holiday lists, there might be something there that would make a great auction item. Get in touch with Adrienne Moore, APR, CPRC, to let her know about any ideas. Don’t forget some of your vendors, sponsors and friends have great items as well.

One last item…FPRA, AdFed and AFP will join forces to mix and mingle holiday style at the newly opened Port St. Lucie City Center on Tuesday, December 9th from 4-7 p.m. This event will be a fundraiser for the Treasure Coast Food Bank.

Thank you and have a wonderful week!
Linette

Invest in Yourself!!

Hello FPRA Treasure Coast!

Bryan Beaty, President-Elect, Adrienne Moore, APR, CPRC, Immediate Past President and I attended the State Board meeting in Palm Coast on Saturday and I’m please to announce that State President Lanette Hart, APR, CPRC, had us highlight this blog as a “Best Practice” at the Chapter level.

Hurry! There is still time to renew your FPRA membership! The Treasure Coast Chapter is one of nine Chapters in the State reach the 50% mark (50.47% to be exact) for membership renewal. If you haven’t renewed yet, you can expect to receive phone calls from us to find out why! Just a reminder, the membership renewal period officially ended on October 31. If you have not renewed your membership by the end of November, you will not receive member services. On December 31, 2008, your name will officially be removed from the rolls and you will incur a $25 late fee to reinstate your membership. According to the 2008 FPRA Benchmark survey, the No. 1 reason people join FPRA is YOU! Existing members are the main reason others join, so when renewing your membership, consider inviting a friend!

If you need another incentive to renew now, the State is launching a promotion called “Invest in Yourself.” Invest in Yourself is designed to encourage our current members to renew before they are purged from the rosters on December 31st! There is no better time to “Invest in Yourself” than during a tough economy. And now FPRA is going to reward you for renewing your FPRA membership and Investing in Yourself! By renewing now, you will be eligible to win Travelocity dollars, FPRA “bucks” and Visa “cash.”

**REMINDER** The regularly scheduled November program is Tuesday, November 18th. Be sure NOT to show up at my office tomorrow, as we will NOT be here! I’m very pleased and excited to announce that we have an outstanding speaker for the November 18th meeting. Within the theme of “How Did Public Relations Play a Role in the Elections?,” our speaker, Alexis Walkenstein, Director of Communications for the Catholic Diocese of Palm Beach, will focus her presentation on Issues Advocacy and how the efforts of the Diocese and the Catholic Church ~ in order to not lose their 501c3 status ~ can not promote any candidate in any election. Therefore, they must use only public relations strategies to promote their stance on any issue. This year, the Diocese faced issues including pro-life, same sex marriage, stem cell research and death penalty questions. Alexis will share with us her strategies and tactics on collaboration and partnerships with state, federal and local agencies to get the word out to voters. This is a story you do not want to miss! The meeting begins at 11:30 a.m. at the South Florida Water Management District’s Martin/St. Lucie Service Center located at 780 SE Indian Street in Stuart. And, if you need yet another reason to attend, Dragonfly Café will cater our meeting this month and in January! Deadline to RSVP online is this Friday, November 14. Make your reservations online now at http://www.fpratreasurecoast.com/ or call Programs Chairman Cara Perry at (772) 873-3339 or e-mail her at ccarlton@fau.edu. Remember, the price for the monthly program is $15 for members and $20 for non-members.

At the State Board meeting, we heard a couple of great presentations from the Executive Committee members. Vice President of Accreditation and Certification Jeff Nall, APR, CPRC, gave us information on a “kinder, gentler” CPRC exam and process. If you are considering sitting for your CPRC this year, please let me know and I’ll get you all the information you need to know. Also, Vice President of Golden Image Rachel Smith, APR, CPRC, provided us an update on the Image Awards noting that both the Local and Golden Image Awards have moved into the 21st Century! Some of the categories have been updated, changed and created to reflect the new media that we use to communicate our messages including blogs, podcasts and e-newsletters. Once I receive the information from the State, I’ll be sure to pass it along to you so you can start preparing those award winning applications!

Member Notes:

Congratulations to Adrienne Moore, APR, CPRC, on her recent opportunity to interview Caroline Kennedy at the Get Out The Vote Rally in Port St. Lucie on behalf of WQCS 88.9 FM.

Congratulations to Stacy Ranieri, The Firefly Group, on her recent spotlight in the Treasure Coast Moms Newsletter. Stacy was featured as the very first “Momspiration!” http://www.treasurecoastmoms.com/blogs/2679

Congratulations to Kherri Anderson, Martin County Supervisor of Elections, on the successful election in Martin County last week. Kherri and her co-workers won a Golden Image Award both this year and last.

Congratulations to Fort Pierce Police Department Public Information Officer Audria Moore on her appointment to the Governor’s Commission on Disabilities.

Congratulations to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, Stuart Cardiology and Helping People Succeed for their recent selection as Best Places to Work in both St. Lucie and Martin Counties! FPRA members Mark Weinberg, Lauren Anderson and Dale Kostakos are employees of these organizations.

Thank you and have a wonderful week!
Linette

Big Changes...Exciting Times!

Hello FPRA Treasure Coast!

This is an exciting time for us all! The nation is about to elect a new President, we are nearly half way to our membership goal and the Florida Gators crushed the Georgia Bulldogs! Ahhh, life is good! :-)

We are still trying to confirm a wonderful speaker for our November program, but we promise your patience will pay off. So…please RSVP now for the November 18th monthly program focusing on Government Relations ~ “How Did Public Relations Play a Role in the Elections?” Thankfully, the elections will be “history” at that point; therefore the program will examine how our profession played a key role in shaping perceptions and opinions for local, state and federal elections and voter turnout. This event will be held at the South Florida Water Management District’s Martin/St. Lucie Service Center located at 780 SE Indian Street in Stuart. You can make your reservations online now at http://www.fpratreasurecoast.com/ or by calling Programs Chairman Cara Perry at (772) 873-3339 or e-mail at ccarlton@fau.edu. Remember, beginning in November, the price for the monthly program is $15 for members and $20 for non-members.

Bryan Beaty, President-Elect, Adrienne Moore, APR, CPRC, Immediate Past President and I will be attending the FPRA State Board meeting this Friday and Saturday in Palm Coast. The meeting will be hosted by the Volusia/Flagler Chapter and we will have the opportunity to share our successes with the other Chapters and learn about some of their exciting events and programs so far this year. I’ll give you a complete recap next week.

Adrienne attended last month’s Gold Coast PR Council monthly meeting and had this information to share with us: Presenting at the October meeting were Palm Beach Post Assistant Managing Editor Rick Christie, South Florida Business Journal editor Jeff Zabar, Lynn University Public Information Officer Jason Hughes and Tracy Tilson of Tilson Public Relations. They provided a series of tips related to new procedures since many reporters/contacts are no longer working at area newspapers. Below is a summary of those tips:

• Web, web, web, audio, video and photography - Become familiar with all of these techniques to better serve your clients and to provide access of events to local media. Post high resolution jpegs or videos online and reporters can transfer directly from your website. Putting high resolution in an attachment bogs down the entire email system. Reporters are learning to go to websites.


• Get your own You Tube account and start thinking about tips your clients can provide in short video clips, with updates, and post on their website. Use this video technique for announcements and other information.


• Topics of interest for pitches: Health, Green, Mommy things, Entertainment and the Economy. The Post suggested these topics, while the Business Journal was interested in more traditional business topics, the economy, and unique projects that might benefit businesses.


• If you use a blog, identify yourself and reveal why you are blogging, such as presenting a product, discussing issues related to a product or service. Blogs are synonymous with grassroots campaigns. It is better to put your reasons up front than have bloggers find out later. Several people in the audience said they were getting many more page views since they started blogs.

In case you missed it, the November edition of The Pro is hot off the “presses.” Thanks to Misti Guertin, APR, and Sarah Starr for their efforts and determination in developing and producing such an awesome newsletter!

Finally, congratulations to Laura Kelley, APR, Chairman of the Indian River Council, as she wrapped up the four-part Public Relations Professional Development series in Vero Beach on October 29. In partnership with the Cultural Council of Indian River County, the community service project was a complimentary series aimed at bringing a basic understanding of the value of PR using the RACE formula. Also, a special thanks to our presenters: Bev Paris of Paris Productions; Pat Austin-Novak, APR, of Pat Austin Consulting; and Anne Satterlee, APR, CPRC, of the City of Fort Pierce.

Be sure to vote (if you haven’t already) and have a wonderful week!
Linette