President's Message
 I can't believe it's October. Since moving to Florida, I've had a bit of a love-hate relationship with the month of October. I love the fact that the weather changes; we can open our windows again, wear long sleeves outside and eat everything pumpkin. But I'm saddened by the fact that it's also the end of baseball season.
For those of you who don't know me, I'm a huge Red Sox fan. When I was growing up in Boston, I lived close enough to Fenway Park that I could walk there. I have no fewer than three hats in three different colors with a big B, I own Faith Rewarded, the DVD saluting the unbelievable 2004 pennant-winning season, and I get through the winters knowing that Spring Training starts here in Florida in March.
This passion for baseball also sparked one of my other passions — writing. Since grade school, I have loved to write. A few years ago, I found my fourth grade composition book containing nightly paragraphs on current events. Mine, oddly enough, was filled with sport stories. "Jim Lonborg took the mound last night under the lights for a 2-0 victory." Does that sound like a fourth-grade girl to you?
We all have things we're passionate about. Whether it's writing, event-planning, media relations or anything that falls under the big umbrella of PR, we should fuel those skills that make us the best in our profession. Have a great month.
—Andrea Finger, APR
P.S. I'm looking forward to seeing you and other PR, advertising and marketing professionals from around Orlando at the Ultimate Mixer, Oct. 25.
Ultimate Mixer
Presented by PRSA Orlando, FPRA, the Orlando Advertising Federation and the Central Florida AMA chapter
It's time once again for our annual Ultimate Mixer! This much-anticipated event serves as a fundraiser for PRSA Orlando, FRPA, Orlando Advertising Federation and Central Florida AMA.
Join us on Wednesday evening, Oct. 25, to mix and mingle with communications professionals throughout the community.
Date: Wednesday, Oct. 25
Time: 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Place: CityArts Factory, located on the corner of Pine Street & Orange Avenue in downtown Orlando.
The CityArts Factory is a Regional Multi-Use Destination that houses five separate art galleries, a classroom, an artist's studio and an 8,000 square foot events and performance space. For more details, click here.
Cost: $15, which includes appetizers and one drink ticket
Click here to RSVP. You can pay online using PayPal, or pay at the event using cash or check only.
Please include your name, company, title, phone number and e-mail address.
Cancellations received after Oct. 15 and no-shows will be billed.
This year's Ultimate Mixer is made possible thanks to generous sponsors like David Nixon Productions, Hard Rock Cafe, Bong Spirit, Creative Influence: Visionary Graphic Design, Gravity 180, the jeff hall group, Downtown Arts District Orlando, CityArts Factory and Ad2.
Is your company interested in sponsoring a luncheon? For information on sponsorship packages, contact Mike Ertel at ertel@voteseminole.org or Dan Ward at dward@thestrategicfirm.com.
Membership Special
By Mason Moore
If you've been contemplating joining PRSA or know someone who has, there has never been a better time to join. With the new back-to-school special offer, all new and reinstated members (inactive for more than one year) who join from Sept. 1 to Oct. 31 will receive a voucher good for $60 off the cost of one of PRSA National's teleseminars or on-site seminars (not good for Chapter programs or the International Conference). The promotion is limited to those who join as Full Members. Associate Members are not eligible for this offer, but are still welcome to join.
Costs for joining during this special promotion are as follows:
- National Dues Initiation Fee - $65 (one-time fee)
- Annual Fee - $225
- Local Dues Annual Fee - $50* (optional)
- Total: $290 (including optional Local Chapter dues)
*Membership in your local Chapter is optional, but please be aware that nearly 90 percent of PRSA members currently reap the benefits of Chapter membership.
To join, please click the back-to-school graphic at prsa.org, complete the online application and be sure to indicate Promotion Code: School 2006.
The many benefits of joining include professional growth, networking opportunities, leadership training, career development tools and strategic resources. If you are already a member, please pass this information along to your friends and colleagues who might be interested. For more information, visit prsa.org or contact Mason Moore, Vice President of Member Recruitment for the Orlando Chapter, at mmoore@fhbnet.com.
Florida's Blood Centers wins 2006 PRSA Orlando/Frank R. Stansberry Ethics Award
After carefully reviewing the entries, the PRSA Orlando Ethics Committee selected Florida's Blood Centers as the 2006 PRSA Orlando/Frank R. Stansberry Ethics Award winner.
While it was a difficult decision, Florida's Blood Centers clearly stood out, says Allen Moore, PRSA Orlando Ethics Chair.
In effect, Florida's Blood Centers not only talked the ethics talk, but also walked the ethics walk," he says.
In addition to practicing the organization's ethics code, Florida's Blood Centers submits to government regulations and standards that aren't mandatory. The organization also has a passion for doing what's right, even if it's not convenient, Allen says.
When Florida's Blood Centers took over operations of a South Florida blood collection agency, it went to great expense to offset the problems troubling that agency. "The organization put its money where its mouth is to make things right," Allen says.
Frank Stansberry, APR, the namesake of the award, commended the phenomenal entries, but says Florida's Blood Centers has a soft spot in his heart for what it's done in the community for the needs of the community.
Nick Pestillo, Chief Marketing Officer for Florida's Blood Centers, accepted the award on behalf of the company during the September ethics luncheon. Florida's Blood Centers was established more than 60 years ago to serve a safe and adequate blood supply to the community, he says. The organization has extreme responsibilities to donors, hospitals and the community, and its benchmarks direct employees to practice integrity, respect, dignity and safety in all they do.
Florida's Blood Centers employees serve their organization and the community by practicing the four steps to success and a better workplace:
- Make yesterday better than today.
- Give standard operating procedures total discipline — be innovative in other duties.
- Give co-workers the RED treatment: Respect, Equality and Dignity.
- Donors are number one — let them know it every day.
Congratulations, Florida's Blood Centers!
New Members
PRSA Orlando welcomes the following new members:
- Kelly Kwas, Orange County Government
- Jennifer Still, Barbes Publishing
Ten Minutes/Ten Questions
Name: Mason Moore
Occupation: Account Supervisor in the PR division of Fry Hammond Barr
PRSA Involvement: Vice President, Membership Recruitment for the Orlando Chapter
Person who has most influenced your life: My parents. They taught me positive values including the importance of a strong work ethic. I've been able to learn from their experiences, successes and mistakes.
Quote to live by: LIVESTRONG —Lance Armstrong
What made you choose PR as a profession: Working in PR, especially in the agency environment, has enabled me to learn about and experience a wide variety of industries. The challenge of having to learn a client's culture and business in a relatively short amount of time is what appealed to me the most.
Best PR advice you ever received: The most overlooked quality needed to be a good PR practitioner is the ability to listen.
Greatest accomplishment: Being a cancer survivor.
Favorite thing to do on the weekend: Spending time outdoors. Whether it's going to a UCF football game, going to the beach, or simply taking our dog Eli to the park, I like to take advantage of what makes living in Florida special.
Something nobody really knows about you: Being a native Floridian and someone who enjoys the outdoors, you'd think I'd be used to them, but I HATE SNAKES!
Looking for freelance writers
Central Florida Doctor magazine is now interviewing freelance writers to fulfill the growing needs of the lifestyle publication. No experience in medical or healthcare writing is necessary, as most articles are features or human-interest pieces. Send resume and writing samples to editor@cfdoctor.com, or call (407) 691-5135 for more information.
In case you missed QuickStart 2006. . .
By Heather Kinghorn
Each time another e-mail popped up promoting the QuickStart Leadership Conference, I became more interested and more intrigued. Still, for one reason or another, it kept slipping off my radar. Luckily, I was fortunate enough to attend through a scholarship from PRSA Orlando, and the conference proved to be invaluable. I also learned a valuable piece of advice from PRSA National President-Elect Rhoda Weiss, APR, Fellow PRSA — something I'd like to share with those who, like me, may get a bit discouraged by the price of a conference.
First, however, those who weren't able to make the Saturday conference or the Friday evening dinner at Geri Evans' beautiful home, I encourage you to mark your calendars once next year's QuickStart promotion appears in your inbox! Socializing with those in your profession is one of the best benefits PRSA offers, and this event really compounds it. Not to mention that Geri is by far the best hostess I've ever had the pleasure to socialize with!
Saturday's conference not only provided great insights on strengthening our chapter, but it also offered tips on taking advantage of PRSA's resources on the Web right at our fingertips. Rhoda specifically referred to the Professional Resource Center, which offers hundreds of case studies to reference for just about any campaign or event you're planning.
But this is perhaps her most valuable tip: invest in yourself and your career. Which goes back to my initial thought — it's easier than you think to afford that conference you've been contemplating. How? Set aside a little cash each week. Buy coffee each day? (From one coffee addict to another, I would never ask you to stop drinking coffee — that's just absurd!) But, you could make your own each day and just put $3 or $4 aside. And, voila! Rhoda calls it career insurance — you buy car insurance, homeowner's insurance, life insurance . . . isn't your career worth insuring, too?
And all that valuable advice — and more — was only in the first hour of the conference! PRSA National's Director of Public Relations, Cedric Bess, also shared great ideas, and chapter leaders from around the state shared what works best in their own chapters. From finance, programming, scholarships and awards to accreditation and smooth transitions, the day was filled with great ideas to implement to help build a stronger chapter.
What do you want out of your membership? Do you have great ideas? Share them! Get involved! And don't forget to make it to next year's Quick Start Leadership Conference!
Membership Information
Remember to update your membership information through PRSA National. Click here to log in to PRSA's MemberNet and update your information or make sure it's current.
Did you receive your 2006 PRSA Orlando Membership Directory? If you haven't, contact Mason Moore at mmoore@fhbnet.com.
PR grant available for nonprofits
For the fourth consecutive year, CyberAlert Inc. will award public relations grants to a minimum of 10 not-for-profit organizations in the United States and Canada. Each grant consists of one full year of free press clipping/media monitoring service from CyberAlert, ranging in value from $2,700 to $3,900.
CyberAlert is accepting grant applications until Dec. 31 and will announce recipients in early January. A simple and secure grant application is available online at https://secure.cyberalert.com/grants.html.
A complete copy of the news release announcing the program can be seen at http://www.cyberalert.com/prgrants_news2007.html. The news release includes some previous PR grant recipients.
Founded in 1999, CyberAlert is a worldwide press clipping, media monitoring, broadcast monitoring and Web clipping service. Its CyberAlert® 4.0 worldwide news monitoring service monitors more than 25,000 online news sources each day in 17 languages. The company's TV broadcast monitoring service monitors the closed caption text of more than 2,100 news programs on more than 500 TV stations in the Top 100 markets in the United States. To monitor consumer discussion (online word-of-mouth), its NetPinions service monitors more than 95,000 Web message boards and UseNet news groups for consumer insight about companies, products, key issues and trends, and its BlogSquirrel service monitors more than 5 million blog postings each day from 20 million blogs worldwide.
Check out the Job Bank
Keep checking PRSA Orlando's up-to-date job bank for the latest openings in Central Florida.
Or, if you're looking for the best talent in the area, post your company's open positions on the site.
Recent postings include available positions at:
- The Institute of Internal Auditors — Altamonte Springs
- Wyndham Vacation Ownership Inc. — Orlando
- Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
- National Recreation and Park Association — Washington, D.C.
Click below to check it out!
Submissions
To submit stories or ideas for the PRSA newsletter, please contact Communications VP Michelle Lynch.
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