News

Contact: Kristi Williams, PRAL-BR President, 225-215-6625

Baton Rouge, LA – The PRAL Pro Bono Committee hosted a communications planning workshop for area nonprofit organizations on Feb. 27 at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine. Eleven nonprofit groups received social media tips and background from Trace Purvis, LSU’s social media manager, and media relations tips from Kristine Calongne, LSU assistant vice chancellor of communications. The final session paired the nonprofit organizations with PRAL’s accredited public relations practitioners, who answered questions and offered advice about PR plans, event planning, social media and marketing.

The nonprofit groups in attendance included CASA, AMIkids, Capital Area United Way, Cancer Services of Baton Rouge, American Sugar Cane League, Baton Rouge Fire Department and Baton Rouge Fire Department Federal Credit Union, Beauregard-Keyes House, BREC, Greater Baton Rouge Hope Academy, Prevent Child Abuse and Alzheimer’s Services of Baton Rouge.

The following PRAL members volunteered their time to make the workshop a great success: Mary Beth Chevalier, Les Landon, Renee Smith-Tadie, Delia Taylor, John Deveney, Susan Hunt, Lisa Lundy, and Ginger Guttner, chair of the Pro Bono Committee and coordinator of the event.

PRAL hopes to make the workshop an annual event.

PRAL-BR, the Public Relations Association of Louisiana’s Baton Rouge Chapter, is Louisiana's largest, most dynamic public relations organization.

The Public Relations Association of Louisiana honored LSU Manship School of Mass Communication Students Erin Kenna (left) and Jessica Estorino (right) with the William M. Michelet Honorary Award and Jack H. Sanders Memorial Award, respectively, for their demonstration of leadership, talent, and passion for the public relations and communications area of concentration.

"As an organization, we strongly support the development of our future colleagues and are thrilled to present these awards to such accomplished students as Erin and Jessica,” PRAL–Baton Rouge Chapter President Sadie Wilks said.

About Erin Kenna and the William M. Michelet Honorary Award
PRAL awarded Kenna with the 2012 William M. Michelet Honorary Award, a designation that honors the founder of PRAL, a former LSU professor and accomplished public relations practitioner. As a LSU Manship School of Mass Communication Student from Ocean Springs, Miss., Kenna has demonstrated exceptional proficiency in the field of public relations and a strong commitment to community involvement during her time at LSU. Kenna earned an outstanding 3.9 overall grade point average while balancing extensive volunteer involvement in the LSU Student Government and serving as a mentor with Kid’s Hope USA. Additionally, she is a member of LSU Ambassadors and a program assistant for LSU’s acclaimed STRIPES program for first year students. Kenna also participates in the Public Relations Student Society of America – LSU Chapter’s student-run firm, PRestige, where she formerly served as the firm’s webmaster; and holds a part-time position with the LSU Family Association.

To learn more about the William M. Michelet Honorary Award, click here.

About Jessica Estorino and the Jack H. Sanders Memorial Award
PRAL awarded Jessica Estorino of LaPlace, La., with the 2012 Jack H. Sanders Memorial Award, a designation that honors the first president of PRAL and a visionary leader in the field of public relations. Estorino, a junior at LSU, exhibited the proficiency, excellence and dedication to pursuing public relations knowledge, skills and abilities that this award requires. As an intern for the Louisiana Dental Association, she helped to direct Web and social media communications efforts. In her current internship with Young Leaders Academy, Estorino is responsible for the organization’s website, newsletter and media relations. Additionally, she is secretary of the Manship School of Mass Communication College Council, writing director of Roaming Tigers PR, and a member of LSU Ambassadors and the Public Relations Student Society of America – LSU Chapter.

To learn more about the Jack H. Sanders Memorial Award, click here.

To learn more about other awards bestowed by PRAL and the Southern Public Relations Federation, visit pralbr.org.

Southern University’s School of Mass Communication will hold its spring conference on April 18, 2012, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. at Stewart Hall Auditorium on the Southern University campus.

The conference’s theme is “Operating in a Convergent Media Age” and is open to all students pursuing or considering a career in mass communications.

The conference will offer an opportunity for students to network with media professionals and to learn about their daily duties. Students also will learn how to adjust skills and knowledge for a convergent media-driven industry and seek internship and career advice.

For more information, please contact Dr. Yolanda Campbell or Sarah Dugas at subrmassconference@yahoo.com or call 225-223-1804.

The PRSSA/PRAL/PRSA Mixer will be held Thursday, March 15, 2012, in the Holliday Forum of the Manship School of Mass Communications.

The event will be held between 6:00 and 8:30 p.m. Business casual attire is recommended.

PRSA Media Training Workshop
SAVE THE DATE!

• The head of the company has run off with his secretary and $5 million is missing.
• People in multiple states are getting ill and health officials are blaming your restaurant.
• A well known blogger has singled out your company and is posting unflattering commentary daily.

Crisis events can undermine the reputation and stability of any company or organization. A slow or ill-timed response and poor communications can make a bad situation worse.

To help you get better prepared, the Baton Rouge chapter of the Public Relations Society of America has scheduled a media training workshop to help you get prepared.

When?
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
1:00 to 4:30 PM

Where?
Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI)
3113 Valley Creek Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70808

Cost:
PRSA and PRAL members:	$75
Non-members:	$100
Students:	$50

Registration details will soon follow and will be posted on the PRSA-BR website: http://www.prsabatonrouge.org.

The Public Relations Association of Louisiana–Baton Rouge has released the names of those who will be honored at its annual awards banquet and installation of officers on January 24, 2012.

Mike Danna (Louisiana Farm Bureau Mutual public relations director and host of This Week in Louisiana Agriculture) is the PRAL Communicator of the Year; Jesse Hoggard (Louisiana Technology Park director of Communications) is the Practitioner of the Year; John Deveney (Deveney Communication founder) will receive PRAL's First Circle Award; and Les Landon (Louisiana Federation of Teachers director of public relations) is the PRAL Member of the Year.

The banquet will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday, January 24, at Juban's Restaurant, 3739 Perkins Road. Tickets to the banquet are $40, and registration is available here until 5 p.m. Friday, January 20

Each year, PRAL honors two Louisiana students each with $1,000 awards, the Jack H. Sanders Memorial Award and the William M. Michelet Award. The application deadline for both awards is Monday, April 2, 2012.

The Jack H. Sanders Memorial Award is granted annually in honor of Jack H. Sanders, the first president of PRAL and a visionary in the area of public relations, to a Louisiana college junior who has demonstrated proficiency, excellence, and dedication to pursuing public relations knowledge, skills, and abilities.

The William M. Michelet Award is granted annually in honor of William “Bill” MicheletundefinedLSU professor, PRAL founder, and an accomplished public relations practitioner who believes in giving something back to the community through his professionundefinedto a student studying at LSU or Southern University who has demonstrated proficiency in the field of public relations with a strong commitment to community involvement.

Application and materials are due postmarked no later than Monday, April 2, 2012 to Elizabeth Canfield, PRAL Awards Chair, 876 Glenmore Avenue, Baton Rouge, LA 70806—or delivered via email to pralstudentawards@gmail.com in PDF format. Please direct all questions to Elizabeth Canfield at (225) 270-4293 or pralstudentawards@gmail.com.

The Louisiana State University chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) received the Star Chapter Award at the 2011 National Conference held October 14–18, 2011, in Orlando, Fla.

The Star Chapter Award is a national award that encourages each chapter to provide specific programming and relationship-building opportunities for its members and reward the chapter for achieving these goals. The LSU chapter met at least eight of the ten requirements needed to qualify.

Eight LSU students attended the national conference and were able to receive the certificate of recognition for their award.

This year’s national conference theme was “Perception Is Reality: Inspiring Effective Communication.” Public relations professionals led sessions on chapter programming and career development, as well as student workshops on topics such as government relations, sports, nonprofits and healthcare.

Public relation students from around the nation as well as members of the public relations professional organization, Public Relations Society of America, participated in the annual conference.

Each year PRAL recognizes public relations professionals who have demonstrated the highest standards of the profession through presentation of the following awards:

• Practitioner of the Year Award
• Communicator of the Year Award
• First Circle Award

These awards, in addition to the PRAL Member of the Year, Jack H. Sanders Award, and William M. Michelet Award, will be presented at PRAL’s Annual Awards Banquet, Tuesday, January 24, 2012, at Juban’s Restaurant. Please mark your calendars now for this celebratory event, but, more importantly, take some time to think about those in our profession who are deserving of these awards and make your nomination(s) today.

The deadline for submitting is Friday, November 11, 2011. Complete one or more of the nomination forms (found on the “Awards” page of the website). Nominations should be submitted to Annette Droddy, PRAL Awards Committee, Louisiana Dental Association, 7833 Office Park Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70809. Entries can be submitted electronically to annette@ladental.org.

If you have any questions or need more information, please call Amy Nolan, APR, PRAL Baton Rouge Chapter Immediate Past President, at 504-393-7579 or send an e-mail to amydnolan@gmail.com.

Do you write for your job? Do you write more than memos? Do you represent a business, school, church, or non-profit group whose professional writing needs improving?

You are cordially invited to the Pine Belt Chapter of the Public Relations Association of Mississippi's (PRAM) Associated Press Style (AP) and Writing Workshop on Tuesday, August 9 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the campus of Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Miss. The workshop is open to all community members. The AP Style and Writing workshop is perfect for business professionals, journalists and journalism students, radio, television, and media representatives, non-profit workers, web designers, newspaper advisors, and more.

Presenters: Dr. David R. Davies and Ms. Maggie Williams. Davies has been teaching reporting, editing, and media history at Southern Miss since 1991 and has a 10-year journalism career in Arkansas. He is currently Dean of the Southern Miss Honors College. Williams has been teaching at Southern Miss for over 25 years. She advised the award-winning Student Printz newspaper and served as publication manager for the School of Mass Communication and Journalism.

Register Early: Pre-registration is recommended by July 26, 2011. Seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please visit www.pinebeltpram.com to download the workshop registration form. Please complete the registration form and return to us either by mail (with payment) or by email (with promise that payment will be made at workshop check-in).

Cost: The cost is $35 for PRAM members and $45 for non-members. We accept personal check, business check, and cash. At this time, we are not able to accept credit cards. Make checks payable to Pine Belt PRAM.

Special Lunch Invitation: You are invited to a complimentary lunch from 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. on the JCJC campus before the workshop. This is a great chance to network, talk, and meet our presenters. Special thanks for providing lunch goes to our sponsors from the Jones County Junior College Office of Marketing and Public Relations. There are limited seats available for lunch. Please RSVP early.

For those attending both lunch and the workshop:
Lunch: 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
Workshop: 1:30 p.m.–3:30 p.m.

For those attending just the workshop:
Workshop: 1:30 p.m.–3:30 p.m.

Workshop Location: The entire event is on the Jones County Junior College Ellisville campus in the Home and Health Building Auditorium. Map of the JCJC campus and directions to campus, should you need them: http://www.jcjc.edu/maps

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Pine Belt PRAM
www.pinebeltpram.com

The Pine Belt Chapter of PRAM consists of members in the field of public relations or who have a degree in public relations. Membership includes professionals in healthcare, education, government, nonprofits, tourism/economic development, retail, arts/entertainment and industry.

PRAM is committed to building program activities that contribute to the expanded scope of professional achievement of its members and to making valuable contributions to the art and science of public relations policies and practices throughout the area.