Electronic Newsletters Save Money, Speed Communications

At Valley United Way, we always strive to keep the community informed on a timely basis about what is going on at United Way. The most timely and cost efficient way of doing that is with our website (valleyunitedway.org) which is updated constantly. It contains all the latest information as well as tons of pictures and videos. We're proud that back in the mid 1990's, we were the first United Way in Connecticut - and one of the first in the entire country- to see that the Internet was going to be much more than a fad, but a real tool.

At the same time, we have maintained a traditional printed newsletter that is mailed to the community periodically. We don't do that as often as we did in the past because of the time and expense involved - and also because the news in it may be weeks or months old in some cases. However, we also recognize the impact and value of a printed newsletter and the fact that many in the community have not fully embraced electronic media. For those reasons, we will continue to publish the hard copy, but probably only twice a year.

We have been doing electronic newsletters for several years now, but during the past year we have been able to use a great new service to manage the production and dissemination of the newsletter using the Constant Contact Service. Constant Contact has made this service available to us free of charge, and it has dramatically improved our efforts at no additional costs. This is an "opt-in" service where users choose to subscribe to the newsletter rather than having it "spammed" to them. By managing our mailing lists, Constant Contact sifts out out-of-date addresses and allows users to manage the newsletters that they receive. They also maintain our newsletter archives, so that users can go back and read earlier newsletters at their leisure.

If you are not already subscribed to our electronic newsletter, click here to access the on-line sign up form. You simply enter your e-mail address and hit GO to be sent to the registration page where you can customize your choices. We currently have a general newsletter and one for the Corporate Cup, but may add others in the future. You can subscribe or unsubscribe at any time.

We are also heavily involved in other electronic communication efforts. If you visit our website, you can find links to our Twitter account for instantaneous news from us, our YouTube channel for all the latest videos from Valley United Way, and yes even our Facebook page. We firmly believe that the more that you know about us, the more that you will understand the true value of Valley United Way. We try to make it as easy as possible, and we value your feedback on how we are doing. This blog offers a great opportunity to comment on those efforts, but e-mails are always welcome as well.

Gifts in Kind Program Truly is a Gift

One of the under-utilized services provided by Valley United Way is our Gifts in Kind Program which combines the power of a large international source of product donations with a local, personal touch for the benefit of area nonprofits. Valley United Way is the local sponsor of Gifts in Kind International. Gifts In Kind describes itself as "the largest charity in the world that focuses on new product donations from corporations. We, in turn, provide these new products to 150,000 community charities in America and throughout the world. Gifts In Kind partners with thousands of companies, including nearly half of the Fortune 100 consumer and retail product corporations. IBM, Mattel, Gap, Avon, Office Depot, HP, Adobe, Bed Bath & Beyond, Dell, Nike, RadioShack, Hanesbrands, and Talbots. Many more leading corporations make their in-kind donations through Gifts In Kind International."

Because we are the local sponsor of the program, any Valley nonprofit organization can receive products through this program. Much of the software that we use here at Valley United Way has come through the Gifts in Kind program as well as another that I will describe later. Agencies who want to take advantage of the program should simply visit the Gifts in Kind website to see what is available. If they find something that they need, they can contact us and we can provide them with our local ID which will allow them to obtain their needed products. There is usually a small handling fee, but it is minimal in comparison to the value of the donated products. You can view a sample catalog of products by clicking here.

We have also been successful in developing our own local version of the program using our network of Valley nonprofits linked to the Valley Council for Health & Human Services. We often get calls from people and companies looking to donate surplus products. Though we do not have the ability to warehouse such items, we can see if there is an agency that has a need and match them with the donor to complete a match. Furniture and computer equipment have been popular items, but we've had some unusual items including an 800 pound safe that were donated through this program.

I should also point out that our Volunteer Solutions website offers agencies an opportunity to post a wish list of items that they need and also for donors to list items that they are looking to donate. We'll post more about that in another blog.

Finally, I want to point out another tremendous source of computer software products for nonprofits to access. TechSoup.org has been around for years, and is simply unbeatable for software donations. We have the latest Microsoft Office products on all our machines at United Way because we were able to purchase the licenses through TechSoup. The license fees cost us only $20 per computer! I am also on the board of directors at the Derby Neck Library, and when the new computer center in the building addition was opened, we saved thousands of dollars using the Microsoft program. At that time, it was available through Gifts in Kind, but is now administered by Tech Soup.

At any time, Gifts in Kind is an incredible resource for the nonprofit community. During difficult economic times like we are in now, it is a necessity that should not be overlooked.

UPDATE: Ironically, five minutes after this blog was posted, a Shelton woman called to donate an electric stove as she had purchased a new one, and didn't want the old one to go waste because it is still in good condition. We'll update you if we get a new home for the stove!

Giving Away Money Is Never Easy!

Every year when we start a new Youth Leadership Group, I tell them that at the end of the program they will be giving money away through an allocation process, and that giving away money is not easy! On first thought it would seem that giving money away would be very easy, but on further examination you quickly realize the responsibility that goes along with giving away money - particularly when it's not yours!

Consider that one of the greatest philanthropist's of all time, Andrew Carnegie, set a goal of giving away all his money before he died - and he was not able to succeed. Why? It's really quite simple. When you give money away, you want to make sure that you are doing it responsibly and using the money wisely. Carnegie and the staff that he hired to help him were very careful in examining all the requests that came to him before making actual funding decisions. Most of their decisions turned out to be correct, and we even see one example right here in our Valley with the Derby Neck Library which is one of the many libraries receiving funding from Carnegie.

That same attention to detail comes into play here at Valley United Way with our annual funding process just completed. The full list of allocations made can be found on our website, but I want to take a minute to thank our volunteers who took on the task of analyzing the requests for funding that we received this year. The process actually began in April when agencies submitted their requests. For the second year in a row, we have utilized a paperless process. Agencies completed the entire application on line, and then our volunteers came together to get their assignments. We had twenty-eight volunteers under the able leadership of Peter Galla this year. They were split into panels for health, social services and youth with each volunteer reviewing two agencies along with a partner.

All of the "paperwork" was on-line for the volunteers, but the real key for each was a face to face meeting with the agencies. This gives the volunteers an opportunity to ask questions about programs and financial information and to get a real feel for the services delivered by the agencies. It's also "show time" for the agencies as they can highlight the value of their services and give the volunteers a tour of their agencies. One year, the Girl Scouts brought along some of the Scouts to make their case. It was very effective as the girls ended up in the United Way video that year!

Once the evaluations are completed, the volunteers come together to compare notes and make funding decisions. That's when reality sets in, and it becomes obvious that there is not enough money available to fund everything being recommended. The volunteers then have to really sharpen their pencils and make the numbers work. This is the hardest part of the job as the volunteers recognize that every cut means fewer services will be available and that they need to balance all of the areas of need. It's not an easy task, but it is one that they do with fairness and compassion.

Their recommendations are then presented to the Board of Directors who make the final decisions. When times are tough and funding is tight, it takes the wisdom of Solomon to make the difficult choices that need to be made, but I want to thank all of our volunteers and the Board of Directors for their work this year.

Now that they are done, maybe we can send them to Hartford to help the governor and our legislators!!

Perkin Elmer Wins Again!

Perkin Elmer is the 2009 Griffin Hospital Community Corporate Champion, but that's getting to be old news at Perkin Elmer as this is their third straight win and allows them to become the fourth team to retire a Corporate Cup with three wins. It was a very impressive performance this year as the dominated the series by winning five of the nine events and never finishing lower than fifth in any one of them. The complete story is on the Corporate Cup web page including a video interview with the winners and the complete final standings.

At one point in the interview, I asked Bob VanEgghen about the keys to Perkin Elmer's domination the last three years, and he immediately spoke about their persistence. Off camera, Geraint Phillips jokingly noted that the real key is the fact that he came to the Shelton facility three years ago, and Perkin Elmer has won every year since! That's no idle boast as Geraint competed in several events and is one of the great Healthy Team success stories this year. On top of that, his wife Kate was the first female across the finish line in the 5K Road Race.

This year's Cup event included the addition of a 5K run and Wiffle Ball as a new event. We welcomed BIC Corporation and Barnum Financial Group as new competitors. Griffin Hospital celebrated its 100th birthday and opened the new Cancer Center and their Cardiac Rehab Center for Healthy Team testing. As I mentioned last night, the sportsmanship displayed by everyone this year was extraordianary and contributed to the enjoyment of all.

Our real hope is that everyone who participated benefitted from the experience. We'll need to add up the weight lost, cholesterol scores improved and blood pressure results that have dropped, but just discussing the event with participants shows that they have benefitted from their involvement.

I want to thank our name sponsor, Griffin Hospital, for the incredible job that they do in promoting wellness in our community. Most people think of hospitals as just a place to treat the sick. Griffin Hospital goes way beyond that in trying to keep us all well.

I also wnat to thank our other partners the Valley YMCA and the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce. It's a partnership that we really value and which works excpetionally well.

I also want to thank our hosts for all of this year's events. Without their support, there could not be a Corporate Cup.

And finally, I want to thank everyone who participated. It was exciting to see so many people enjoying themselves while contributing their own health.

See you next year!!

The old and the new this week in the Valley

This is a very big week in the Valley as we will be celebrating a 100th Birthday and also the birth of a new venture in communications. By now, most of you are probably aware from several other stories that we have featured on our website and this blog that Griffin Hospital is 100 years old this year - and they are celebrating with a big community birthday party on Saturday. But prior to that - on Tuesday at 4:30 to be precise, we are going to see the launch of the The Valley Independent Sentinel - the Valley's own on-line newsletter!

Having been born at Griffin Hospital - though not 100 years ago! - I have a special interest and pride in the achievements of our local hospital. They have accomplished a lot and positively impacted thousands upon thousands of lives here in the Valley. We are fortunate to have a community hospital in our midst that is ready, willing and able to meet our health needs. The past year has seen the hospital advance dramatically with the opening of the Cancer Center and the new Imaging & Diagnostics Center.

Saturday's event runs from 11 A.M. to 3 P.M. and includes tours, family fun, kids activities and much more. They are also looking for stories and pictures from people who have used the hospital. Bring along those old baby pictures!

On Tuesday, the Valley will give birth to its own on-line newspaper when the Valley Independent Sentinel prints - no publishes - its first edition. For those still mourning the death of the old Evening Sentinel, this new electronic version promises to be chuck full of the latest news - but only from the Valley. This unique venture is actually a nonprofit sponsored by the Online Journalism Project, Inc. and funded with through grants from the Valley Community Foundation with a major grant from the John S. & James L. Knight Foundation.

We are fortunate in the Valley to be served by regional daily newspapers as well as local weekly newspapers, and the Valley Independent Sentinel will be a welcome addition to the flow of information in the Valley. Years ago when we started The Electronic Valley, the Valley's on-line website participants were bemoaning the loss of the Evening Sentinel and radio station WADS. The costs of starting a printed daily newspaper or a new radio station were prohibitive and the technology was already advancing electronically, so The Electronic Valley was launched and has provided the Valley with an Internet presence ever since. It was never designed to be a newspaper, but rather a constantly changing resource of information for and about the Valley. The Valley Independent Sentinel injects a new form of electronic journalism that offers incredible potential. Now, how about an Internet Radio Station - or a daily podcast of Valley news??

Stop by Ansonia City Hall tomorrow at 4:00 P.M. to be part of the launch or simply log on to read the firs edition!

Corporate Volunteer Council and Volunteer Center Upcoming Events

Welcome to my first blog post! I am excited to be able to share what is happening in the Valley United Way's Volunteer Center is this innovative new way. Visit regularly to keep up-to-date on the great things VUW volunteers are doing in our community.

For those of you who may not know about the Volunteer Center, we serve the Valley by bringing caring people together to meet community need. Working with employees from Valley businesses that participate on the Corporate Volunteer Council, and with students from local high schools that make up our High School Volunteer Council and Youth Leadership Group, we coordinate a variety of volunteer efforts that improve lives in our community. For more information, visit the Volunteer Center page on http://www.valleyunitedway.org/.

Exciting things are in the works by our Corporate Volunteer Council --
On July 16, we will kick off our first Volunteer Recruitment Social Event from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at Basement Systems in Seymour. We welcome all CVC companies -- and all other Valley businesses who are interested in joining the Corporate Volunteer Council. Contact Dan Fitzgerald of Basement Systems at danf@basementsystems.com for more information.

The CVC has chosen Irving and Bradley elementary schools in Derby to be the recipients of this year's Back to School Clothes for Kids program. Student profile sheets will be available beginning June 29. Contact Carol Anzidei at carol.anzidei@valleyunitedway.org to participate in the program.

We are proud to announce plans for Harvest House III -- a house of donated food to be built on Shelton's Riverwalk from September 24 - 28th. Food collected for Harvest House will be distributed to the Valley hungry by seven different food banks and charitable agencies.

More information about all of these events will be posted shortly. Be sure to check the Valley United Way's website -- and my blog -- on a regular basis!

I want to hear from you! How is your company, school or civic group supporting VUW volunteer efforts? Share your comments, ideas, and best practices with other groups by posting them or emailing me.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has" - Margaret Mead

A HUGE THANK YOU!

Each day I look at the pictures on our website, www.valleyunitedway.org
I chuckle! What a great night! But it would not have been possible without the help of some very special people.

First, our sponsors: Bob Scinto, for allowing us the use of the beautifully renovated Il Palio Restaurant; Ed, Rakesh & Ray from Cork & Keg for providing the beer and wine and Charlie Sullivan of John J. Sullivan's Restaurant for providing the tequila sunrises and Harvey Wall bangers for the evening.

Also, to Cindi Robinson-general manager,Jeff Urban-executive chef and Sue-our talented bartender of Il Palio, for their excellent food and service. And of course, Bill Piaciatelli, our wonderful DJ who had people dancing to the 70's for hours. In addition, thanks to our volunteers, Joyce Saltes, Liz Egan, John Ready, Allison Wilson, Adrienne Cabral, Melissa Pucci and Patricia Tarasovic who helped with registration, photography and raffle tickets sales. They were just the BEST!!!

Our silent auction donators: Bob Scinto & his daughter Katie for the Bluefish box seats, Mike Quoka of Oxford Paint and Hardware for the Ducane Gas Grill, Bob Grier Photography for the Cleveland golf putter, Linda Holmes-Hannon of Homewood Suites for the overnight stay and Charlie Nolan of Soundview Food Service for the gift certificate toward a catered event.

Our raffle prize donators: John J. Sullivans, Center Stage, Panache Hair Design, Yankee Clipper, B & L Men's Store, Brookside Inn, Latex Foam, Maria's Hair Gallery, Melissa Pucci, PJ's and Company, River Restaurant, Simply Body Walmart and Townline Storage for their gift certificates!

Oh and I can't forget, a million thanks to all of you who attended our 70's night! With the funds we raised, we will be assisting those in need to improve their quality of life. Have a great weekend!

"Live United" - More than a slogan at Valley United Way

For more than a year now, we have been promoting the value of "Living United" and featured many stories of people and groups from around the Valley who make this a better community through individual and group initiatives. There are many ways to share "time, talent and treasure" and at United Way we like to promote and recognize those efforts.

At the same time, we also Live United ourselves with staff members and our volunteer leaders being involved in a wide variety of community activities not associated with United Way. One of those connections is one that Pat Tarasovic and I have with Rotary. We are both members and Past Presidents of the Derby/Shelton Rotary Club. Dave Grant, Vice Chair of United Way's Board of Directors is also a member and Past President of the Club.

Last night the Club held its annual installation dinner at which it celebrated the extraordinary accomplishments of the Club during the past year's tenure of President Linda Holmes-Hannon. The Club has done some amazing things in the last year and its record in giving back to the community is exceptional. At the same time, Dave was installed as the new President of the Derby/Shelton Rotary Club. In the long history of the Club - It was founded in 1927 - no one has ever come back to serve a second term, and now Dave will be the first! The motto of Rotary is "Service Above Self" and you might say that Dave takes it to the extreme as he was even seen serving food in the buffet line!

Pat and I were pleasently surprised to receive some special honors from the Club as well. Linda presented Pat with a Paul Harris Fellow award for her outstanding contributions to the Club over the years, and I was given the Rotarian of the Year Award. I think we were both very honored and humbled to receive special recognition for things that we consider to be ordinary.

When I arrived home after the event, I had an e-mail from the Housatonic Council of the Boy Scouts of America announcing their Good Scout Award. It was no surprise to learn that they are presenting the award to Fletcher Thompson, Inc. for all they do for Scouting. Fletcher Thompson is also a great supporter of United Way, and Mike Marcinek is our current Board Chair and a four time Campaign Chairman. In the years since they moved to the Valley, they have become a leading corporate citizen and an example for others to follow.

As I said earlier, Live United is more than a slogan here at United Way, and every once in a while it's good to pause and think about how we can all make a difference by "Living United" in our own way.

CPTV - United Ways Focus on Volunteerism

Valley United Way is very pleased to be taking part in a new initiative, The Power ofGiving: Stories of Volunteerism, currently being presented by Connecticut Public Television. Valley United Way has long been a leader in promoting volunteerism in the Valley and established its own Volunteer Center in the early '90's. It was also one of the first United Ways in the entire country to adopt the Volunteer Solutions on-line tool as a means of making it easy for volunteers to find opportunities in the community.

CPTV had a major success in 2008 when they conducted a "volunteer-a-thon" instead of a pledge drive as part of their Connecting Our Communities initiative. They partnered with United way 2-1-1 to assist with the numerous calls received. This year, they are expanding on those efforts with "The Power of Giving: Stories of Volunteerism" effort. They were working with United Way of Connecticut when Rick Porth head of United Way of Connecticut called me seeking my input as I am currently serving as Chair of the CPO Council of United Ways in the state. I was enthused about the prospect, and Rick invited me to a meeting with CPTV representatives. However, I couldn't make the meting, and that was a good thing as I sent Pat Tarasovic, our Volunteer Center Director instead. Pat is our resident expert on volunteerism and the perfect person for the CPTV people to speak to meet. That meeting went extremely well and we bought in as a local United Way.

Last week CPTV representatives came to our state CPO meeting to discuss the partnersip which was endorsed unanimously by the CPO Council. On a side note - Nancy Bauer, who was one of the CPTV representatives driving the project on their end is an Oxford resident and a former student on mine from my earlier years as a teacher at St. Michael School in Derby - though we won't say how long ago that was!

The full story is on our website, but we are fully supportive of this effort and our own continuing efforts to encourage volunteerism by making it easier for both potential volunteers and agencies needign their services to make a match.

Supplemental FEMA Funding Helps in Valley

FEMA funding provides dollars to communities all across the country to meet basic needs such as emergency shelter and food. Here in the Valley annual FEMA funding has been available for more than 25 years. The funding formula is based on unemployment figures in the area and varies from year to year. Valley United Way serves as the local coordinator for the program bringing together local providers to work on an equitable distribution of dollars that is then passed on for regional funding decisions in New Haven and Bridgeport.

This past year has been a remarkable one as funding to the Valley through the annual allocation reached a record breaking $96,446. You can see how the dollars were distributed on our website.

Needless to say, the additional funding could not have come at a better time as agencies are also reporting record demand for services.

We recently received notice that the the American Recovery and Reinvestment ACT includes additional funding for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program, and the Valley is eligible for an additional $44,000 in funding. Agencies were invited to submit applications for the funds, and we held a local meeting to discuss the best use of the funds in light of the current situation in the Valley. Recommendations have been made for the effective distribution to cover the expenses for additional shelter, food and some limited rent & mortgage assistance. The actual funding decisions are being made by the regional coordinating councils which are facilitated by the United Ways in New Haven and Bridgeport. We will post the decisions on the United Way website as soon as they are finalized.

I want to thank the providers of emergency services in the Valley for their cooperation and coordination in making sure that the dollars available are put to the best possible use. The agencies do a great job in working together for the benefit of everyone in the community in need, and they should be commended for their efforts not only for what they do at their own agencies, but also for working so well with other agencies.

OH WHAT A NIGHT!

Well, it wasn't late December back in '63 but it sure was mid-June in the 70's! Community members dressed in their 'finest' were out to display their leisure suits, bell bottoms, headbands, platform shoes, 70's wigs, etc....FABULOUS!!!

From the wonderful 70's themed foods sponsored by Il Palio, to the great wines sponsored by Cork & Keg of Shelton, Tequila Sunrises and Harvey Wall Bangers sponsored by John J Sullivan's of Ansonia, to the groovy music of Bill Piaciatelli our DJ, the night was one to remember.

Special thanks to the group from Fletcher-Thompson, Inc. who definitely took the group prize for 70's garb! Then of course there was our own Chamber President, Bill Purcell in his white leisure suit, red sequins shirt and brown wig, as well as Diane Stroman, TEAM's Executive Director who looked like a million bucks in her spaghetti strapped dress, dark glasses and great wig! Fletcher-Thompson's CFO Mike Marcinek and Bill Purcell competed for a while for the John Travolta prize doing splits on the dance floor. Wonder how their legs feel today?? Valley United Way's Volunteer Director Pat Tarasovic and our Marketing/Communications Assistant John Ready also were adorned with great wigs and outfits! Check out our website www.valleyunitedway.org over the next day or so to experience all of the excitement!

Besides having a great night of fun and entertainment, we raised funds to help needy members of our community! That's what it is all about.

OH WHAT A NIGHT TO REMEMBER.....Thanks to everyone who attended and helped out!

TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT!

Is your leisure suit ready?? Have you practiced your hustle and BUMP moves in those platform shoes? The 70’s party is ready to go!
Hope to see you tonight at Il Palio, 5 Corporate Drive in Shelton from 5-8pm. Beer, wine, 70’s themed drinks/food, dancing and a raffle/silent auction. Bring your friends and co-workers. $35 if you pre-register today or $40 at the door. It will be a great evening and I promise you will see some WONDERFUL outfits! Maybe even a dance contest??? Join us! www.valleyunitedway.com
Groovy……………………

THE FINAL EVENT

A bit dreary of an evening but no less I had to partake in my final event for the corporate cup! The 2 Mile Fun Walk. NO PROBLEM!!! Changed my clothes, donned my sneakers and off I went over to Prendergast School in Ansonia. As I approached the school I could see the orange cones lining the street, flashing lights of the police cars and people walking all over! I looked over at the parking lot as the policeman was flagging me down, I thought great, I can get in this lot! WRONG! He said your best bet was to drive to the opposite end of this circle and walk back here from there! Hmmm, I guess now I will be walking 3 miles, NO PROBLEM. I obeyed and parked wayyyyyyyyyyy at the other end of the circle.

What I thought was going to be about 100 runners/walkers was actually about 200! What a wonderful turnout! Groups of friends and co-workers but where were all these people for the Corporate Cup events? Then I found out the race was open to the public. It was great! Old friends, new friends, friends from the United Way agencies and many from companies who participate in corporate campaigns just to name a few.

I hooked up with a great old time friend, Dorothy Gleason, and off we went. Runners and walkers, this sea of people embarked on the hilltop of Ansonia. I just happened to start next to Mayor Dellavolpe who was greeting everyone. (Never saw him start the race though, I think he escaped!) We had a great pace throughout and finished in about 31 minutes. Chatted the entire way, catching up on old times.

At the finish, there was plenty of pasta, bananas, watermelon and water for all. The sun was setting and it was time to go home. All in all a great evening and I walked my 2+ miles in no time!

Corporate Cup Run/Walk Was Fun for All

Last night's Corporate Cup Run/Walk which was part of the larger Valley YMCA Sunset 5K race was a lot brighter than the weather for the more than 200 participants. Nearly 100 of the walkers and runners were Corporate Cup participants trying to squeeze out the last possible points towards this year's final standings.

Perkin Elmer was out in force with the largest delegation of runners; but BIC, TEAM, Inc., Birmingham Group Health Services, the Valley Y and Spectrum Plastics also had great participation. The overall winner of the race was Phil Padilla from Shelton who topped the field by almost two minutes in 16:08. Perkin Elmer's Jeff Roginielewicz, a former Derby High School star, was the first Corporate Cup runner and third overall across the line in 18:32. Perkin Elmer's Kate Phillips was the first female Corporate Cup finisher in a time of 23:19 marking Perkin Elmer's domination of the event. Jenn Ardrey of Milford was the female winner in a time of 21:35.

It was a cool and cloudy evening - just right for a nice run or walk. There were a lot of smiling faces throughout the evening, but I don't think any were brighter than Carl Campbell's. That's him (#233) on the right in the picture above finishing with Jim Cronin of the Birmingham Group. As you can tell from the picture, darkness was approaching rapidly as they finished their walk. No one drew a bigger cheer on the evening than Glen however. You see, he is 93 years old and just took up walking in the last two years! Though not a Corporate Cup participant, his determination to improve his health through exercise embodies the very reason for the Corporate Cup and the Healthy Team competition, and we congratulate him for finishing - and winning his age group!! You can click here to see our photo album of many of the participants.

The final Corporate Cup results will be announced at the Awards Reception on June 23 at Griffin Hospital. Make your reservations now!

Jessica Alba plasters great white shark awareness poster over United Way billboard in Oklahoma

In the non-profit realm, funding is always scarce. In fact, the cost of many advertising mediums, such as billboards, are underwritten or sponsored by companies and individuals.

Now the peculiar question arises. What happens when a celebrity defaces a corporate message, which was provided by stakeholders, by arbitrarily plastering posters of sea-life awareness to the very poster serving as a United Way corporate vehicle, in a state that is not even touched by sea water or threatened by attacks from the animal she is attempting to raise awareness of?

This story isn’t made up. Nor is it being taken lightly by Oklahoma City police. Ms. Alba is currently under investigation. You can read the story on TMZ, where the picture was taken from, by clicking here.

So what does it all mean?
Ms. Alba’s vaulting ambition and vandalism, based on a snap decision to endorse a shark-saving campaign, will attract a large media spotlight and will inevitably, with or without police apprehension, place her in the court of public opinion. This gives way to reputation management. How does she restore her image and to whom does she appeal to?

Since she has already acted on the incident, I believe she has three options. Do nothing is always an option but will not be considered because she has begun communicating and apologizing. She can either continue communicating directly to the public, continue to evidently endorse the ‘great white shark awareness’ program or endorse United Way and communicate through them.

Communicating to the public will only go so far because people demand action. And if she does not practice humility in her action and response, the public will humili-ATE her. Continuing to endorse this shark campaign will hurt her image because her reckless advocacy was conducted illegally, it damaged her reputation and she can potentially end up with fines or community service requirements. Communicating through United Way as a means of repairing her reputation will benefit both parties.

Ms. Alba has apologized immediately and offered to pay for the cost of the billboard. Her addressing the issue as soon as possible was critical in gaining the first-mover advantage. She came forward, admitted her wrong doings and filled the media vacuum with first hand information before rumors could emerge and spiral out of control.

What could she do to save her image?
This is one man’s opinion, but if I were managing her public relations I would advise the following:

Publically drop the shark support – It is irrelevant especially in Oklahoma, she has no past advocacy and spurt of the moment endorsement decisions can land celebrities like her in a lot of hot water.

Clean up her fishy festivities – She should assist in breaking down the defaced billboard and help workers fist-hand in constructing a new United Way billboard, which she paid the cost for. This action in particular will speak louder than an apology, no matter how many times she says, “I’m sorry.”

Empathize with United Way publically – Get in to the field office covering Oklahoma City and learn the facts of how United Way works and communicate publically. Public relations works as a revolving door. The PR person helps deliver the corporate speech, interprets the public(s) and delivers reactions and feelings to management, advising management by making predictions that more often than not come true. Coincidently, this will apply to Ms. Alba, even if she will not need to perform community service as legal penance. She can easily restore her image by working with United Way as a communicator (not a spokesperson). She easily can advocate in the Oklahoma City area or her hometown, or wherever for that matter. Her celebrity status and her current fixation within the media/social spotlight will draw attention to her actions, benefiting both causes – United Way and Ms. Alba’s reputation.

Where the rubber meets the road
United Way is receiving more press because of this incident. While Ms. Alba’s actions may be unbecoming of a celebrity or considered a misdemeanor in the courts, she has offered to cover the cost of damages and take responsible steps since the action occurred. I believe United Way should reach out to Ms. Alba and collaborate on community improvement. Who knows, maybe the next billboard will have her good friend Jaws sporting a LIVE UNITED t-shirt, showing his pearly whites saying GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER. SAVE SHARKS.