Hello Fellow Chapter Members!

I hope that many of you had a wonderful Easter holiday and for those of you who are celebrating Passover (Pesach) later this month, I wish you and yours a joyful Seder.  These are both wonderful times to celebrate with family and close friends.  

For all of you who did not get a chance to attend this year’s Professional Development Seminar, “PR GameDay!,” you missed a wonderful event.  The activities took place on Friday, March 28 at Emerson Hall on the campus of the University of Florida.  The committee did a great job and I would like to recognize them for all of their hard work, especially Katie Weitekamp this year’s director.  There were some wonderful speakers including Mary Ann Ferguson, Ph.D. who presented Engaging Your Audience: A Scientific Look at What Attracts Attention to Print Versus Online News featuring research conducted by the University of Florida for the Pointer Institute.  There was some fascinating information.  Also speaking was John Geraghty, owner/founder of the Legacy Forum at the Gainesville Health & Fitness Centers, who talked about Energy Management: Tap Your Passion to Drive Your Team.  He kept us all engaged with “Fred the Frog” and many insights about how you show up based on your “energy level” and how your energy can have an impact on every aspect of your life.  Wrapping up the day was Dwight Johnson who spoke about the trials and tribulations of the All American Football League, specifically Team Florida.

However, I must give props to the panel of speakers from GRU who talked about how to promote your company’s “going green” initiatives.  They stepped in last minute when we found out that our scheduled speaker would not be able to make it.  Following in the footsteps of last year’s success, we added another fun activity during the lunch break and I must say there were some fantastic pitches created that I am sure will put Badminton, Beach Volleyball and Hot Air Ballooning in the forefront of the sports world.  Thanks to Dan Jesse for making the lunch time event so memorable.  We concluded the day with a stroll over to the Swamp Restaurant where we enjoyed some libations and recapped some of our favorite moments.  Job well done!

The fun times don’t stop with PDS!  Don’t forget that on Wednesday, April 16 at the Harn Museum we will be hosting this year’s Image Awards Gala.  Erin Morton and her team are hard at work to make sure that all guests have the time of their lives.  Even if you did not enter the competition there will be tons of live entertainment and a wine tasting for your enjoyment.  So, come out and support your friends, co-workers and chapter members as they compete to win an Image Award.

Finally, I will end by recognizing a couple of chapter members who are keeping us on our toes and up-to-date on the happenings around the state.  Paul Ramey, APR and Wendy Crites Wacker, APR who are serving tirelessly on the state board and make sure that our local chapter is constantly receiving encouragement and emails of tips as to how our board can do an even better job of providing for each and every one of you.  So thank them when you get a chance.

See you all at Image Awards!
 










Sheila A. Zachow, APR

President

FPRA Gainesville Chapter