catching up on life

Life has been a whirlwind lately!! Since I last wrote I have changed apartments, changed jobs, and embarked on many new journeys. Things are going great. I spent a few days in Daytona last week, sat three rows from the court at the Orlando Magic basketball game last night, and the week before that I went skydiving. Oh yea, and in two weeks I am headed back to California for a long weekend.

My new job is with Guest Relations at Walt Disney World. I get to meet people from all over the world and do all sorts of things from selling tickets, to planning their vacation, to my favorite (and most challenging) guest recovery. I hear amazing stories and see smiling faces all day. And if people are not having such a magical day, its my job to make it that way. I love the people I work with, and still I love being in Florida. There is always so much to do in Orlando, especially for a gal from a small town in south Georgia.

so whats next for me?

No really, I'm asking. The saying the world is my oyster could not be more fitting for my current situation. I love my job now but I just don't know that I am ready to settle into a "career", so as of now I will finish my current job on June 17. Part of me wants to go back to school, get a master's and maybe even become a professor one day. Another part of me wants to pack a backpack, get on a plane, and see where I end up. I want a job that allows me to travel. I want a job with a company that encourages people to think outside the box and doesn't feel like the traditional 9 to 5 you always hear people talk about. Whatever it is I end up doing, I intend to get the most I can out of it, and give back all the knowledge and success I can, and then some. I want to do something great with my life, and maybe that starts today, or maybe when I am 72. But for now, I am just soaking up every experience I can, living in the moment, and loving not knowing what comes next.

Life since graduation

Hello again blogging world, its been a while. My life has been nonstop since graduation, but I have had an amazing time. This summer I interned at Sea Island, a 5 star resort off the coast of Georgia. I was a Senior Staff member in charge of coordinating family and children's events. We had a camp program during the day, children's dinners at night, pirate parties, princess tea parties, and many other special events. I loved getting to play with kids, and living at the beach wasn't too bad either. I left Sea Island in August, took a short vacation in California, and then embarked on my next journey.

I moved to Orlando, Florida on September 6, 2010 and it was probably one of the best life decisions I have made. I work at Disney World!! I work in EPCOT at Innoventions, "where invention and innovation intersect on the road to tomorrow." When Walt Disney bought land in Florida for his next big project, he did so because he wanted lots of land to build a future world...Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow. EPCOT houses the world showcase, but it also has some amazing things sponsored by companies that use technology to better our world. EPCOT is continuously evolving, and best of all, it contains the coolest examples of PR I have even seen.

In Innoventions, companies can show off their products and services in a way that gets people excited. Raytheon sponsors Sum of All Thrills, where guests can design their own bobsled, roller coaster, or jet ride and then test it on a simulator. Their goal is to get kids to realize that you can do really cool stuff with math and physics. Our world needs new creative engineers, and this venue does an awesome job of getting kids excited about technology. In Test The Limits Lab sponsored by Underwriters Laboratory, kids learn how the company tests products to make sure they are safe for homes. They can release a weight equivalent to a 22 mph baseball on a TV screen to see if it shatters or drop a steel drum on a fireman's hat to test its durability. IBM sponsors RunTime where guests run, jump, and dance on camera and are then put into their own video game. The most out of the box example of PR I have ever seen is the venue sponsored by Velcro. Slapstick Studios houses a comedy game show where guests do some wacky things with Velcro hook and loop fasteners. Kids stick blocks together to see who can build the tallest tower, couples attach Velcro covered bags to each other to pack for vacation, and (most entertaining) dads use Velcro to put diapers on baby dolls and attach them to their purple aprons. :) After the show, guests can decorate their own Velcro frog with princess crowns and dresses, pirate hats and clothes, or even mickey ears.

Before working here, I knew nothing about any of these companies, and now I have such a respect for them. Did you know that Underwriters Laboratories began when one man was concerned with fire safety at the Worlds Fair in 1893? William Henry Merrill then went on to develop a company that tested the first TVs and PCs as well as many other home appliances. The multinational company has its UL safety symbol on over 17 billion appliances worldwide and serves not for profit. Their main goal is to "Know by Test and State the Facts." IBM got its start with punch machines used in the census and is now at the cutting edge of computer technology. The Velcro company got its start from Georgle de Mestral in 1955 after he noticed cockleburs sticking to his dog's fur. He made hook and loop fasteners that are now used on NASA suits and even tanks for the armed forces (and lets not forget those awesome shoes for those of us who can't quite loop swoop and pull yet).

As someone with a degree in PR, I know how hard it can be to get a product or company out into the public, and then how much harder it can be to actually have the audience take an interest in it. I applaud these companies (and several others I didn't mention) for coming into Innoventions with a goal of getting kids and families excited about what they have to offer. It's far from traditional PR, and I think thats exactly what it takes to succeed in today's world.

Things I've Learned

As I get ready to graduate (only a week from today!) I can't help but look back on the lessons I have learned during my time in college both in and out of the classroom. Part of me is so ready to hit the ground running and take the real world by storm, yet there is some part of me that wonders what will happen out in the grown up world. It's interesting; one of my new favorite artists, Jess Chalker, has a song that says "the lessons you will learn aren't from pages you can turn." Looking back, I realize just how much truth there is in that statement. Miss Chalker also has another song that says "I'm not scared of change but I'm terrified of staying in exactly the same place." This too really fits with my life right now. I am so excited to move to St. Simons this summer and meet new people while interning at Sea Island, and I know that I will have a blast at the Disney College Program in the fall. I hate when things are predictable, the usual Monday/Wednesday class, the same small town scene; I'm ready to break free, but at the same time I know I'll miss these crazy college days. Anyway, enough of the trip down memory lane. Here's what I found out along the way (some are career related--some are just life lessons):

1. PR professionals don't need sleep, just caffeine and a smile :)
2. No matter how old you get, you still have times when you need your mom. And if you end up in the hospital having an emergency appendectomy, nothing makes you feel as good as seeing her come through those ER doors at 3 a.m.
3. When bad things happen and cupcakes run out, you see people's true colors. Some can handle crisis; some can't. (note: try to figure out who these people are BEFORE the crisis)
4. Adding to #3, things will always work how they are meant to work out, and sometimes the most unlikely people come to the rescue. Just plan ahead and be cool under pressure.
5. Never take the one person who thinks outside the box for granted. They are most likely your most valuable team member. Also, befriend the person who has the huge purse full of any random thing you might need.
6. Sometimes an idea you thought was brilliant gets nipped in the bud...and that's okay. Maybe it wasn't so great after all.
7. Carry a shout wipe.
8. "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing" :) keep your priorities in order. focus on the receiver not the message.
9. Never underestimate the power of networking. the guy behind you in line at the airport may offer you your next job.
10. A few randoms to end on: Try everything. Life is too short to have regrets; we just consider them lessons learned. Love is one of the most complex yet utterly amazing emotions an individual can feel, and even people who don't believe in it can stumble upon it sometimes. No matter what happens with friends work or family, NEVER LOSE YOURSELF.

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

-Mahatma Gandhi

Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is ideally a means for businesses to make corporate decisions with the public interest in mind. CSR campaigns allow companies to maintain ethical standards by accepting responsibility for their actions and their impact on communities, employees, and the environment. The Coca-Cola Company uses the Live Positively campaign as a way to make a positive difference. According to their website, Live Positively is a “commitment to make a positive difference in the world by redesigning the way we work and live so sustainability is part of everything we do” (www.thecoca-colacompany.com).

As part of their social responsibility efforts, Coca-Cola sponsors programs and charities to help communities around the world with things like education, climate protection, and recycling. Operations Grass Roots is a project where each bottling facility is required to get involved with their local civic organizations, business leaders and politicians. Programs working specifically with education include My Coke Rewards which helps purchase playground equipment and art supplies for schools and Teach for America which recruits teachers for low-income schools. Each year the company also provides more than 1,400 college students with scholarships to two and four year universities.

In terms of climate protection, the company says their goal is to “to grow the business, not the carbon in our manufacturing operations” (www.thecoca-colacompany.com). They strive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by improving the efficiency of coolers and vending machines and improve productivity in bottling plants to reduce manufacturing emissions. They also use fuel-efficient transportation for delivery. By the end of 2009, more than 300 diesel-electric hybrids trucks had been created. Currently, Coca-Cola has over 200,000 vehicles used to deliver their products around the world, and they are working to optimize delivery routes and create lightweight packing to cut down on pollution. The company estimates a 40 to 50 percent improvement in energy efficiency by the end of 2010 and a five percent reduction in carbon emissions in developed countries by 2015 (livepositively.com).

In terms of recycling, the company offers things like RecycleBank, where participants earn redeemable RecycleBank Points for rewards from Coca-Cola and hundreds of other participating businesses based on the weight of their recyclables. The Coca-Cola/NRC Recycling Bin Grant Program donates recycling bins to kick-start recycling programs for local organizations. The company is also working with Spain, the Czech Republic, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria and Japan to establish community organizations that promote recycling and litter reduction.

Since 1.3 billion people around the world lack access to safe drinking water and an estimated one-third of the population is expected to face water shortages by 2025, Coca-Cola is committed to protect and preserve water resources (Laitinen). The company plans to preserve resources by using water more efficiently and ensuring that every gallon of water used will make a gallon of product. Their goal is to improve water efficiency by 20 percent by 2012 (www.thecoca-colacompany.com). The company has begun 120 community water projects in over 50 countries “working on a wide range of local initiatives, such as watershed protection, expanding community drinking water access, rain water harvesting, reforestation and agricultural water use efficiency” (livepositively.com).

Coca-Cola got its start in the late 1800’s as a patent medicine and has evolved into one of the world’s most popular and well known beverages; it is sold in over 200 countries. Their marketing and PR tactics have created a brand known worldwide, and the company is constantly recognized for its achievements and initiatives. In March of this year, the company was named one of Fortune’s most admired companies. In February, the company joined world efforts to help Haiti in the aftermath of natural disaster, just after making Newsweek’s “Green Rankings.” There is no doubt that this organization has in many ways made positive strides toward a better tomorrow for our world, but like many other corporations, there have also been harmful occurrences, though positive CSR publicity often keep them out of the spotlight.

The idea of CSR is to inspire community involvement and improvement, yet some people view CSR and even corporations as a whole in a negative light. Milton Friedman and others have argued that a corporation's purpose is to maximize returns to its shareholders not society as a whole, and that only people, not organizations can have social responsibilities (Friedman). Even though Coke seems to have numerous efforts towards making the world a better place, several flaws in their CSR programs have occurred. In response to eight employees of Coke bottlers in Colombia being killed in 2006 and others threatened and jailed on terrorism charges, Ray Rogers at Rutgers University launched Killercoke.com and urged universities nationwide to stop selling the product on their campuses. He claimed "The reality is that the world of Coca-Cola is a world of lies, deceptions, corruption, gross human rights and environmental abuses," while a coke spokesperson claimed he "has no facts to support his claims" (Businessweek.com). In March of 2010, Coca-Cola’s Indian subsidiary was fined $47 million for damage to the water and soil in a southern Indian village which occurred when the company discharged a sludge that contained toxic chemicals like cadmium and lead (nytimes.com).

The important thing that we as consumers and public relations professionals need to realize is that we must dig deeper into what’s really going on in a company and not just trust the positive information displayed on the company website. Coca-Cola operates in more than 200 countries, so it is essential to look not only at the positive things it does within our specific community, but also find out about negative aspects elsewhere and make sure our society knows about them in order to make educated purchasing decisions. The company prides itself on helping to “create sustainable communities by finding solutions to local needs, building capabilities and improving quality of life through programs, partners and people;” which is certainly an admirable goal, but it is society’s job to hold them accountable (www.thecoca-colacompany.com).

Promoting HealthyMilledgeville

Today my PR group set up a table at Kroger from 2 to 4 p.m. to promote our Facebook page HealthyMilledgeville. We handed out low-fat brownies along with the recipe and gave out a list of healthy options when eating at local restaurants.

A few months ago, we read articles from the Wall Street Journal and CNN which discussed how social networking can help health care. We teamed with Digital Bridges, a local program dedicated to bettering our community through the use of technology. We decided to create a Facebook group where people could go online and share recipes and fitness tips, and before our promotional event today we already had 506 fans of the page.

At our event, we asked people if they had heard of HealthyMillegeville and then told them about it and encouraged them to become a fan of the page and share the information with their friends. Not everyone answered our survey (some just took the info and brownies), but of those surveyed 15 knew about HealthyMilledgeville and 41 did not. When asked about what aspect health they were most concerned with, most people said nutrition and health were most important. We handed out about 80 brownies and got a great response from the shoppers going in and out of Kroger. Two women who stopped by work at local doctor's offices and said they would put the word out in their offices, and one man who works with Healthy Baldwin invited us to work at a health fair he is hosting on May 1. Overall, our event was very successful, and I look forward to seeing how many more fans the facebook page gets after our promotions.

I'm on island time

Since last Sunday I have been working as a member of the Junior Staff at Sea Island. After a relaxing 5 day spring break in Daytona, I jumped into Camp Cloister, a day camp with 50 kids under the age of 9. This job constantly puts my hospitality and childcare skills to the test, but is one of the best experiences I have had. On my first day, four-year-old twin boys who look and act exactly like Disney channel's Zack and Cody walked in with the collars popped on their pastel Lacoste polos. Each grabbed one of my hands and one said "Hey babe who's your favorite super hero" (thankfully we both like Batman and a bond was instantly formed). The rest of my day was spent doing tye dye and playing duck duck goose on the beach. Each day, each second for that matter has been different. Sometimes the kids love the activities we have planned for them, and other times we have to come up with things spur of the moment with 13 screaming six-year-olds waiting impatiently...event planning improvising at its finest :) Sometimes I work at the movie theater, sometimes I am a camp counselor, sometimes I make flyers or posters for upcoming events, and sometimes I dress up like a princess, wear a tiara, and drink pink lemonade. I think this is what it means to be in PR...just taking things as they come, being prepared for anything, and staying flexible yet in control of the situation. My first few days here have been all about that, and its been a whirlwind to say the least. I have met families from all over the U.S. and even the world and built some amazing relationships with the children and families so far this week, and I can't wait to make more great memories this summer.

BrAiNStOrM!?!?!

Last Friday, I spent the day at Manning Salvage and Lee in Atlanta, learning more about the real PR world and shadowing GCSU's PRSSA professional adviser Carlos Campos. I had a great day networking with people at MS&L, learning about their particular clients and experience and getting valuable advice about internships and much more, but one of the highlights of the day was an offsite "field trip" in the afternoon. We met Professor Larry Stultz of the Atlanta Art Institute, who is known for his creative brainstorming techniques, in order to get some fresh new ideas for the MS&L crew. Mr. Stultz had some amazing ideas. He said that with creativity, the sky is the limit and everyone must be involved and engaged in every step. He said that when brainstorming, the group should have toys, music, pictures, and NO smart phones.

First, he mentioned assumption smashing, where you ask questions like what can we add, what can we take away, can we make it bigger or smaller, or can we change the color or style? Then he talked about mind mapping, where you write the key word in the middle and let people write things around it, drawing lines and connecting other questions, phrases and ideas. He then talked about the six thinking hats of Debono (blue is the leader, white is positive, black is negative, green is creative, yellow is optimistic, and red is emotional) where group members put on different theoretical hats to look at the situation from different points of view. My favorite was “Out of the Blue” where everyone makes a paper airplane and writes one word on it. Then everyone flies their own plane, picks up a new one, reads the word on it, and then writes the first word that comes to their mind related to what they just read. All of this is done with loud music and lots of energy.

What I liked most about all of these ideas was the simple fact that they encourage outside of the box thinking, which I think people don't do nearly enough. In a world where we have information at our fingertips, I think people loose the ability to think critically, or creatively for that matter. If things as simple as toys, music and simple group activities can boost brain power, .why are we not incorporating more of these things into the classroom or workplace, and what could happen if we did??