It’s All About the Information
By Categories: A Fly at VMI, Be More Visible, Blog Tags: , , ,

Cuyahoga County is building a new Juvenile Justice Center. As you might imagine, the idea did not sit very well with a lot of people…especially the residents where this mammoth center is located.  Why? Well, let’s just say that a justice center for youth may remind people that they failed the children. It also reminds them that there’s a lot more work to do.

Visibilty Marketing Inc. is designed Tower of Change – a newsletter about the project which keeps the 3500 residents imformed. Most importantly Tower of Change answers the question WIIFM?

Since the building is in a predominantly African American neighborhood, the residents want to make sure that African Americans were represented on the project. In each Tower of Change issue readers will see: ~~People living in the Fairfax neighborhood and working on the project
~~Career opportunities and profiles
~~Mentoring relationships
~~Construction tidbits
~~Promises made and promises kept 

Here’s a sample of the first newsletter. Let us know what you think…

tower_nl_march_09_cl

Why Men Kill The Ones They Love…Personal and Professional Reflections
By Categories: Blog, Hey.. Try This Tags:

In his latest blog, Jewel Woods writes:

My mother is a wiry-thin black woman who – soaking weight, with rollers in her hair and wearing a pair of roller skates – only weighs about 110 pounds. My father, on the other hand, was around 6 feet 2, 220 pounds, a former Golden Gloves champion, and a ex-Marine. Therefore, as a child, I simply could not picture what it was like for a man, particularly this man who appeared to be a giant to me, to hit a woman, let alone my mother. But he did.

What makes a 34-year-old man, walk into his estranged wife’s job, douse her with gasoline, and then set her on fire? What makes a 28-year- old man go on a shooting spree, killing 10 people including his mother?

Read More… http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jewel-woods/why-men-kill-the-ones-the_b_174545.html

Are you a reporter?
By Categories: Blog, Hey.. Try This Tags: , , ,

I recently attended a PRSA Cleveland luncheon seminar with Peter Shankman. He’s the founder of HARO “Help a Reporter Out.” http://www.helpareporter.com/. If you are a reporter you can sign up for his free email list where pitches are sent. As a public relations professional, I can read the pitches and provide the reporters with sources for their articles. Nice concept. He has over 50,000 subscribers.

One of the tips he gave to “be more visible” is to use Facebook’s birthday tool and send a “Happy Birthday” to your friends. He has over 5000 friends so it works for him. It can work for you too. Try it.

Finding the Light
By Categories: A Fly at VMI, Blog

In the last seven days I received several calls about the “light.”  “Where is it?” “How do I find it?” “How much does it cost”? “Can you get it for me?”

Some folks walk (maybe even run) toward the light. Others sprint away from it. It can blind those with eyes wide open and strip the clothed bare. The light lets everyone see that which was invisible. Some find the light a necessity. Others can live without it. Some crave it. Others want no part of it.

I love the cravers, the runners, the exhibitionists. I thrive on the insatiable appetites, those that are drawn to the light like ants to a piece of candy. I can’t help the sprinters and loathers. I want the ones who can’t get enough of the light.

The spotlight.

I help make people more visible. Those who want to be seen, heard, remembered and seen again. These are the people I help pull out of obscurity. For some, the rope is short and the climb is easy. Then there are those who need a few hard and heavy tugs.

Whatever the charge. Whatever it takes.  If you are looking for the light.  I can help get you there.

We all need and deserve that proverbial 15 minutes.