PRISM Awards Honour Student Excellence

Students of the Post-Graduate Public Relations Program at Loyalist College gathered together with professors, college staff and advisory committee members for the third annual PRISM Awards, held at the Bohemian Penguin in Belleville, Ontario.

PRISM Award winners for 2008 are as follows:

PRISM Service Award - Sylvia Draaistra

PRISM Innovation Award - Chris Thompson

PRISM Professionalism Award - Jennifer Boyd

PRISM Spirit Award - Hollie Stephenson

PRISM Student Excellence Award - Kate Shaughnessy

PRISM Mentorship Award - Bonnie Perrigard, Public Relations & Promotion Director of the Quinte Ballet School of Canada

Congratulations to all award winners, and to all our students! We are proud of each and every one of you, and your many achievements.

We wish you all the best as you set out on your internship adventures next week.

MarketWire Morning Mingle brings together students and professionals

On Wednesday morning, professional communicators from Kingston, Belleville, Peterborough, Quinte West, Prince Edward County and Cobourg enjoyed a chance to get together, share ideas and gain new insights into the field of public relations.

The breakfast was held at the Bay of Quinte Golf & Country Club and hosted by students in the Post-Graduate Public Relations Program at Loyalist College.

Keynote speaker Mark Hunter LaVigne of Hunter LaVigne Communications treated the audience to a great presentation entitled “Making Ink and Airtime in a Cluttered Media Landscape.”

“Today’s media move at the speed of light,” he noted, pointing out many effective techniques for capturing the interest of today’s news editors and reporters.

Official Sponsorship for the event was provided by MarketWire, while Mentorship Sponsors included Dr. Geoff Cudmore (Loyalist College), News Canada, PR Communications Inc., Royal Roads University and Thornley Fallis. Friend Sponsorship was provided by Quadra Research.

“I found the workshop quite informative, and yes this old dog can still learn some new tricks!” comments Gerry Fraiberg of Vision & Voice/Fraiberg Communications. “The MarketWire Morning Mingle was a good networking opportunity with a very knowledgeable and funny speaker.”

Thanks to all our participants -- and stay tuned for next year’s big networking breakfast event!

Senior communications staffer from World Vision visits Loyalist PR

This morning Philip Maher, Senior Correspondent (and all-round communications wizard) from World Vision paid a visit to Loyalist PR students to share his insights and expertise in the field of not-for-profit public relations.

Philip's presentation covered everything from building the credibility of a non-profit brand to practical tips on media relations.

"World Vision is about helping the poor and dealing with the root causes of poverty," he explains.

As the largest distributor of food for the UN's World Food Program, World Vision also enjoys top-of-mind brand awareness, and manages an effective (and comprehensive) communications campaign

On a related note, a team of PR students will be raising funds for World Vision this Thursday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Loyalist Cafeteria and Shark Tank Pub. For $2, students and faculty can help contribute toward the purchase of school supplies for students in need overseas.

Pictured above: Loyalist PR students and Philip Maher of World Vision (second from the left).

PHOTO CREDIT: Anthony Damonse, Online Pioneer

Tara Wood of WWF-Canada visits Loyalist

Loyalist PR students had a great time yesterday sitting in on a session by Tara Wood, Public Relations Manager for the World Wildlife Fund (Canada).

Named one of Marketing Magazine’s “Ones to Watch” for 2007, Tara shared with us her knowledge and enthusiasm for the field of public relations, and the projects she is currently overseeing.

One of those projects is Earth Hour, which takes place on March 29th from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. As Tara describes it, Earth Hour is a “one-hour, lights out event that’s designed to get people to take action for the planet.”

Pioneered by WWF in Sydney, Australia last year, Earth Hour is going global on March 29th, with participating cities including Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, Copenhagen, Tel Aviv and dozens of others.

“Our goal is to get people to think beyond the one-hour, lights out event,” says Tara. “We want to get people thinking about creating a conservation culture.”

To register for Earth Hour, visit the WWF's Earth Hour link.

Thanks for a fantastic visit, Tara. We enjoyed your hearing about the various campaigns you've been involved with, as well as your tips for internship and job hunting.

We’ll be joining millions of others on March 29th as the lights go out!