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LSU
Connects With O'Brien House
By
Sehzad M. Sooklall
Photo by Kathlyn R. Smith
Above, from left,
Caroline Sarpy, Clare M. Cook, Kate Lacinak,
Mallory K. Joseph, Kimberly Stuart, Sehzad M. Sooklall.
Public relations students at
the Manship School of Mass Communication put their training to the
test when they volunteered for local nonprofits throughout this
semester to produce quality public relations materials and messages.
Nonprofits have a pressing need for a
resourceful public relations service, which can effectively inform
the community of the mission of an agency. This is why Dr. Jinx
Broussard, public relations writing professor at LSU, integrated
service learning as part of her course requirements. She knew that
some nonprofits needed a professional public relations service but
could not afford it. Broussard therefore assigned her whole class to
three different nonprofit accounts, namely CAWS, Capital Area
Association for Welfare of School Children, United Methodist Hope
Ministries and O’Brien House.
“This project should have a high impact
on students because they will generate professional quality work as
they become more engaged in a civic endeavor with organizations that
serve populations with which the students would not normally come in
to contact,” reasons Broussard, who adds, “Furthermore, students
will develop an understanding of community issues and concerns to
which they might not normally be exposed.”
O’Brien House, one of the nonprofit
accounts, is a halfway house that provides shelter and counseling
services to adults recovering from alcohol or drug addiction.
Broussard has assigned six of her students to that account, namely
Clare M. Cook, Mallory K. Joseph, Kate Lacinak, Caroline Sarpy,
Sehzad M. Sooklall and Kimberly Stuart.
Each student is directly involved in
some public relations aspect at O’Brien House. Cook is currently in
the process of revamping the organization’s Web site while Joseph
and Sarpy are working on other promotional materials, such as
brochures and flyers.
As for Lacinak, she is working on a new
and more dynamic press kit that will help O’Brien House in its
public relations efforts. And Stuart was assigned to promote the
event the year – the “12 Bands for 12 Steps” benefit concert, which
united 12 local bands for the sole purpose of raising funds for
O’Brien House. Finally, Sooklall has put together a newsletter,
which will be sent out to all donors of this month. While building
on their practical skills, the students are also helping O’Brien
House in reaching out to the community.
The help is also well received and
appreciated by O’Brien House. Katherine Martin, the organization’s
executive director, thinks it’s essential for any nonprofit to have
professional quality public relations that can strategically inform
the community of the mission of an agency.
“I hope that the students can give a
fresh look to our public relations materials and help us think
outside the box in how we are presenting O’Brien House,” Martin
said. “I am anticipating new ideas for interacting with the
community and spreading the concept of our mission to a greater
audience.”
Hence, as this semester is
coming to an end, O’Brien House will also have benefited from the
students’ schoolwork, dedicated to the community. A new Web site and
newsletter among other dynamic promotional public relations
materials stand as a breathing symbol of LSU’s commitment to reach
out to the community.
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