In this day and age, public relations encompasses a variety of services; however, I still believe telling clients’ stories remains at the core of what we do. These stories can range from an upcoming event to a recently hired employee; a volunteer outreach program to a profile on a company’s owner. The list could go on and on.
As PR professionals, it’s our job to help shed light on the positive impacts our clients make in the community. It often feels like more of a privilege than a job when we get to meet members of the community who have been affected by our clients’ good will.
For the second year in a row, ECPR client SouthWest Water Company hosted a writing contest for Pflugerville ISD (PISD) seventh grade students. The original idea for the contest was created by trying to find a way to give back to the community and bring more awareness to the importance of water.
The essay prompt (which included water as the focus) and scoring rubric were modeled after the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test, which students took the week following the contest. PISD teachers anonymously scored the essays and chose a grand-prize winner.
On April 3, SouthWest Water surprised the grand-prize winner from Pflugerville Middle School in her ELA class. Seventh grader Gabby Floyd was presented with a bouquet of flowers, a certificate and a $500 Visa gift card for all her classmates, her school principal and her family to see!
Making that phone call to Gabby’s mom to tell her that her daughter won the entire contest is a moment that I will cherish all year long. After meeting this vibrant and articulate student, it is clear to see that she truly has the “write stuff.” This client story was easy to tell, and I hope to tell similar ones for many years to come.
–Lindsay Ketchum
Senior Account Executive, Elizabeth Christian & Associates Public Relations
