For a public relations practitioner, storytelling is in our DNA. If we are not putting it down on paper or posting it online, it is a safe assumption we are busy crafting a story in our heads. It is a perk when we can use our craft to shine the spotlight on someone making a difference in our community.
Anglin PR teamed up with Luxiere magazine to feature a philanthropist and their nonprofit of choice in each issue. The agency works with the publisher, Stacy Johnson, to select the nonprofit and the volunteer, interview and write the story and coordinate photography.
For the September/October issue we featured Tim McLaughlin and his philanthropic work with The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools. Also, he and his wife Liz are the founders of Fields & Futures. The nonprofit helps Oklahoma City Public Schools provide improved after-school athletics by rebuilding or upgrading every athletic field in the district. The two foundations have found ways to collaborate on projects to expand the impact for Oklahoma City students — whether that is on the field or in the classroom.
The November/December issue focused on Scott Thomas, president and founder of APMEX.com, the world's largest online retailer of precious metals. Scott and his employees regularly volunteer at the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, and the company donates generously to the cause, last year giving more than $100,000 to the organization to help their efforts to fight hunger and feed hope.
We are already working on the January/February featured nonprofit. Predictably, we get excited as soon as we start gathering information about the nonprofit and the person dedicated to helping the organization fulfill its mission. We can't wait to share what we find out...but we will. We will do what PR people do, we will share their story and big ideas to help uncover the good in OKC.
AUTHOR
Lori Johnson, APR, is the senior account executive at Anglin Public Relations. She has more than 20 years of public relations expertise developing and executing strategic communications campaigns in education, nonprofit, private sector and agency settings.
Learn more about Lori.