FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 20, 2010

Lorraine Ball

317-569-1396

Lorraine@roundpeg.biz

www.roundpeg.biz

Roundpeg announces “How to Avoid the Ten Planning Mistakes Business Owners Make” Seminar

Indianapolis, IN – Local small business expert, Lorraine Ball, founder of Roundpeg, will hold a free introduction to business planning. The one hour “How to Avoid the Ten Planning Mistakes Business Owners Make” workshop will introduce small business owners to the basics of creating a business plan. The seminar will be held February 11 at 8:30 p.m. at the offices of Trustpointe, 6666 E. 75th Street, Suite 150, Indianapolis.

“You wouldn’t set out on a long trip without a map, and you shouldn’t start a business without one either,” said Ball. “Your business plan is your map. It doesn’t have to be formal or very long, but it does need to answer some basic questions about where you are and where you’re going.”

There is no fee to attend, but registration is required. Visit http://www.roundpeg.biz/2010/01/free-introduction-to-business-planning/ to register and learn more about Ball’s seminar series.

About Roundpeg: A full service marketing firm, Roundpeg works exclusively with small business owners to find a starting point for growth and change. Offering business and marketing planning, branding, publicity and development of marketing collateral, Roundpeg is dedicated to expanding the entrepreneurial base in Indiana. In addition to marketing services, Roundpeg offers marketing, networking and eCommerce seminars for small business owners. Their Business Notes from Roundpeg, an eNewsletter featuring marketing tips and one of the most comprehensive listing of local networking events is distributed to more than 3,500 local business owners monthly. For more information visit www.roundpeg.biz.

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Welcome to Week One of PR on a Shoestring. PR is an often misunderstood discipline. Some people think of public relations practitioners as simply spin doctors, cheerfully lying to the public to bolster the image of their company. Do PR folks just sit around and write press releases all day?Others simply have no idea what public relations is—is it a function of marketing, advertising, publicity?

So let’s clear the air. What is PR? At Roundpeg, we think that its most important function is to build relationships. Those relationships could be with your current customers, your prospective customers, other businesses, the media and dozens of more interested stakeholders. Ultimately, PR is simply about creating those relationships and creating honest, open two-way dialogue. In good public relations, you listen as much as you speak.

In a small business, you may not have the luxury of someone who deals exclusively with public relations, but you’d be surprised just how much of what you do every day is considered PR. When you successfully resolve a customer’s problem, that’s good public relations. When you deliver poor customer service, that’s PR too.

I could go on and on about the dozens of definitions of PR, but let’s sum things up and say simply that PR is all of your interactions with current and potential audiences and customers.  Throughout this series, we’ll talk about how you can make the most of those interactions, and reap the benefits.

Dear <<First Name>>,

Today is the day.

Today is the day to stand up and be counted, to extend your hand to your community when it needs you most. Today is the day to give your time, talents and gifts. Today is the last day to give to the IUPUI United Way Campus Campaign.

The IUPUI community has already pledged $283,316.24. That’s an amazing feat, but we know that our campus has a big heart. We know that we can do better, and raise the additional $133,683.76 to reach our goal. Imagine what that extra money can do for our community: the people it could feed, educate and lift up.

We hope that you will join us as a Key Club member to support the work of United Way at the leadership level of $1,500 or more. Give your gift to United Way today by clicking on the below link, so that it can do the most good in our community – not just for today, but towards building a brighter future.

By clicking here <<INSERT LINK>>, you can make your donation online in less than 3 minutes.

Please join us, and LIVE UNITED.

IUPUI/United Way 365 Background

For years, IUPUI has joined with United Way’s annual month-long contribution campaign. IUPUI has consistently been one of the top 15 donors to United Way of Central Indiana, and the largest donor in the field of higher education. This partnership has raised millions of dollars for charities throughout Central Indiana.

Because one of IUPUI’s guiding principles is the pursuit of civic engagement, the university seeks to expand its involvement with United Way to a program. While many members of the university community are already actively involved with United Way and its agencies, both as volunteers as well as receiving services, this program seeks to keep students, faculty and staff engaged and educated about United Way not just for one month, but for 365 days a year.

IUPUI/United Way 365 Vision

United Way is a crucial part of life in Central Indiana, and IUPUI is one of the premier universities in this area. A stronger, year-round partnership between these two institutions can lead to expanded service learning opportunities for students and faculty, a chance to give back to the community that has given so much to IUPUI and to pursue altruism for its own sake within our institution.

IUPUI/United Way 365 Purpose

To forge a stronger relationship between IUPUI and United Way, keeping the campus actively engaged in United Way campaigns and agencies throughout the year through education, service learning, monetary donations and volunteerism.

IUPUI/United Way 365 Principles

• Education: to inform the IUPUI community about United Way and its various agencies, and how they impact everyday life in Central Indiana
• Civic Engagement: to help students, faculty, and staff better understand how they can become actively involved in United Way agencies through volunteerism
• Monetary Donations: Maintain a high level of monetary giving through a yearly campaign.

Goals:

• Increase volunteering throughout the community with United Way and its agencies
• Increase donations during the Campus Campaign fundraiser
• Increase knowledge of United Way and its agencies
• Increase service learning with United Way and its agencies in classrooms

Organization

In order to meet the changing needs of the IUPUI United Way 365 plan, the leadership organization must evolve. Modeled after the IU Bloomington’s United Way leadership structure, the 365’s organization structure will be:

Executive Committee

• Two 365 Campaign Co-Chairs
  • Campaign Coordinator from External Affairs
  • Campus Campaign Committee Chair
    • Key Club Committee
    • Under-represented Units Committee
    • Minority Committee
      • Captains for each sub-unit in the university
        • Team leaders for each department within the sub-units, as applicable
  • Faculty Involvement Committee Chair
    • Volunteer Committee
      • Captains for each sub-unit in the university
        • Team leaders for each department within the sub-units, as applicable
    • Service Learning Committee
      • Captains for each sub-unit in the university
        • Team leaders for each department within the sub-units, as applicable
  • Student Involvement Committee Chair
    • Student liaison from Student United Way (See page 3)
    • Representatives from Student Life and the Center for Service and Learning

Student Program:

Student Goals:

To increase knowledge of United Way and its agencies

To increase volunteering with United Way and its agencies

Strategy

Using word-of-mouth and student ambassadors, maintain a strong presence on campus at events, organization meetings, and in classrooms

Student United Way

• Encourage students to begin a Student United Way chapter. This organization, recognized by United Way, would help to involve students in the United Way efforts of IUPUI, and would raise the profile of United Way on campus and throughout the community
• Request that this newly formed chapter creates an officer position who acts as a liaison to the Executive Board to coordinate campus campaign and other efforts
• The primary foci of Student United Way are:
  • “Give, advocate and volunteer in the areas education, income, and health” (“Starting Your Student United Way, page 7)
  • “Grow as leaders and connect with the community” (“Starting Your Student United Way,” page
  • “Build lasting relationships with each other and with United Way” (“Starting Your Student United Way,” page

• Requirements for being a Student United Way:

• • Student leadership and office structure: The organization must be student-led and student-organized. The chapter must be organized into a board or officer structure (“Starting Your Student United Way,” page 13)
  • Partner United Way: Clubs must be endorsed and advised by their local United Way (“Starting Your Student United Way,” page 14)
  • Host campus and campus adviser: Chapters must be at an organization of higher learning, and must have a campus adviser, who may be a member of the faculty, staff, or administration. Teaching assistants may not serve as campus adviser (“Starting Your Student United Way,” page 14)
  • Financial Accountability: All fundraising must be coordinated with the local United Way and be used only for the purpose they were raised for. Chapter must keep accurate financial records and report them publicly each year, and comply with all applicable laws (“Starting Your Student United Way,” page 14)
  • Branding: Chapter must use officially-recognized logo, obtained from United Way (“Starting Your Student United Way,” page 15)
  • Registration and annual reporting: Chapters must submit a Registration Form (see Appendix of “Starting Your Student United Way Chapter”) upon formation of the organization and every year thereafter to United Way of America (“Starting Your Student United Way,” page 15)

Other Student Outreach

• Form partnerships with existing student organizations, getting these organizations actively involved in the campaign. Candidates for partnerships include:

• • Affinity Student Council (ASC)
  • Asian Students United (ASU)
  • Association of Fundraising Professionals IUPUI Collegiate Chapter (AFP)
  • Alive! Baptist Collegiate Ministry
  • Alternative Breaks Service Organization (ABSO)
  • Ambassadors for Children at IUPUI (AFC-IUPUI)
  • Ambassadors Learning & Leading IUPUI (ALLi)
  • Amigos en Servicio (AES)
  • Black Student Union (BSU)
  • Building Tomorrow (BT)
  • Campus & Community Life (CCL)
  • Circle K International
  • Equal Justice Works
  • Extreme Life
  • The Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA)
  • Heifer International
  • Indiana University School of Dentistry Urban Pre-Dental Club (IUSD UPDC)
  • IUPUI Honors Club
  • Latino Student Association (LSA)
  • J. Reuben Clark Law Society
  • Love Wins Service Organization of IUPUI (LWSO)
  • Music Therapy Organization at IUPUI (MTO at IUPUI)
  • Native American Student Association (NASA)
  • Out Loud @ IUPUI
  • Physicians for Human Rights (PHR)
  • Rotaract Club
  • Sexual Assault and Violence Education Network (SAVE)
  • Student Organization for Alumni Relations (SOAR)
  • Visions for Vocation (VFV)
  • Volunteers for a Global Campus

• Engage in concerted outreach to Greek organizations on campus. Many Greek organizations hold service as one of their highest tenants, and collaboration with these groups should yield results. Send student representatives to meetings of:
  • Greek Council
  • Interfraternity Council
  • National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC)
  • Panhellenic Council
• Keep a strong presence of student ambassadors at campus events to educate and recruit volunteers. Events include:
  • Involvement Expo (Weeks of Welcome and Spring events)
  • Service in the City

• Send student ambassadors to predominately freshman classes in University College to educate new students about United Way and opportunities for involvement
• Encourage students, and consider providing subsidies for the $750 cost, in the Leadership United program. This nine-month program gives emerging leaders the skills needed to serve on not-for-profit boards and to be community leaders
• Implement a spring Day of Caring in order to keep visibility of United Way high throughout the entire year, and not just in the fall

Faculty and Staff

Faculty and Staff Goals:

• Increase volunteering with United Way and its agencies
• Increase donations during the Campus Campaign fundraiser
• Increase knowledge of United Way and its agencies
• Increase service learning with United Way and its agencies in classrooms

Strategy

Using internal torchbearers and ambassadors, keep United Way in the forefront of faculty and staff’s mind all year round

Tactics

• Work with the RISE program and the Center for Service & Learning to increase service learning with United Way agencies among faculty. Consider giving greater grants to service learning classes which partner with United Way agencies
• Include a brief United Way presentation during new hire programs in order to emphasize the importance of United Way in IUPUI’s culture
• Utilize ambassadors in each department to give brief updates on United Way during department meetings, including announcements of volunteer opportunities, spotlight on involved department members, etc.
• Encourage faculty and staff, and consider providing subsidies for the $750 cost, in the Leadership United program. This nine-month program gives emerging leaders the skills needed to serve on not-for-profit boards and to be community leaders
• Encourage faculty and staff to get involved on United Way agency boards. Highlight these employees throughout the campus, including during Campus Campaigns
• Implement a spring Day of Caring in order to keep visibility of United Way high throughout the entire year, and not just in the fall

Timeline

2010

• Recruit leadership for 365 plan
• Leaders begin recruiting captains, sub-unit leaders, etc.
• Urge students to begin building the Student United Way organization
• Recruit student ambassadors who are already engaged in United Way volunteer work. Send students to classes to lobby for greater involvement
• Hold quarterly meetings to discuss plans for full 365 implementation in 2011

2011

• Implement new hire education program
• Deploy faculty and staff ambassadors to their respective sub-units to keep interest in United Way high—highlighting current volunteers, encouraging involvement on United Way agency boards, etc.
• Launch Spring Day of Caring

This piece took a lot of time to research, but I like to think that it helped some Hoosier families save money in these difficult times.

All-day fun helps families stretch entertainment dollars at the Indiana State Fair

INDIANAPOLIS – Movie with popcorn: $13. New CD: $18. Prize-winning livestock, wonderful art exhibits, interactive children’s activities, exciting circus acrobats, powerful draft horse teams, antique machinery, cute baby animals, up-close look at ferocious tigers, great music, giant pumpkins, all-day entertainment, great family together time and lifelong memories: $8.

It’s hard to beat the all-day fun you can have at the Indiana State Fair, especially for the price. Not only is the fair a great family value, but there are a number of ways to enjoy the fair without busting your budget:

• Visit www.indianastatefair.com and click on “Buy Tickets” for a new combination admission/midway wristband ticket for $27 before July 30 (a $6 savings).
• Buy your fair admission ticket in advance and save $1. Advance tickets are $7 when purchased from Indiana Wal-Mart stores, CVS/pharmacy stores, Indiana Farm Bureau Offices, the Marten House Hotel or the Indiana State Fairgrounds Box Office (kids 5 and younger are free every day).
• Take advantage of free parking in the fairgrounds’ infield, the Indiana School for the Deaf on 42^nd Street and north of the School for the Deaf on 46^th Street.

· Better yet, save gas and time, and still get free parking. The free State Fair Park & Ride shuttle from Glendale Mall departs every 20 minutes from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. – an especially convenient choice for visitors from north of Indianapolis.

· On eight of the fair’s 12 days, purchase an unlimited midway ride wristband for just $25.

· Got kids who love High School Musical? Print a voucher from www.VOICE.tv or www.indianastatefair.com for free admission to the Corbin Bleu concert Monday, Aug. 11 at 7 p.m.

· On Wednesday, Aug. 13, purchase an unlimited midway ride wristband for the kiddie rides for just $15.

· Visit the fair after 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 13 for just $5 admission.

· Seniors (65 and older) ride the tractor shuttle around the fairgrounds free on Golden Hoosiers Day, Thursday, Aug. 14.

· Veterans and current service men and women receive free admission Sunday, Aug. 17.

· Bring a Pepsi brand can on Sunday, Aug. 17 and save $2 off gate admission.

Free parking and discounted admissions aren’t the only way to save at the fair. There are also special deals from various food vendors around the fairgrounds, including:

• R.E. Smith Concessions (near the Riley Fun Park): a hot dog, chips, 16 oz. drink and a cookie for only $5
• The American Dairy Association (Dairy Bar): a grilled cheese sandwich, milk, sliced apples and a crazy straw for just $4
• The Indiana Pork Producers (Main Street and north side): $1 off wristbands for any Pork Tent meal can be obtained at their booth in the Pioneer Our Land Pavilion

As one local writer states, the fair is “a perfect collision of the urban and the rural…a little utopia of collaboration and cooperation in a world where not much of that happens anymore.”

So take a day off from worrying about the price of gas, and take part in a great Hoosier tradition. After all, it only comes around once a year.

The Great Indiana State Fair: August 6 – 17.

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The Great Indiana State Fair: nationally recognized as America’s premiere showcase of agriculture, youth, education and entertainment, August 6 – 17.

College: Your time to live life your own way

Allison Carter/ Columnist

News flash Elon: You don’t have to grow up yet. Really. This is the last chance in our lives that we get to be kids, but most of us are too busy being an adult to enjoy this opportunity.

Sure, we’ve all got two majors, three minors and are members of more clubs than we can remember.

However, it’s important to keep in mind that college is supposed to be fun — a time to learn all of those neat things that you won’t have time for later.

This is your chance to learn something random and fun before we all turn into our parents. Go for it! Here are some suggestions:

– Learn a new language. If you don’t have time for the class, consider joining one of the foreign language clubs. Practically every language has them, and they’re full of people willing to help you learn.

El Centro del Espanol even offers plane tickets to Spanish-speaking countries for people who just come in and speak Spanish.

– Did you know that Greensboro is considered the birthplace of the civil rights movement? Did you know that the North Carolina Zoo is the largest natural habitat zoo in the United States?

Elon is in a great location. We’re within easy day trip distance to places that offer great things to do while sneaking in a little learning. So round up some friends and go to Greensboro and eat some Vietnamese food, or head to Winston-Salem and catch a play at the North Carolina School for the Arts.

– Just because you’re a science major doesn’t mean that you have to live in McMichael. Get out there and take a class just for fun. You have time for at least one. So go ahead, take that Psychology of Sex class, check out Astronomy or consider a dance class.

– Elon is famous for its study abroad opportunities. Even if it’s just for Winter Term, see what it’s like to explore and visit a new place.

There are opportunities on every inhabited continent, so there is something for everyone. From food and music to politics and science, step on through to the other side and see how someone else lives.

For Immediate Release:

Contact: Andy Klotz (317) 927-7577 Walter Geisking (317) 752-5897

Special quilt highlights State Fair’s annual Pioneer Village auction

INDIANAPOLIS – “On the Banks of the Wabash Far Away” is not just the title of Indiana’s official state song, but it is also the inspiration behind the featured item in Saturday’s 16^th annual Old-Time Farm & Antique Auction at the Indiana State Fair. The auction is held in Pioneer Village on the north side of the fairgrounds and includes a variety of goods, including antiques, farm machinery and equipment, John Deere toys and memorabilia and items crafted right on the fairgrounds by Pioneer Village artisans.

Many of the sale items will be auctioned off at bargain prices, but this year’s quilt could fetch as much as $4,000. Eight dedicated quilters from the Piecemakers of Evansville worked for nearly eight months to create this one-of-a-kind piece that features all the lyrics of “On the Banks of the Wabash Far Away” to commemorate the 150^th anniversary of song writer Paul Dresser’s birth. It has been on display in the Pioneer Village throughout the fair.

“This quilt is beautiful! It is very colorful and would look wonderful in anyone’s home,” Tim Nannet, the director of Pioneer Village, said. “We have received many comments on it and have already received a sealed bid for the auction.”

The quilt is patterned on a “memory quilt,” a quilt usually given on a momentous occasion, such as a wedding or anniversary, and passed down as an heirloom. It fits in perfectly in Pioneer Village, the old-fashioned enclave where blacksmiths hammer, sweet dulcimers sound and everything is made by hand the old-fashioned way.

The sale, which begins at 10 a.m., is an annual gathering of people who look forward to seeing what’s on the auction block. All the items are donated or consigned with proceeds going towards restoring the antique farm equipment displayed year-round at the State Fairgrounds. Donations and consignments are still being accepted.

“We try to make it fun and have a good time with it,” Nannet said. “We’ll have some spoofs and tell a few jokes. It’s just a great event that lot of people look forward to every year.”

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The Great Indiana State Fair: nationally recognized as America’s premiere showcase of agriculture, youth, education and entertainment, August 6 – 17

Backgrounder

October 5, 2007

Contact: PR Volunteer

Acarter9@elon.edu (317) 753-5603

Alamance Citizens for Education was founded in 2005 to help increase community involvement in public schools. This citizen’s task force believes that it “takes everyone to educate everyone,” and that the entire county will benefit from increased interest in public schools.

ACE is a not-for-profit organization that works with, but independently of, the Alamance-Burlington School System. In addition to increasing community involvement in public schools, ACE also strives to help recruit and retain the best teachers for Alamance County. They collaborate on professional development programs for teachers, along with new teacher support programs to keep the best teachers in class.

In addition, ACE also provides grants to help with issues such as parent involvement and science and technology in Alamance County schools. The organization also runs a tutoring and mentoring program throughout the county, known as MBRACE. This program helps pair students with adults to help them succeed in their studies and in life.

For more information on ACE, please visit our Web site at www.alamanceforeducation.org.

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Indiana State Fair Facts & Talking Points

General:

· The Indiana State Fair is the sixth oldest state fair in the nation, originating in 1852.

· The original purpose of the Fair was to allow Indiana’s farmers to get together to share ideas, view the most modern farming techniques and display their products.

· Today, the main focus of the Fair remains on agriculture, youth and education.

· ISF is considered one of the great agricultural fairs of the U.S. While fairs vary in length, the Indiana State Fair is consistently one of the Top 25 most-attended fairs in the country.

· Next year, the Fair will be 17 days long, August 7-23, 2009.

· For the last several years, the Indiana State Fair has annually received multiple awards from the International Association of Fairs and Expos for marketing, publicity and agricultural education programs.

· Our award-winning Little Hands on the Farm exhibit is an interactive agriculture education experience for children that has now been duplicated at about 10 other fairs around the country.

· Last year, we became the first fair in the country to officially require all food vendors to use trans fat-free cooking oils in their deep-fryers.

Covered Bridge:

· The covered bridge is modeled after the rebuilt Bridgeton Bridge in Parke County.

· The bridge is 90 feet long and 21 feet wide. It is a double-span Burr Arch Truss structure with a King Post on each side and a pedestrian walkway on the east side.

· The bridge is constructed entirely of Indiana hardwood, including tulip tree wood, Indiana’s state tree.

· With the Indiana State Fair Covered Bridge, there are 90 covered bridges in the state.

· The original idea behind covering the bridges was to extend the life of the structures. In addition, the barn-like appearance of the bridges helped to put skittish horses at ease when crossing over water.

· At one time, covered bridges were known as “kissing bridges,” where courting couples crossing the bridges could steal a kiss away from prying eyes.

Normandy Barn:

· Originally built in 1936, this historic barn was moved to East 38^th Street across from the State Fairgrounds main gate in 1998. We moved it from 38^th Street to the north side of the Fairgrounds in March of this year. It is part of an agricultural complex that will eventually be known as the “State Fair Farm.”

· Moving the barn provided the Fair with a small savings over building a new barn of similar size and amenities, but more importantly, it allowed the Fair to preserve a cherished piece of agricultural history that has great nostalgic value to many Hoosiers.

· The barn will house a display of modern agricultural techniques during the fair and will also be used other times throughout the year as a component of “The State’s Largest Classroom.”

Competition:

· In 2007, there were 24,585 total 4-H exhibits at the fair. About half (12,452) of these were animal exhibits.

· The most popular 4-H animal exhibit in 2007 was Horse & Pony with 1,569 entries (sheep was close behind with 1,524).

· Open Class had 11,328 exhibitors in 4,983 different competitions.

Elon can do more to help with campus safety

Allison Carter/ Columnist

I cringe every time I receive an infamous Smith Jackson e-mail in my inbox.

Sometimes it’s something benign, like a reminder to move your car for a football game, or a notice that a water main has burst. Far too often, however, it’s a security alert.

Some Elon student (more often than not a female) has been mugged, raped or otherwise attacked. The frequency of these e-mails this year has been unacceptable.

Undoubtedly, there are many things Elon students can do to protect themselves. However, Elon University could do a better job at keeping its well-paying students safe.

For instance, where is the promised extra lighting along the Danieley tram path? This stretch of road is lit only intermittently and bordered on one side by a construction site and on the other by shrub — perfect hiding for an attacker. Yet, lighting remains inadequate.

Why did the emergency call pole in the back of the McMichael parking lot stay “out of order” for weeks? Why is there a large unlit area just outside of the all-female Staley residence hall?

Elon, you keep telling us how we can protect ourselves. Please help us.

With the installation of a few more lights and emergency call poles, perhaps Smith Jackson will stop being the bearer of bad news.

Contact Allison Carter at pendulum@elon.edu or 278-7247.