Since taking Childhelp® on as a client in February of 2007, our staff has become more aware of the prevalence of child abuse in our nation and even in our own state.  It is a tragedy that the world we live in requires such an organization to protect children from people who would otherwise hurt them.  However, we are thankful that in light of the circumstances of the world, there are people like the employees and volunteers of Childhelp who have taken a stand against child abuse and neglect.

Today is the National Day of Hope, which commemorates victims of child abuse in addition to celebrating the hope we have that one day child abuse will be eradicated.  Throughout the day, people across the country will light a five wick candle and observe five minutes of silence in recognition of the now nearly five children who die each day as a result of abuse and neglect in the home and the millions of others who suffer.

This year’s Day of Hope comes alongside a campaign to bring new members and supporters into the fold at Childhelp.  In other words, to invite others to become “Childhelpers.”

At GCJPR we are proud to work alongside Childhelp in their efforts to protect the children of our communities and nation, and we hope you will consider becoming a Childhelper as well.

Recently, GCJPR had a group of over 300 friends that it needed to distribute photos to. As much as we loved running the P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon and Half Marathon with them, burning even a dozen DVDs and distributing them to team leaders would take too much time.

Of course our solution was on the internet. We went to Flickr to make the photos available to all of the 2011 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Mayor’s Run participants and charities partners.

Flickr is a social media world heavy weight and can supplement an organization’s Web site, blog, etc. In the case of the BCBSAZ Mayor’s Run, Flickr is a great solution to sharing information to hundreds. Check out our photos on Flickr!

At GCJPR, we focus on the guest and work from there. We want the guests at our events to have fun, learn something and donate at fundraisers. Creating an environment where those are possible starts with keeping the guest in mind during the planning and execution stages.

Creating a timeline is paramount to success. A timeline during the planning stage ensures deadlines are met, invitations are dropped and video production is secured.

We believe that a carefully scripted event will enhance the experience for your guests, allowing the event to flow smoothly and eliminating long winded presenters.

Preparing an event timeline that details what is happening on the stage, including any audio visual needs, as well as event load in and VIP/Cocktail reception helps everyone stay on the same page.

If your event is large and incorporates volunteers you may want to consider holding a volunteer meeting the day before or a few hours before your event. This will allow you to assign jobs to your volunteers and explain the event’s activities.

Short programs are always better than long ones, especially for the audience. Your guests’ eyes will start glazing over from continuous talking, so think of ways to liven up your program like inserting a video or entertainment act. A stage manager will help your event move quickly by having participants backstage, which cuts down on time and ensures smooth transitions between speakers.

Always execute your event with your guests in mind and you will never lose.

CIGNA HealthCare of Arizona is the title sponsor of the seventh annual Maricopa Health Foundation CopaBall Gala benefitting the Maricopa Integrated Health System.  The Foundation exists solely to support the services of MIHS which touches the lives of nearly all residents of Maricopa County one way or another.  The Phoenix Cancer Center is a leading provider for cancer care, where patients have access to receive high quality cancer treatment through the latest technology with top physicians and specialists.  Programs include the Level I Trauma Center, The Arizona Burn Center and the Arizona Children’s Center.  MIHS trains more than 400 physicians a year and provides care to the uninsured and underinsured.

This year’s honorees are John A., Dover, M.D., recipient of the J.Kipp Charlton Physician of Excellence Award, and Margi J. Schultz (PhD, RN, CNE, PLNC), recipient of the Joey Ridenour Nursing Excellence Award.

Tickets are still open and can be purchased for $350.00 per person. Individual and table sponsorships seating can be reserved at www.blacktie-arizona.com/rsvp (Event code: copa10).  For further information, please contact Linda Cook at (602) 344-2623.

For the juniors, it was a magical week made possible through the sponsorship of the National Association for Home Care and Hospice and the amazing work of the First Tee program. The week kicked off with a number of informal mix and mingle diners. First was a pairing diner in which the juniors found out which professional they would be matched with, accompanied by raucous applause from all attending and gasps when some juniors were matched with golf greats such as Tom Watson, Fuzzy Zoeller and Fred Couples.

The following evening the pros, juniors and their families were treated to diner and speeches at the exclusive Pebble Beach Golf Club. There were nine speakers, each representing and telling a story about the nine-core values of the First Tee. The speeches were littered with great moral lessons and humor from First Tee kids, golfers Tom Watson and Tim Simpson, and retired NFL player Harris Barton.

The 78 pros, 78 juniors and 156 amateurs played two qualifying rounds of golf, one at Pebble Beach Golf Links and one at Del Monte on September 3^rd and 4^th. Those who qualified with a low enough score advanced on to the final round at Pebble Beach on September 5, where Ted Schulz took the win.

The connection between the National Association for Home Care and Hospice and the First Tee makes much more sense than might appear at first sight. As provisions of the administration’s new health care legislation begin to take effect, insurance and service providers are looking for new ways to reach out to the large amount of Americans entering the market. For the National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC), an advocacy group that represents some 25,000 home care and hospice organizations, the tournament provided a great awareness opportunity. In addition, home care is often involved with children, thus allowing the organization to help give back while creating awareness.

GCJPR coordinated with the First Tee to capture stories on video and distribute photos to the media of First Tee kids who had a connection to home care or hospice somewhere in their family. A surprising number did, further enhancing the connection between the kids and the title sponsor. To see a number of photos from the week, check out the gallery boxes below.

Campaign season has been ramping up and we’ve inundated ourselves with more than a fair share of political meetings, fundraisers and rallies. From organizing Phoenix’s bid to the RNC Site Selection Committee (we unfortunately lost to Tampa) to McCain rallies, to Jim Ward and Ben Quayle events, and to a special visit by former First Lady Laura Bush to sign her new book, we’ve been keeping ourselves quite busy.

We’ll have lots more info on each of these campaigns in our upcoming newsletter release, but in the meantime we thought you’d all enjoy this photo gallery of events over the last three months. Just click on each photo to view a larger size.

Held for the third consecutive year, the employees and contractors of Palo Verde organize more than 40 booths dedicated to safety topics ranging from radiation protection to heart health to the proper ways to use tools.

With the goal of teaching about safety in a creative and fun way, each department designed a booth and offered an array of prizes ranging from Wii game consoles to flat screen televisions in order to get people to stop and learn about safety.

Some booths featured game show themes such as “Are you smarter than a nuclear scientist” and Palo Verde “Idol.”  Others offered interactive games such as miniature golf, remote control car racing and a live version of the Clue game.

Even though the event isn’t open to the public, over 2,000 employees and contractors attended the event throughout the day and the event was covered by ABC15 and the Business Journal.

Palo Verde is the largest power producer in the U.S., providing electricity to more than 4 million customers throughout Arizona and the Southwest. The plant is operated by Arizona Public Service.

On Tuesday, January 5, news cameras and media personnel packed the GCJPR office to hear Steve Forbes, Congressman John Shadegg and Dr. Eric Novack speak about their new ballot initiative that would allow Arizonans a choice of care under new federal health care.

The ballot initiative, the Arizona Health Care Freedom Act, advocates that each Arizonan should have the right to choose their own insurance, not one approved by the government.

“Arizona Health Care Freedom Act is not about doctors, it’s not about members of Congress, it’s about all of us Americans. And it’s about the rights of individuals to be in charge of their own health and health care,” said Dr. Novack.

“This amendment is critical not only for Arizona, but indeed for the nation,” said Forbes. “This is the center. If Arizona gets it right health care can survive and thrive in America again.”

“What’s wrong with the current structure of [the federal health care]bill, is that it is going to point a gun at every one of your heads and say, ‘you must buy insurance,’” said Congressman Shadegg. “But here’s the real rub, it’s not that you must buy insurance that you like, it’s that you must buy insurance that the government approves.”

To find out more, view the Arizonans for Health Care Freedom Web site. You can also find a gallery of photos from the press conference at our Facebook Fan page.

In November, GCJPR and MJKL Enterprises teamed up once again to bring the Making It Happen charity tour to the opening of a new Carl’s Jr.® restaurant in Leon Valley, Texas. For weeks, GCJPR helped the team at MJKL find and reach out to individuals and organizations in the Leon Valley community in need and distribute information about the new store opening.

Proceeding the Leon Valley opening, signage informing the community that Carl’s Jr. was coming soon was part of the intrigue. Local talk started as each beneficiary started to put out their flyers announcing that they would be the recipient of a donation from the new Carl’s Jr. Even more stir was created when locals learned of the free food for a year promotion which distributed 500 coupon books to the first through the doors on opening day.

Thanks to the hard work of GCJPR and MJKL the Leon Valley Carl’s Jr, posted $115,536 in its opening week, breaking both the domestic and international sales marks.

“This is a true testament to the strength of the Carl’s Jr. brand, to the leadership at CKE and a great tribute to our wonderful employees and guests, who are like family to us,” said Jason LeVecke, CEO of MJKL Enterprises. “As we’ve always said, we learned a lot of great things from our Grandfather about business and life in general that continue to benefit us today. Hard work, commitment to family and community were among the most important things my Grandfather taught me. The record-setting opening at our Leon Valley Carl’s Jr. was the perfect combination of all three and far exceeded our expectations. I’m proud of the outstanding service from our staff, the overwhelming welcome into the Leon Valley community and knowing that the commitments to success my grandfather instilled in us are still strong throughout the Carl’s Jr. system.”

The Leon Valley Carl’s Jr., which opened for business Nov. 18, is the first Carl’s Jr. in Leon Valley, and the fifth Carl’s Jr. in the greater San Antonio area. The record-setting crew in Leon Valley is led by operational vice president, Lourdes Guardado. The restaurant employs nearly 70 full- and part-time workers.

GCJPR was proud to be a part of this record-breaking restaurant opening.