We have had the pleasure of working with Crisis Ministries over the last few months to promote the groundbreaking for their new shelter. Below you’ll find the official press release about the event and samples of coverage.

COMMUNITY LEADERS BREAK GROUND ON CHARLESTON’S NEW HOMELESS SHELTER;

FACILITY WILL HELP PROMOTE SELF-SUFFICIENCY FOR THOUSANDS OF GUESTS

Community leaders, volunteers and supporters gathered today to break ground on Charleston’s new homeless shelter, a space that will be specifically designed to help homeless men and women achieve self-sufficiency.

Founded in 1984, Crisis Ministries has always operated out of donated, retrofitted space. Each year, 1,200 guests pour through the doors in search of shelter and 200,000 meals are served to guests and area residents.

The new facility is being built adjacent to the existing shelter complex, with completion expected in 18 to 24 months. It will provide 70 emergency shelter beds, 40 transitional Veterans’ beds, a health clinic, dedicated counseling/group meeting space and a new community soup kitchen.

The fundraising goal for the new shelter is $6 million, $4.7 million of which has been raised. Shelter CEO Stacey Denaux cited a number of area families whose generosity was key to such an effective early capital campaign. “Today is a celebration not only of the future, but of the long and wonderful relationships we enjoy with donors,” said Denaux. “Thanks to these families and foundations, Charleston’s reputation for gracious hospitality will extend to those among us who need it most.”

• The Zucker Family has underwritten the new community Soup Kitchen, which will be an efficient and effective workspace for more than 4,000 volunteers to prepare meals 365 days a year.
• A light-filled dining hall will replace the current space, which serves 175 meals a day and doubles as the men’s dormitory.
• The Bakker Family Food Rescue Center will support the shelter’s efforts to procure and store food donated from all over the community. In a typical year, the shelter recovers $600,000 worth of donated food, but often struggles with appropriate storage and preparation space.
• The Harold C. Schott Dormitory will be a dedicated space for men that brings dignity to the individuals sheltered there. Guests will be provided lockers, beds and clean linens.
• Veterans Programs will expand as the shelter grows from 14 to 40 beds dedicated to men who have served our country (female veterans are housed in 10 beds in the Family Center), which was made possible in part by $1.2 million Veterans Administration New Shelter Capital grant.
• The Homeless Health Clinic currently saves local ERs $60,000 worth of care that would otherwise go to homeless individuals. The new clinic will add private exam rooms, a dental room and a nurse’s station. The Roper Saint Francis Physicians Endowment has launched a matching grant program to help underwrite the $500,000 cost of the clinic. If the community raises $300,000 for the clinic, the Roper St. Francis Physician Endowment will grant Crisis Ministries $200,000. Nearly $190,000 out of $300,000 has already been committed in order to receive this grant.

 

Denaux also noted that the building has been designed with sustainability in mind. Architects with McMillan Pazdan Smith have included energy-conserving HVAC, water and window systems and reclaimed materials. The building is expected to qualify for LEED status as designated by the United States Green Buildings Council.

With today’s groundbreaking ceremony, Crisis Ministries enters the final phase of its effort to raise funds for the building. Community leaders appealed to individuals throughout the community to log onto the “Food Shelter Hope” page at www.foodshelterhope.org and browse among the items needed to equip the shelter. With a simple click, donors can see what their support will help provide.

“For years, Crisis Ministries has been supported through small, yet meaningful, donations,” said Denaux. “We wanted to be sure that members of the community could see the many tangible ways that their support will benefit our guests.”

Check out the video below from Count on 2, and you can also check out this video from ABC News 4. You can also read an account from the Charleston Regional Business Journal about the event.

Additionally, we garnered the following coverage before the groundbreaking:

• Post & Courier architecture story
• Charleston Mercury Letter to the Editor
• Charleston City Paper green building story

Here’s a lesson in crisis management: Don’t blame the victims!

This past September 11^th, the 9/11 Memorial Organization received a failing grade for what should be rule #1 of Crisis Management common sense! When friends and family of victims came out to this year’s memorial services, one family in particular experienced fresh pain and grief when they found their loved one’s name was misspelled. The family of Jeffrey Schreier discovered the typo of a lifetime- Jeffrey’s name was etched as “Jefferey” into the Ground Zero Memorial.

As if the sting of this typo wasn’t enough for the Schreier family to bear, when they reported the error, the organization allegedly initially blamed the family for the misdeed. In the comment section of NBC’s coverage of the incident, a woman identifying herself as Jeffrey’s sister, Janice Hart, claimed that the organization blamed her family for filling out the paperwork incorrectly and didn’t immediately promise to rectify the situation. Although the organization eventually traced the error back to an incorrect database entry (fault of the organization) and is currently looking into a way to fix the spelling, it’s safe to say their handling of the incident lacked…umm, sensitivy?

We hope this organization has learned a thing or two from this PR boo-boo. Maybe from now on they’ll be quicker to investigate and slower to blame.

As PR pros, we are all too familiar with the importance of effective communication. In the same regard, it would be quite the understatement to say we are aware of the ever-evolving modes of communication. In fact, in our line of work we are forced to stay abreast of new communication outlets- a full-time job to say the least! From managing company blogs to posting breaking news on Twitter, we share your pain as we attempt to navigate through a world where what is “new” today is “obsolete” tomorrow.

In a whirlwind of communication practices that is constantly transforming, we’ve found the one thing that stays constant- HOW to communicate. Whether you’re relaying information through a handwritten note or public speech, there are several simple guidelines to effective communication. PR Daily recently posted an article titled, “12 Unexpected Tips for Business Communications” and we thought we’d share what we believe to be the 5 most crucial tips.

1. Guard your attention wisely. Take a look at your daily communication practices. If you’re like us, you tweet, post, upload, ring, comment and webcast 24/7. We live in a world overloaded with information and it’s easy to allow your attention to be carried off with the next batch of data that surges your way. In order to relay and absorb vital information successfully, we suggest you make conscious, wise decisions on what information holds your time and attention.
2. Establish rapport. It’s all about connection! For us this is especially true, we spend the majority of our day establishing relationships. Whether it is a phone call with our clients, emails with local journalists or a blog article for our website, we strive to create bonds through our words. However, the importance of establishing rapport is a must across the board, regardless of your job title. Creating a bond with coworkers, clients or even within personal relationships helps to solve and prevent conflicts.
3. Practice H.O.T communication. That stands for Honest, Open and Two-way communication. Attributed to business writer, Dan Oswald, this approach helps to eliminate and prevent sticky situations. You’ll be surprised to find how much easier establishing relationships can be when you are transparent and forthcoming with others.
4. Recognize the influential power of words. In the words of Nathaniel Hawthorne, “Words—so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.” Remember this the next time you update your Facebook status, send an email or speak with a client. Words are powerful and have an uncanny ability to transcend time and space. With the advent of social media, your words can (and will) leave lasting impressions on people you may never have intended them for.
5. Tap into silent listening. This one is possibly the most difficult to grasp in our day and age. It’s a matter of shutting out the noise of our digital-communication-obsessed culture. Distractions in the form of tweets and emails are relentless. Silent listening means being distraction free and offering your complete attention. So silence your smartphone, shut off your iPad, be in the moment and watch your relationships transform.