San Bernardino County Supervisor Biane Holds Publicity Seminar for Nonprofits

(WHPR Promo Piece)

By Debbie Pfeiffer Trunnell, The Sun – San Bernardino and The Inland Empire Staff Writer
Article Launched: 10/09/2008 08:03:27 PM PDT

Nonprofits struggle in the best of times, so it has been tough for many of the help organizations in the current economic climate.

To help them stay afloat and to provide advice on how to draw attention to their organizations, San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Chairman Paul Biane hosted the seventh annual Nonprofit Resource Seminar on Wednesday in Rancho Cucamonga.

“The supervisor has always believed if you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, but if you teach him to fish, you feed him for a lifetime,” said Melissa Boyd, field representative for the supervisor. “It is applicable to nonprofits, because a lot of them want to keep growing but are just trying to pay the electricity bill.”

The event started out small and has since grown into an event attended by hundreds seeking advice from public relations and marketing professionals and Internet experts.

On Wednesday, the sessions at the Central Park Community Center in Rancho Cucamonga included mastering the media, building financial stability, community collaboration and e-Strategy for nonprofits.

David Hamlin of Weisman Hamlin Public Relations said he was glad to be part of an event that supported nonprofits, because they are looking down the barrel of some very difficult times.

“I see it as important to help them, because if there is a problem out there, there is a nonprofit trying to fix it,” he said in the sessions he hosted.

The advice he and wife Sydney Weisman gave included the importance of a timely media advisory, calling reporters at designated hours and not holding a news conference unless you have a monster story.

To save money in tough financial times, he suggested visiting journalism or public relations classes to get interns.

“We want you to get coverage. That is why we do these workshops,” he said.

Attendees were also encouraged to share information about their nonprofits with Weisman, who walked from table to table with a microphone.

Everyone in the room was then encouraged to brainstorm for story ideas based on what the nonprofit does.

The best ideas dealt with controversy or focused on people, trends, changes and patterns.

For example, when one man discussed La Verne/San Dimas Meals on Wheels, Weisman suggested a trends story on how Meals on Wheels volunteers are coping with high gas prices.

A woman speaking about her nonprofit, which supports pregnant women with diabetes, was told to pitch a trend story because the number of women dealing with diabetes during pregnancy is on the rise.

Meanwhile, Allan Pressel, founder and CEO of CharityFinders, which helps nonprofits use the Internet to further their mission, discussed such issues as how to have a Web site that has a lot to see and do.

Pressel said the event was extremely useful to nonprofit representatives, because they are hungry for information on how they can raise more money.

deborah.pfeiffer@inlandnewspapers.com

(909) 386-3879

Gilmore Heritage Auto Show: Woody Wagon Joy Rides

(Client: Farmers Market)

Despite the bumpy outing, the grind of the stick shift and the lack of power brakes and steering, vintage Ford Woody Wagons have a celebrity status among car enthusiasts.
By: Brenda Rees
June 5, 2008

Motoring around Santa Monica with Dougger Anderson is like taking a drive with Angelina Jolie or George Clooney, except it’s the car, not the passengers, that has the celebrity status.

“Hey, how you doing?” chimes Anderson as he waves “hang loose” to a guy snapping a cellphone shot of the pristine maize-colored Ford Woody Wagon — one of the quintessential old-school “cheap” beach cars with wood paneling that were perfect for hauling surfboards and buddies — as it idles at a red light.

“What year is it?” hollers another fellow along Ocean Boulevard.

“It was built in 1946, the same year I was,” Anderson shouts back with a grin.

Despite the bumpy outing, the grind of the stick shift and the lack of power brakes and steering, the Woody ride is more than just a grown man showing off his expensive toy.

“It reminds me of what being in Southern California is all about,” says Anderson, who surfed his youth away at Dana Point. “It represents the carefree beach days, the smell of Coppertone, the Beach Boys. I bought it for the joy of the image it projects. It just makes everyone happy.”

Anderson joins owners of a dozen other Woodies — along with 45 other vintage cars, including an extremely rare 1902 Autocar Tonneau convertible — at the Gilmore Heritage Auto Show this Saturday at the Farmers Market in Los Angeles. The “Knock on Wood” exhibition, a smorgasbord of classic surf cars, features wood-sided wagons from the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s.

Another one-of-a-kind car on display is a “camperized” 1946 Mercury Marmon-Herrington Woody. Current owner Dave Holmes of Santa Monica was so enamored of the adventurous and classy vehicle that he sold two vintage cars — a 1942 Ford Woody and a 1959 Corvette — to buy it.

“I like stuff that’s unique, and this car is like driving around in a museum,” Holmes says. His Woody was first owned by Donald Bleitz, a preeminent Southern California ornithological photographer.

Traveling the Southwest to photograph local birds from the mountains to the deserts, Bleitz transformed his simple car into a practical overnighter: The back seats were removed and a folding aluminum cot was stowed on the interior roof. An extra gas tank was installed along with a stainless steel, cork-insulated ice chest for film and food. A dashboard button dispensed drinking water from a supplementary water tank. And the roof rack, which doubled as a photo shoot platform, was modified with extra ribs; folding metal steps were added on the rear.

Holmes encourages car-show visitors to view each vehicle as a time capsule. “They couldn’t help but make things stylish back then,” the retired schoolteacher says. “Every old car has something you don’t see in today’s cars: authenticity and flair.”

GILMORE HERITAGE AUTO SHOW
WHERE: Farmers Market, 6333 W. 3rd St., L.A.
WHEN: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday
PRICE: Free
INFO: (323) 933-9211

Watts Changes, and a Mainstay Bids It Farewell

(Client: Kids in Sports)

Watts Changes, And a Mainstay Bids It Farewell

New York Times: KIS reprint