Kids in Sports and the Abbey Opening

Oftentimes, throughout a year, WHPR clients have small events. These are stand-alone events that require modest time in preparation (compared to large, public events) either in terms of logistics or media materials. Here are two examples of small events that merited media coverage. For all events, WHPR is on-site, standing by to help media facilitate interviews and guiding news media, at media’s request, to the best potential subjects for their stories.

WHPR represented Kids in Sports for several years in the early 2000’s.

Not every event is a long-term planning operation. Sometimes, even a small event is worthy of a PR effort.

KIS is a highly acclaimed after-school sports program held for children in at-risk neighborhoods throughout LA County. They held sports events almost every weekend as part of their on-going programs. But one event rose above the others. It was a special girls’ baseball workshop. One of the highest honors KIS received was the blessing and acceptance of this workshop by the surviving members of the All Girls’ Professional Baseball League, the World War II generation of professional women baseball players who were the basis for the popular movie “A League of Their Own.”

This was a one-day event with little planning for media coverage. WHPR made one cold call to the NY Times sports desk, after the LA Times rejected the story.

Here’s the result of that call:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/24/sports/baseball-bringing-their-love-of-the-game-to-girls.html?scp=1&sq=all+american+girls+baseball+league+kids+in+sports&st=nyt

Skid Row Housing Trust

When the Trust opens a new property, it is cause for celebration by staff and the new residents who receive permanent supportive housing. For the opening of their new building, The Abbey, WHPR wrote and issued a news release and contacted local media.

This was not a big event, in the sense that it required a lot of logistics in the way a larger, public event would, but it was an important event nonetheless. Generally in Los Angeles and larger markets, some small, important event occurs at least twice a day, every day, so getting coverage can be challenging. In this instance, with phone call follow up after the release was sent, WHPR gathered some coverage for the Abbey and the Trust.

Here’s an example:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/04/homeless-housing.html