For many years, I wanted to earn my Accredited in Public Relations (APR) credential, but the time never seemed right. There was too much going on at work. There were family commitments. There were other obligations. But in 2007, I realized that the timing was never going to be right. There were always going be obligations and commitments. So I decided that if APR was something that I was interested in achieving, then I should just do it. And I did!

 

If you have been considering going after your APR, there is no time like the present. In fact, PRSA National has designated April as Accreditation Month. As Anne Buckley, PRSA Richmond accreditation chair, likes to say, “You can’t spell April without APR.”

 

Members can learn more about APR – the PR profession’s only national post-graduate certificate program – through a series of special events. If you’re interested in pursuing your APR, PRSA Richmond is here to help with a more streamlined accreditation process to make it less time intensive for accreditation seekers and current APRs who participate in the process. Contact Anne at albuckley@vcu.edu or 804.828.6052 to learn more.

 

Here are a few other upcoming PRSA Richmond events.

 

Nonprofit Alliance

We’re thrilled that 31 Richmond area nonprofits have applied for public relations assistance through the 2012 Nonprofit Alliance   ! This initiative is the cornerstone of PRSA Richmond’s 2012 theme, PRSA Serving RVA. The Public Service Committee will review the applications next week and select one organization to support in 2012 in one of three focus areas: strategic planning, event management or a public relations tactic (such as media relations or social media). In addition, PRSA Richmond will be holding a free public relations workshop for area nonprofits in the fall. It’s not too late to get involved. If you’re interested in learning more, contact Glenn Birch, public service committee chair, at glenn.birch@vacu.org or 804.560.5664.

 

Social Media Breakfast Seminar

Space is still available for our first professional development seminar of the year. Jon Newman, partner and social media leader from The Hodges Partnership, will share his insights about the new Facebook Timeline for Brands, as well as other social media trends for 2012, including Pinterest. The event will be held from 7:30-9 a.m. on Friday, April 20 at the Virginia Society of CPAs office (Innsbrook) at 4309 Cox Road in Glen Allen, Va. The cost of the seminar is $20 for members/students and $30 for non-members. For more information, contact Jennifer Pounders, professional development chair, at pounderspr@verizon.net or 804.338.4514.

 

65th Annual Virginia PR Awards

Join us as we celebrate the 65th annual Virginia PR Awards on Wednesday, May 16 at the historic Jefferson Hotel in downtown Richmond. It’s shaping up to be an incredible evening! Along with recognizing the best public relations work from around the region and across the Commonwealth, we’ll also be recognizing, Marjorie Grier from Dominion with the prestigious Thomas Jefferson Award of Excellence, as well as the Rising Star Award to a young PR professional with less than five years of public relations experience. Registration for the event is now available online. For more information, contact Catherine Gryp, vice president of awards, at cgryp@crt-tanaka.com or 804.675.8141.

 

We also have many other exciting programs in the works! Please visit our website or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter (hashtag #PRSARVA) to keep up with the latest Chapter happenings.

 

Hope to see you at an upcoming event!

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Jeff Wilson, APR

President

PRSA Richmond

jwilson@crt-tanaka.com

804.675.8175

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