I love kids, books and PR work.
Recently, I've had the opportunity to help coordinate Springfield Public School's Gift of Literacy event. Over the last few months, every first grade student was read nine books from the Gift of Literacy collection. They each chose their favorite book, and last week they were presented with that book at a day long event held at Lane Community College. Every student received their favorite book with their name inside, a reusable book bag, and a handful of educational goodies. Local celebrities read out loud to small groups of children and then every child received a free lunch. Nearly 150 volunteers and $40,000 of donations made the day possible.
It was such a rewarding experience. Seeing the children's faces was worth the time at the office and in meetings.
Here's what I learned so far from this experience:
- Take initiative: When assigned a task, just go for it. Get the information you need from your supervisor, and then just take a stab at it. You may not always know what the supervisor is looking for, but do the work and let him or her make changes and edits.
- Network like crazy: In my case, I worked with a committee of 20 rotary members, teachers and district employees. Take every chance to get to know these people before or after the committee meetings. You might just have something in common with them.
- Not everyone likes email: Emails are not everyone's preferred method of communication. Sometimes it takes a hard copy sent via snail mail to get your message through.
- Stay organized: When dealing with a new project, start an organizational system from the very beginning and stick with it. It is time consuming to reorganize paperwork and emails later.
- Memorize names quickly: It's easier to ask someone for assistance if you know who you are talking to.
- Be passionate: Put heart into your work and hours will fly by.
Check out the local news coverage here and here.
