It is always a good idea to be aware of awards in your community that your clients might be eligible for. This increases the visibility of the individual and/or business.

My client, Michele Elek-Zuberbuehler, has been extremely active in animal welfare and co-founded Panacea Animal Wellness Sanctuary, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. She also has the position of being the director.

Michele’s passion is boundless and she has sacrificed her personal life and has a saint of a husband who supports her work with “PAWS”. Even though she has a day job, she works every minute she can for the organization…day, nights and weekends. Just a sample of her activities: created the foster/adoption program, becoming a partner with PetSmart Chairities to hold adoptions each weekend at a Mesa location, recruits, supervises and trains volunteers, manages all records, oversees the financials, board recruitment, reviews the daily local euthanasia list to review with her business partner which animals they can save and find foster homes so they won’t be killed. The list goes on and on.

The vision she and her business partner have is to create a community like Best Friends Animal Society in Utah. This would serve our community by ensuring there are no senseless and unnecessary euthanasia, education to the public on all animal welfare issues including spaying and neutering, puppy mills/backyard breeding, adoption options and current legislation. Also helping low income families in the community who are at risk of having to give up family pets due to the inability to find no/low cost medical options and food banks for their pet needs enabling them to stay together.

She was a perfect candidate for the Arizona Cardinals Community Quarterback award. I contacted her and her business partner to share the parameters for the nomination and we got busy to get the nomination form submitted. It was an inspiring opportunity to get to know Michele better and have the resolve that she was going to win.

There were 67 entries submitted for the award. Winners were chosen by a panel of community leaders and “PAWS” was the ONLY animal welfare organization chosen! Screaming over the phone was just the beginning of the celebration!

On January 1, 2012, the Arizona Cardinals presented Michele Elek-Zuberbuehler, co-founder and Director of Panacea Animal Wellness Sanctuary one of the 5 Cardinals Community Quarterback Awards.

She received the award during the pre-game show of the Cardinals vs. Seahawks game by Cardinals President, Michael Bidwell.

She was asked what number she wanted for her Cardinal’s jersey and being a proud ASU Alum, she chose #40 to honor Pat Tillman. “Anytime there’s a chance to honor and remember him, we should,” shares Michele.

Michele is so deserving of this award. Congratulations Michele!

Featured on KPHO Channel 5, The Tribune and a great article by the Arizona Republic.

www_azcentral_com_community_gilbert_articles_2011_12_28_2011

I am so grateful to have a client who I felt deserved to have a submission for this prestigious award. Congrats Michele!

I have been fortunate to work with The Real Gift Foundation on several of their charitable fundraisers. This non-profit serves the homeless school children in Maricopa County, AZ. This November was their 12th Annual Thanksgiving Dinner Drive.

This is not your typical drive. They don’t ask the community to drop off turkeys or fixings.

The Real Gift Foundation orders pre-cooked Thanksgiving dinners complete with an 8-10 pound turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, veggies, and more. Each dinner feeds a family of six. Because of the nature of the event, they fundraise AFTER they have already placed the order, months before they will be delivered on the elementary school district warehouse docks.

Talk about FAITH IN ACTION! The foundation staff, volunteers and teachers deliver 3,650 dinners to homeless school children (and their families) who attend over 70 public schools throughout the Valley feeding over 22,000 people! This meant raising just over $80,000 to pay for all the meals that would be distributed on November, 22.

Conde Rogers, President of The Real Gift Foundation, is steadfast in her knowing that the community will learn of our efforts through our public relations campaign and the money will be raised. The donations to the foundation were significantly lower when we started this year compared to last year at this time. The economy hit everyone hard.  Yet, Conde sets the bar and knows that the community will stand to meet it.

We had new stories to be told through the media. There were many first time homeless families due to the economy. One family’s daughter had cancer and due to her treatment and the loss of one of her parent’s jobs, they were living in their car.

The stories were shared by television, radio magazine and newspaper reporters. The social media campaign was successful in getting the word out as well and the money was raised. See the story on local FOX affiliate KSAZ.

Cory’s Corner The Real Gift Foundation’s Thanksgiving Dinner Drive

Yes, I love doing the PR campaign, yet I also get the joy of being on site to watch families come to pick up their Thanksgiving dinners. To see the looks and hear the words of gratitude filling the air brings a tear to my eye. Plus to watch the gratitude pouring out of the hearts of the volunteers and teachers who were at the school district warehouse facility at 6am with huge smiles awaiting the opportunity to serve this community.

Gratitude is a two-way street, for the giver and the receiver.  I am blessed to have been a part of it.

Don’t let your evening turn into a nightmare by having to take your pet to the vet. As you would keep your kids safe, extend the same care to your furry kids! Most importantly, educate your children on the dangers so that they understand how to keep their beloved pet safe!

When the kids get home from a fun night of “Trick or Treating,” make sure you keep their bag out of your pets’ reach!

Avoid Chocolate!

Chocolate contains an ingredient called theobromine which can cause shaking, seizures, increased heart rate and even death. Although the milligrams vary, all types of chocolate, baker’s, dark, milk, semisweet chocolate contain it and should be avoided.

Diet Candy isn’t good either!

Sugar-free candy, gum, cookies are wonderful, yet they contain a very dangerous ingredient for your pets. They will likely contain Xylitol, and a little bit can cause a radical drop in blood pressure, liver damage and death.

No raisins or grapes!

Dogs are at most risk here, cats really don’t like them and birds seem to be unaffected. Some dogs are ok, yet why risk the chance of kidney failure or death on 0.3oz!

Money is for the piggy bank!

Some neighbors like to give out change, particularly pennies. Getting this out is a big expense at the vet’s office. You don’t want the zinc to dissolve and enter the bloodstream causing kidney disease and severe anemia.

Beware of Candy Foil Wraps!

Birds love these shiny objects, yet so does your dog or cat. Keep them hidden in a safe place.

Scary Visitors!

Some dogs like to greet the kids at the door, yet others may be terrified or they may bite to protect you and their home. You know your dog, so keep this in mind. Cats should definitely be put into another room for their safety.

Candles in Jack O’Lanterns!

This is one of the “treats” of Halloween décor, yet it can be dangerous if knocked over and start a fire.

Halloween Lights!

These are a temptation as a chew toy. ZAP! Keep cords out of their reach.

Homemade decorations!

It’s great that you are the crafty one, yet while creating your magic, the decorations made probably have polyurethane glue on them,  Dogs in particular have been attracted to this rubbery treat and then paid the price with a trip to the vet to surgically remove the rock-like mass.

Dressing Up!

It is so much fun to dress up your pet, yet your pet should be supervised at all times. Make sure that the costume is not too tight to cut off circulation. Is it too scary or annoying that your pet tries hard to rub it off?  Worse, they run around to get it off knocking over furniture, getting tangled with the possibility of being choked or chewing at it to break free! Make it easy and fun or forget it. When removing the costume, make sure you don’t miss any pieces and especially not any rubber bands.

My boy, Rumi, wore a simple t-shirt with a glow-in-the-dark t-shirt that was easy for him to walk in.

“Trick” Behaviors by Mean-Spirited Humans!

There are people out there that aren’t animal lovers. Black cats are particularly in danger on this holiday as they can be used in sacrificial rituals, tortured.  I recommend keeping ALL your pets in the house where you know they are safe.

Make every Halloween a safe holiday for your children and your pets.

I am so grateful to have the opportunity to extend my birthday wishes to  Dabney Porte and have the opportunity to be a community sponsor tonight for Twitter Slumber Party attendees.

My love is to lift people into the spotlight and so I will be gifting the winner an hour consultation with myself, “PR Diva” on publicity, marketing, branding etc. The value of this hour is $350.00 I can’t wait to give my clue for tonight!

I want to thank you all for taking the time to review my website, let me know how I can help. Follow me on twitter @sherrybutlerpr Find me on facebook here

August 24…news broke about Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, Inc. retiring. Twitter was a buzz with this breaking news. I looked at the tweets flying by from all the news organizations and then from people commenting on what would be the fate of the company’s stock prices, what would happen without his day to day leadership. It was so unbelievably sad to me. I sent out a few tweets bringing attention to his health and service he has given. I was blessed to have KTVK Channel 3′s 10pm newscast share one of my tweets that night read by co-anchor Carey Pena.

I was so thrilled that I asked the social media producer to send me a snapshot of it. Why? Because my message so unlike the others, was noticed.

sherrybutlerpr tweet Steve Jobs KTVK Phoenix

Steve Jobs has cancer. Serious cancer. He has been ill for months, had a liver transplant and is fighting for his life. Yes, he is a genius, a visionary whose likes we haven’t seen since Walt Disney, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison. He has changed the way we live in this world with social media, the internet, mobile phone technology. He has left a legacy to be applauded and I do applaud him for what he has given the world. He is also a husband, a father, a mentor, a friend, a son and more.

I think about Steve Jobs the man who is dealing with a disease that is taking him away from the company he loves so much and what that is doing to him. The man who also has a family that love him fiercely. I pray that he gets better and lives out the rest of his life still able to be creative and have input in the company he loves so much, yet more importantly to relax and enjoy his life with his family. For many of us our work is our life.

We aren’t anything without our health. No amount of money can buy that and unfortunately Steve Jobs, one of the richest men on the planet, knows that all to well. My heart goes out to him for the decision he made today. I am positive it wasn’t an easy one. God bless you Steve on the next phase of your life’s journey. I hope it is long and blessed with health and happiness.