Everything happens for a reason and then life continues

February 23 was a typical Monday evening. Around 5:15 p.m., I had just finished making dinner and preparing for a long night at Research B to work on grants for EcoCAR when my phone suddenly rang. To my surprise it was the State College Community Planner. A bit confused as to why I was getting this phone call after normal business hours, I picked up the phone and began my conversation. The State College Borough had decided to introduce a resolution to the Centre Region Government that evening to motion for March to officially become Census Awareness Month. One problem--the meeting was in two hours and we were expected to make a speech.

Many people would say to themselves, "I already have plans, is it really that important?" As a public relations professional, I  know the importance of devotion to all of the campaigns you are working on. Although, finishing my grants was relatively important, it was more important to finish the last week of Count Centre County's 2010 Census campaign very strong. I quickly hung up the phone and called my colleagues to inform them of the opportunity as I frantically sprinted to my closet to find a business casual outfit I could quickly change into.

Dressed and ready to go, I ran out of my apartment to make it to my 5:45 meeting to merely tell them I had to leave by 6:30 p.m. Knowing I still had to dig my car out of the snow before I could actually leave. At the Centre Region Government meeting, myself and Laura Peck, Director of Technology, spoke about the importance of the census and passing the resolution. After a quick question and answer session, the board passed it unanimously.

When an opportunity presents itself, it is important to take advantage of it because you never know what could happen. Without the ability to think on my toes and be extremely organized with my schedule, I would not have been able to take advantage of this chance. In my opinion, a public relations professional should be ready for anything that is thrown his or her way. After all, everything happens for a reason and then life continues.

No Sitting or Sleeping: For the Kids

This past weekend was quite a weekend of making a difference. But, for students at Penn State, it was nothing more than the 37th annual THON. Each year, PSU students set out to raise money to help beat pediatric cancer. In fact, it is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world. This year 708 students were chosen to "dance" at THON. In other words, they can't sleep, sit or have caffeine for 46 hours straight. Why? All to celebrate the amount of money we raised for the kids.

I was not one of these dancers, but I decided to dance in the stands with the rest of the crowd. After an early start Friday morning at 7 a.m., I hoped I would have a chance to get a short nap before heading to THON, which began at 4 p.m. Unfortunately, I didn't get that chance, so I danced for 46 hours, plus spent another 11 or so awake. To most people, this might seem unreal, but the energy and the experience of giving back is enough to thrive on to make it through.

This year we raised $7,838,054.36.  In all, we have raised more than $68 million for the Four Diamonds Fund. It is truly a celebration and I'm so happy to be a part of it. FTK

Things I learned:

• Eating every 3 hours helps, but after 40 hours you begin to forget--lession: Always have someone there to remind you.
• Don't take advantage of foot massages too often--you become dependent and your feet begin hurting more
• Keep your feet moving and your blood flowing--walking helps significantly
• Cold air (aka going outside) doesn't always wake you up--when you come back in you feel that much warmer, which usually makes you tired
• When you start having disillusions and everything becomes a blur--Don't text or call people because it's probably the middle of the night
• Fruit is a very powerful item to consume
• Don't think you're going to be even a smidge productive during THON (even at the beginning) or after THON.