JOIN US for the FINAL MEETING of our 35TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON
May 12, 2011 at the new Human Services Campus of East Central Iowa
And, mark your calendar
now to
join us next season on the
2nd Thursday of each month
from September through May!
In this issue:
- Register today for the May meeting
- A recap the April meeting, “Creating a New Community Sports News Service”
 
“Strength in Numbers: The Human Services Campus of East Central Iowa”
with Libby Slappey
 Who knew the flood of 2008 would serve as the jump-start for a creative nonprofit collaborative — the Human Services Campus of East Central Iowa. Home to 12 different human service agencies, the HSC is lean, green and flood proof! Join CRPRA colleagues to learn the dual challenges of marketing and fundraising for this “first” in Cedar Rapids. A tasty lunch by Dostal’s Catering will be followed by a program & insiders’ tour. Park on the street or in City Lot 44 at the corner of 8th Avenue & Second Street, SE.
About the presenter: Libby Slappey is a long-time Cedar Rapidian who has dabbled in fundraising and promotion for 30+ years. A native of Massillon, Ohio, and a Coe College alumna, Slappey served as Major Gifts and Planned Giving Manager for United Way of East Central Iowa when the Human Services Campus was planned and constructed. Slappey currently serves as Project Director for the NewBo City Market's capital campaign.
Please join us!
Thursday, May 12, 2011
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
The Human Services Campus of East Central Iowa (map)
Cost: $15.00
Reservations are
required and
are due by
5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 6.
Submit
your reservation for the May meeting
CRPRA meets the 2nd Thursday of each month, September through May.
Mark your calendars for next season!
by Eric Wylie
April 2011 - “Creating a New Community Sports News Service”
During the summer of 2010, former Gazette sportswriter and editor Jim Ecker, along with business partner Mike Koolbeck, gathered a team and later launched a 150+ page Web site focused on Cedar Rapids metro high school sports: www.metrosportsreport.com.
Leveraging their network of friends and former colleagues, they built a team of professional writers, photographers, salespeople and web-savvy folks who have been actively presenting the area’s prep sporting news. Jim credited CRPRA for helping to make several of the connections needed to get the business off the ground. The group first honed their teamwork by posting articles and photos on a blog during the second half of 2010, until the company’s web site was launched on January 3, 2011.
Jim shared several anecdotes about the reactions of high school sports fans, as well as the full story behind how Metro Sports Report was born after encouragement received when writing a few articles for the fans of Kennedy High School baseball. Jim also shared some thoughts he has for the future of the business.
Community, school and advertiser response has been overwhelmingly positive to the game previews and re-caps, player profiles, coaching and administrative news, daily columns and other features. Plus, the start-up was recently credited with breaking a national high school wrestling story when Metro Sports Report reported that a male wrestler had chosen not to wrestle his female opponent at the state tournament. The story was picked up by The Des Moines Register, then USA Today and eventually hit all of national news outlets.
THANK YOU to Pratt Audio-Visual & Video Corporation
for the generous donation of video projector rentals for our meetings!
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Donate a door prize - Get free face time! 
