NEWS RELEASE EXAMPLES

Student work prepared for PR writing and media class at VCU

News Release 1 Contact Information:

Lindsey Daniels

llindseyyd@gmail.com

703-371-3988

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Recognize, React, Rescue a Life

RICHMOND, Va: The National Alliance on Mental Illness Virginia will be holding a mental health forum for people with a loved one that has a mental illness on Saturday, November 23 from 10 am until 3 pm. It will be located at the Siegel Center on Virginia Commonwealth University’s campus. This event is sponsored by Towne Bank.

Watching your child, parent, friend, sibling begin to act differently, suffer at the hands of a mental illness can be confusing, overwhelming, and frustrating. Likely, there are many questions running through your head. The main ones being: “What is going on?” and “How can I help?” This forum serves as a place where Virginia residents can get answers.

The members of NAMI Virginia that will be speaking at the forum are Executive Director Rhonda Thissen, Assistant Director Sarah Wilson, Director of Adult and Family Program Mary Beth Walsh, and Director of Child and Youth Programs Laura May. They will present information on common mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, attention deficit disorders, eating disorders, and schizophrenia. They will mainly cover what symptoms occur with each disorder and the steps that need to be taken after a loved one is diagnosed with a mental disorder. The second part of the forum will consist of the speakers answering questions from the audience.

NAMI Virginia Director of Events Lindsey Daniels explains what the organization hopes to accomplish from this event.

“Our goal is that people leave with the necessary resources needed when trying to care for, provide support for someone with a mental illness as well as a greater confidence in their ability to identify the signs and symptoms of them. The sooner the illness is recognized, the sooner help can be sought. Reaching out and getting help is imperative.”

There is always something you can do. Recognize. React. Rescue.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness is a non-profit founded in 1979. It is the nation’s largest grassroot mental health organization. Our work helps to show people suffering with mental illnesses that they are not alone. This facilitates an environment that they feel supported and willing to seek help in. We do so by advocating, educating, providing support, and raising awareness.

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News Release 2

Contact Information Lindsey Daniels

703-371-3988

llindseyyd@gmail.com

For immediate release

Through your Words, They See

RICHMOND, Va – Through the Virginia Voice, you could be the voice that connects those that cannot see or have a reading disability with the world.

The Virginia Voice is a non-profit organization providing audio access to individuals with disabilities. Through this organization, those in need can access current newspapers and magazines by listening to audio reading programs. For those interested in local performing arts, they distribute live audio descriptions. Virginia Voice’s services are free for anyone that is blind, has vision impairments, or other disabilities.

Board Chairwoman Paula Otto emphasized the importance of volunteers to fulfill the purpose of this organization and make a difference in people’s lives that have vision impairments or disabilities.

“Can you imagine not being able to read for yourself? The Virginia voice reading service provides the eyes and the voice for those that can’t read themselves, but we can’t do it unless we have enough volunteers,” Otto said.

Volunteers are what make this non-profit possible. They are the difference between a person that has a vision impairment or other disability having access to all the information and media that those without impairments do. The Virginia Voice is currently in need of more volunteers to read and carry out radio deliveries. They ask that people interested come in and audition by doing a brief reading from a piece of written media and a vocabulary list. The Virginia Voice is willing to work with people’s busy schedules. They recognize that their volunteers have many other responsibilities and jobs of their own. The organization only asks that a reader or delivery driver volunteer at least once every month.

Sacrificing just one day can make a world of difference in someone’s life.

The Virginia Voice is a non-profit organization founded in 1978, located in Richmond, Va. It offers radio broadcasts 24/7 and descriptions of performing arts on special radios and the internet. Their services are aimed at viewers that are blind or have disabilities preventing them from being able to read. Virginia Voice has 5,000 listeners in Central Virginia. The work of the organization is made possible by their 200 volunteers.

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