Nevada DECA presents PR projects

Five DECA students from Nevada Regional Technical Center unveiled two public relations plans the students have been working on that impact the community.

Martha Cubbage, DECA advisor, said it's important to get students involved in projects through which they interact with local businesses and community efforts. Two marketing campaigns the students have undertaken are doing just that.

Victoria Culbertson, Marissa Heard and Alex Doak made a presentation about their campaign in support of the Healthy Nevada project, a multi-faceted community effort to create a cultural value of better health in the community through services, education and fitness activities, spearheaded by Cerner Corp. and incorporating the efforts of many local businesses, groups and organizations.

"By now many of you have heard about Healthy Nevada ... and because public relations is part of our curriculum, we realized we could contribute," Culbertson said, by developing and implementing a public relations campaign, including a series of public service announcements.

Working with Healthy Nevada committee members Tricia Bridgewater and Denise Nelson and Cerner employees, the students designed promotional efforts to support the effort, including audio public service announcements and printed materials.

Student Marissa Heard said that the first public service efforts promoted the Oct. 20 kick-off event at Walton Park. The second effort, recorded Friday, announces the launch of a new Web site, www.healthynevada.net. Visitors to the site can find a variety of health-related information on the site.

Printed marketing materials will be distributed at locales like the Nevada Public Library, the Vernon County Health Department and other gathering places, to spread the word.

Another effort undertaken by the NRTC DECA chapter is a "Stand Up to Cancer" public relations campaign. Stand Up to Cancer is an organization aimed at funding research for all types of cancer, said students Paige Greer and Kayli Wilson.

The group is selling Stand Up to Cancer bracelets, and plans to raise funds through an upcoming middle school dance on Nov. 16, and through a community-wide 5K run, Nov. 17.

Registration for the 5K begins at 8 a.m., and the race begins at 8:30. Along the way, participants will be splattered with washable paint -- in a variety of colors -- each representing a different type of cancer. The entry fee is $15 in advance and $20 the day of the race for adults, and $10 for children ages 10 and younger.

For more information about the race, contact Greer at paigegreer2@gmail.com, Wilson at kayliwilson9@gmail.com, or Cubbage at mcubbage@nevada.k12.mo.us.