Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Women We Love: Marijean Jaggers

Marijean Jaggers, who has lived in Albemarle County since late 2005, is one of the most well-known professional women in our town. I’ve known her since she moved here, but didn’t meet her face-to-face until 2009. I remember telling someone that and he responded: “How have you not met Marijean yet?” It cracked me up, but now I see he was totally right.

Marijean, vice president at Standing Partnership, is somehow everywhere. She an esteemed member of the Social Media Club of Charlottesville, writes two personal blogs (STL Working Mom and Marijean Jaggers), and can be spotted on Twitter (@marijean) nearly every day of the week. She has also been a presenter at Quadruplicity (@Quadruplicity). This woman, who is married with a son and daughter, is a dynamo!

Marijean credits Mary Troy, with the Master of Fine Arts program at the University of Missouri in St. Louis, as her inspiration to enter into public relations. It was Troy who gave her the best advice, she adds: “Write every day.” She loves that every work day is different. “That’s one of the great parts of agency life—there is no typical,” she says. “I could be attending a conference as a speaker or writing content for a client or to benefit our firm; my day could include solving a client’s PR crisis or proactively developing a strategy to best position their best qualities. Each day is different, but they’re all full of activity.”

Finding balance isn’t easy, but she does have a strategy for trying to achieve it. She believes it is important to define her priorities and schedules what’s important. She also makes sure she keeps promises she’s made to herself. Taking care of herself mentally, and physically, is important, too. She uses her Wii Fit and just started running, “and that is both a physical and mental workout.” And she’s “pretty serious about getting enough sleep.”

A challenge she faces in business these days is “turning down clients that I’d love to support, but who don’t have the resources to engage with us.” And while work is … well work, she does feel rewarded by it. She enjoys “helping change take place and working toward a goal that is achieved through communication.”
For other women considering a career in Public Relations, Marijean offers this advice: “Read a lot, online and off, and write as much as possible.”

8 Things You Might Not Know About Marijean Jaggers…

1. Who is your favorite author and why? William Faulkner; his work stands out more than any other author, scenes and phrases present in my memory for decades after I’ve read them.

2. Favorite thing about Charlottesville? All the chain restaurants! (I am kidding). Coming from the flattened Midwest, I love the topography and being surrounded by mountains.

3. What is your favorite hobby/pastime? Reading.

4. What is one of your hidden talents/skills? I bake a mean pie. Maybe that’s not so hidden, but it’s true.

5. What is your guilty pleasure? Chick flicks.

6. What is your favorite movie and why? The Princess Bride because it’s still hilarious and quotable even after all these years (inconceivable!)

7. Where did you grow up? Springfield, Ill. ... the land of Lincoln, so the transition to the land of Jefferson was not as difficult as one might think.

8. What is the greatest invention of your lifetime and why? The Internet.

Friday, June 18, 2010

For Planning Purposes

Saint Louis, MO (PRWEB)—Embracing a new journey—going back to school or beginning a new work position after years of raising children—is a life-changing experience, full of excitement and challenge.

“When an adult makes a life change, other responsibilities shift as well,“ agrees entrepreneur Cecilia George. “This affects the entire family and can cause unexpected emotional challenges.“

President and First Lady Obama’s support of higher education for adults, for example, has resulted in many going back to college. Suddenly, Mom may not always be there when the kids walk in the door from school. Even though she will be improving their lives in the long run, the change can nonetheless create guilt. There are steps she can take to manage that guilt and become more organized with her new schedule.

George’s company, Daysteps LLC, which she co-owns with three other St. Louis, Mo., women, Bobette Kyle, Laura Thake and Kelly Wagner, offers one option. Their Daysteps Personal Lifestyle Planner helps women balance different parts of daily life and cope with change. The partners have merged critical areas of women’s lives into a convenient and versatile all-in-one weekly and daily planner for women, with room for appointments; workout plans, nutrition, meal planning and food journaling; to-do lists; head-clearing notes; and room to record each day’s events or reflections.

Wagner explains, “We developed the planner to be versatile. The woman, who is going back to school after a long absence, has different needs than one juggling a large family and volunteer work. Each will use the planner’s features differently. One may use the ‘morning, afternoon, evening’ space for her class schedule and appointments, for example, while another may use that space as a meal planner, food journal or exercise and fitness planner.“

The versatility allows each person to be organized in the way that best fulfills her goals. That same flexibility exists for the “Clear Your Head” and “Fill Your Heart” pages. One may use those spaces for introspection and reflection, writing her feelings each day. Another may use the same pages to make detailed notes about projects or tasks. The use depends on each woman’s needs.

The Daysteps team is now offering the July-December 2010 edition. It is available at http://www.daysteps.com and is expected to make a major impact on how women handle major changes in their lives.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Juneteenth Celebration at PVCC

The 10th annual community Juneteenth celebration, hosted by Piedmont Virginia Community College, will be held Friday and Saturday, June 18 and 19.
Dating back to 1865, Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the ending of slavery. In recent years, Juneteenth has enjoyed a growing interest from communities and organizations across the nation. Virginia is one of 26 states officially observing Juneteenth.

The celebration at PVCC begins at 5:30 p.m. June 18 with a Tribute to the Ancestors—featuring drumming and musical and spoken-word performances. The tribute will take place in the lakeside amphitheater on the grounds behind the V. Earl Dickinson Building at PVCC. Participants are encouraged to wear white or African clothing for this event. Following the tribute, Harry Jones will present a program on the African-American presence in the Civil War. A public reception follows.

On Saturday, June 19, activities are planned in and around the Dickinson Building from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. The day will include:

• Virtual Middle Passage experience led by Anthony Browder
• Historical reenactments
• African dance by Farafina Kan• African-American military history and memorabilia exhibits
• History through puppets: Underground Railroad, Not a Subway
• Buffalo Soldiers historian George Grady
• African drumming and dance by the Mongoso family and friends

Authors, artists, community organizations, food, films, vendors and fun for all ages. Juneteenth programs are designed to provide unique and enriching learning experiences for the whole family, including authentic historical reenactments of plantation life and hands-on activities for children.

The event is cosponsored by the City of Charlottesville and The Charlottesville Chapter of The Links Inc.
For more information log on to http://www.pvcc.edu/juneteenth, call (434) 825-8204 or e-mail .

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Relaxing With Your Girlfriends

Washington (Vocus)—Like the ladies of the new “Sex and the City” sequel, data from a survey released by the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) shows women are taking girlfriend getaways more than ever. Thirty-eight percent of women have taken a girlfriend getaway with female family and friends, and 63 percent plan on taking one in the next two years. This is a trend that has been seen over the past several years as more women in their 30s and 40s opt to spend some of their vacation time bonding with the girls rather than taking a traditional family vacation.

To support these Girlfriend Getaways, the (ARDA) offers “how-to” travel options to help make Girlfriend Getaways fun, affordable and stress-free.

The phenomenon of women traveling together on vacation has exploded because there are more career women with expendable income. They are busy, stressed out and tired from the multiple roles they perform at work and at home and a Girlfriend Getaway gives them the chance to recharge their batteries. This husband–free and children-free time is a way to reconnect and focus on their own well-being.

“Making the Girlfriend Getaway special starts with selecting the right place,” said Howard Nusbaum, ARDA president and CEO. “Timeshare provides spacious accommodations in fabulous locations and are a terrific option for these girls-only vacations.”

ARDA’s “Girlfriend Getaways” Guide provides women with everything they need to plan that once-in-a-lifetime adventure including reasons for considering this kind of getaway including planning tips, types of vacations to consider and how to make the most of your time away.

The Guide is available for download at http://www.vacationbetter.org.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Hallmark Honors 100 Years of Father’s Day

Kansas City, MO (Vocus/PRWEB ) This month, Hallmark shares the centennial limelight with a holiday the company is known for helping to celebrate, as Father’s Day turns 100 years old.

Sonora Smart Todd of Spokane, Wash., launched the first Father’s Day to honor the father who raised her and five siblings after her mother died. The city of Spokane celebrated Father’s Day for the first time on June 19, 1910, with proclamations and a parade. Todd fought most of her life to make the holiday a national observance, which finally happened in 1972. Today, people in more than 50 countries observe Father’s Day.

Although Hallmark made its first Father’s Day cards in the early 1920s, cards celebrating dads have been around since the company’s founding in January 1910.

“The ways we celebrate and acknowledge Dad and his role in our lives has changed over time, but our wish to affirm him has remained constant,” says Lynley Farris, Hallmark historian.

Here’s her perspective on how Americans have viewed dads, and how those views have shaped Father’s Day cards through the years:

1920s-30s: Hallmark’s earliest Father’s Day cards depict Dad’s interests or show him as a great guy and head of the household.

1940s-50s: Baby-care book author Dr. Benjamin Spock begins to engage men in child-rearing, and cards respond by portraying Dad in humorous activities with his children. He’s also seen in stereotypical roles—sitting in a favorite chair reading the newspaper or wearing a suit and going to the office.

1960s-70s: Fathers become more active in parenting, and cards embrace this family shift. Another cultural shift is the increasing amount of leisure time, and more cards show hobbies like golf and fishing, or pop culture fashion references.

1980s-90s: Humor is one of the top ways we communicate with Dad, allowing the card-giver to connect from a safe, emotional distance. Masculine images of wildlife and the outdoors dominate more serious cards.

2000s-today: While humor remains important, cards are more appreciative, expressing Dad’s supportive role in the family. Technology enhances the cards we give him, playing music or enabling the giver to record a special message. New in 2010, cards allow the giver to record themselves singing karaoke-style or use augmented reality to make card images come to life on a computer screen.

“Real life continues to influence what we see in greeting cards,” Farris says. “If it’s part of today’s culture, it likely will show up in the greeting cards we send to those we love.”

To see how Father’s Day cards have changed over 100 years, visit our centennial site. For reflections on Father’s Day from Hallmark employees, visit the Hallmark Signatures Blog.

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