Berwick Pool Assocation

When I received an invite from Dr. Byrum to participate in a curriculum enhancement program where I would create a strategic plan for a United Way agency, I knew it was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. For Dr. Byrum’s PR Theory and Practice class, I was required to create a strategic plan for a fictitious business; this prior knowledge made me extremely excited to be doing public relations work for a real client

Before the initial meeting with my client, I was informed that the United Way Agency that I would be working with was the Berwick Pool Association.  After finding out who I was working with, I went and started looking up the pool association online, and on social media. I was unsuccessful at finding out much information on the pool association before my initial client meeting. At the first meeting, I met Matt Getty, a Berwick Pool Association Board Member.  Matt informed me that I would be creating a strategic plan for the Ber-Vaughn Pool and also that the pool association is renovating and reopening in May 2016. The Ber-Vaughn Pool is in need of support from the local community. Many people are unaware that the pool is going to be reopening and for the pool to be successful it needs the community to come together and support it. Throughout this first meeting Dr. Byrum led us through exercises where I would find out the strengths, and weaknesses of the agency providing insight on the areas where the pool needs the most improvement.

For the next four weeks everyone involved in the program met with Dr. Byrum. This was when we were have a chance to ask questions and have a work session for our plans. My strategic plan for the Berwick Pool Association was a much more in depth plan than the one I created for class last semester. It was definitely different working for a real client, rather than a fictitious company where I decided everything on my own.  Throughout these four weeks, I also kept in contact with Matt as far as how the weekly pool board meetings went, and where they were with the pool design.

At the end of the four weeks we had a final client meeting where we presented the entire strategic plan to our client. Matt loved that plan that I created and was anxious to start implementing some of the tactics I came up with. Overall, this was an extremely rewarding experience. I am very thankful to Dr. Byrum for getting me involved in this curriculum enhancement program and allowing me the opportunity to take my public relations knowledge and use it to help a local organization, such as the Berwick Pool Association better themselves.