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With more than eight years experience partnering with a variety of clients – from local authors and ad agencies to regional hospitals and international healthcare groups – creating compelling content, both online and off, is what I do best. I also love teaming up with organizations on strategic marketing and public relations efforts, raising awareness of important issues, causes and brands.
recent works
Check out the latest programs/websites I’ve helped develop – KidneyWise, www.kidneywise.org, and KidneyLink, www.kidneylink.org!
Finally! The Today Show aired the Quinn Roberts transplant story the day after Thanksgiving.
It’s been a while since I’ve written for a publication other than Parenting Children with Special Needs, but for the last two months, my bylines have been appearing in 435 South magazine! Check out the latest article, Unpack Your Summer , featuring 51 things to do across KC in the summer. This was fun to write and will be on our fridge as an activities checklist for our family – and Mark and me as a couple too!
Pretty exciting news - a wonderful organization I wrote about in 2004 for the Kansas City Star’s front page is now a client! The Mission Project enables capable adults with developmental or cognitive disabilities to live independently and safely in community with minimal support. Currently, 15 participants in their 20s and 30s take part in the Mission Project, living, working and interacting with the community in Mission, Kan.
I’m helping The Mission Project promote their program and events, including their ever-popular Run for the Roses Kentucky Derby Gala coming up May 7, as well as their annual golf tournament June 27. More to come soon from those two events, but in the meantime, here’s a photo from The Mission Project’s patron’s party I attended April 1.
Fred Zang, Charlie Greenwood and me at The Mission Project's patron's party April 1
I just finished writing a total of six brochures promoting Bollé eyewear – sunglasses specifically designed for golf, tennis, marine, cycling, cycling/running, etc. It’s pretty amazing how much you learn as a writer. Before this project, I was lucky to know the difference between polarized and non-polarized sunglasses and recently dropped more than $100 on a pair of sunglasses for their designer name alone. It was a Mother’s Day gift, but still … I never knew how much technology goes into creating quality athletic eyewear. Now I do – and you should too! Check out Bollé here.
I just finished writing the copy and managing the website creation for Eagle Pride Automotive’s new website. This was an exciting project – not only am I personally connected (my dad is the owner), but it was great to see a company that has been around since 2001 finally, finally launch a website!! We worked with the amazing designers over at Voltage Creative to create this beauitful new site, and my dad (and I) couldn’t be more pleased. Thanks guys! Check out Eagle Pride’s site, and if you’re in the Springfield area, check out their top-of-the-line service too. Tell Bob his daughter sent you!
Wow, we have had an amazing two weeks of media coverage for Parenting Children with Special Needs – an article in the Kansas City Star, interview on NBC Action News and KCTV-5 and now, tomorrow, an interview with Fox 4! Stephanie, the publisher, has been the focus of most of these interviews, as her personal experiences are what inspired her to start the magazine, while I’ve been the one behind the scenes, writing the news release, pitching it to media contacts … basically doing what I do. Tomorrow, though, I may be interviewed on camera too - eek! I have always been the one conducting the interviews, putting together the stories, editing all the information to create a compelling story. It’s not that I hate the spotlight; at times, it can be fun, but it’s not where I shine. At all. Regardless, this is an exciting time for the magazine, and I’m so happy to be a part of it. I just finalized all the content for the September/October issue, and now it’s all in the hands of our art director. We have a launch party this weekend and then the next issue comes out September 15, while we’re already halfway into Issue No. 3! Ah, media!
I never thought I’d end up writing fundraising appeals, but it’s a lot of what I do for my clients in the health care/nonprofit sector. And even though it isn’t something I ever dreamed of doing, I actually really love it now. The biggest reason: I care about these causes too. It’s not hard to ask someone for money when you’re willing to give money yourself, and all of my clients do such incredible work – truly saving lives – that I don’t have to “try” to write with conviction; it just comes naturally. I just finished a capital campaign case for support for one of my clients (no names as the campaign is in the silent phase),. This client’s fundraising team is about to begin meeting with major donors, and I can’t wait to hear the responses and, hopefully, pledges that start coming in! Fingers crossed and best wishes – your mission and your plan to fulfill that mission are so critical to so many. I’m cheering for you!
I just started working as the Editor of a new Kansas City magazine, Parenting Children with Special Needs. Our first issue came out last week, July 15, and now should be blanketing Kansas City area hospitals, medical offices, schools and more! I am so proud of this publication – started by a Grain Valley mom of a little boy with kidney disease, its mission is to “to empower parents of children with special needs by communication, understanding, information, encouragement, support and guides to services.” I sent out a news release yesterday to a long list of Kansas City media, and already we’re working on an in-studio interview for one of the major TV stations! The next issue comes out September 15 and covers behavior issues. More on that in the coming weeks … For now, here’s the news release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kara Cowie
816-813-2350
kara@pcwsn.com
GRAIN VALLEY MOM LAUNCHES NEW MAGAZINE –
PARENTING CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
First issue going to 20,000 area families through schools, hospitals, businesses and more.
(Kansas City, Mo.) Monday, July 19, 2010 – Stephanie Myers of Grain Valley knows firsthand the joys – and challenges – of parenting a child with special needs. Her 2-year-old son Brayden has chronic kidney disease (CKD) and will need a kidney transplant in the next two to three years. Myers also knows how difficult it can be for families to find the education, support and hope they need. That’s why the stay-at-home mom is returning to work – as publisher of Kansas City’s new magazine, Parenting Children with Special Needs.
The bi-monthly magazine’s first issue hits newsstands this week The magazine features articles on the day-to-day life of raising and caring for special needs children, along with resources, information from healthcare professionals and stories and photos from parents. The July/August issue of Parenting Children with Special Needs will be distributed to an estimated 20,000 families across Kansas City through schools, hospitals, medical clinics, pharmacies, area businesses and more.
“Our mission is to empower parents of children with special needs by communication, understanding, information, encouragement, support and guides to services,” Myers said.
Inspired by Myers’ personal experiences, each issue of Parenting Children with Special Needs will also “pay it forward,” providing surprise financial gifts to families in need of a little extra help. At least $1,200 will be given away with the July/August issue. Learn more about this program and find additional resources at www.pcwsn.com.
A magazine launch party, open to all special needs families, will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 28 at Faulkner’s Ranch,10600 Raytown Road in Kansas City. This free event, featuring pony rides, a petting zoo, crafts, music and more, will allow parents to meet others raising with special needs.
To learn more, visit www.pcwsn.com. To schedule an interview with Myers, please contact Kara Cowie at kara@pcwsn.com or 816-813-2350.
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I’ve been so busy lately with work for the PKD Foundation – here are a few recent projects:
- Each month, I put together their e-newsletter. Here’s a copy-only version of PKD E-News for June.
- I’ve also been helping the PKD Foundation develop medically-reviewed content for the PKD Learning Center, which features questions and answers with top docs, webinars, videos and more. Coming soon – tons of information on cystic kidney disease in children.
- Another exciting project – the Walk for PKD! I’m helping with print and web marketing pieces, as well as writing emails for the online fundraising component. Check out the website – online fundraising is now open!
- The summer issue of PKD Progress magazine should be hitting mailboxes anytime, and the fall issue is underway with content going to the designers this week! The summer issue covers children affected by PKD, while the fall issue will feature the Walk for PKD and the PKD Foundation’s drug discovery efforts.
- I’ve also been working on several fundraising appeals to help the PKD Foundation raise additional money for research and education; and
- I was proud to edit and post a bio for the PKD Foundation’s new Chief Scientific Officer, Jill Panetta, PhD. Prepare to be impressed!
It’s been a busy spring and summer – of course my own website has come last! I promise to do a better job of updating!
I have been busy. Really busy. The kind of busy that makes you feel good, motivated, inspired, refreshed. I have been helping my colleagues at the PKD Foundation develop two new programs for the 50 million-plus Americans affected by chronic kidney disease (CKD). The first – KidneyWise- is committed to stopping kidney disease in its tracks. The mission – empower people to live KidneyWise today and prevent kidney disease tomorrow through education, community involvement and research. The first major initiative of KidneyWise is Walk KidneyWise Los Angeles County- a fundraising walk on Sunday, March 7 at Ocean View Park in Santa Monica. Steven Cojocaru, the celebrity fashion commentator with Entertainment Tonight, has formed a team – Team Cojo – and Los Angeles residents affected by PKD and all forms of kidney disease are coming together for this exciting event. I’ve been a part of KidneyWise since the very beginning – what started as a cookbook for kidney disease patients quickly turned into something much, much more. We worked closely with the amazing cause branding and PR gurus at Barkley for more than a year and finally reached this point … this March when KidneyWise will truly come alive with Walk KidneyWise in LA! How exciting!
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Now, for the second new program I am pleased and proud to present … KidneyLink! KidneyLink – www.kidneylink.org- is the only comprehensive resource on kidney transplantation for the millions of Americans affected CKD. I began working on KidneyLink last summer, writing and editing content. Then began the design process, coordinated smoothly by our guys at Voltage Creative.And now, finally, the launch – well, the “beta” launch. We’re soliciting feedback on the easy forms on each page of the website and making constant updates to content, design, navigation – you name it, we’re on it! The goal is to launch worldwide in March – National Kidney Month. In addition to writing, editing, website coordination and review, I’ll also be helping out with the public relations and marketing plan for the program. I’m sure the website will go through many changes over the next few weeks and months … maybe years … but I think the product – all the amazing information – will be of such great value for the kidney transplant community. That’s the hope anyways!
Better late than never … The story of the Atlanta girl who asked Santa for a kidney – and finally received one on her 8th birthday this September – finally aired on NBC’s The Today Show last week, November 27. Click here to watch this touching story.