Portfolio: Public Relations

THE LAVENDER FIELDS® ANNOUNCES 2005 SCHEDULE FOR

LAVENDER DAYS AND FOURTH ANNUAL LAVENDER DAYS FESTIVAL
San Diego, California—March 15, 2005. The Lavender Fields®, San Diego County’s only certified organic, working commercial lavender farm, will hold its annual Lavender Days celebration on Saturdays and Sundays from April 30 through June 26, announced Owner Ellen Sullivan.

This free, two-month event will be open each weekend from 10am to 5pm and will include self-guided tours of the nine-acre, Valley Center farm featuring over 15,000 plants; San Diego County’s first and only lavender labyrinth; essential oil distillery; wool shed with products handmade on-site; animal pastures including sheep and llamas; a gift shop with over 100 lavender-oriented items; and numerous plants. A special labyrinth workshop and walk will take place on May 22 from 3-5pm.

“Visitors won’t want to miss our Fourth Annual Lavender Days Festival scheduled to take place on Saturday and Sunday, June 25 & 26” says Sullivan. “In addition to all of the Lavender Days activities, the Festival will feature live music, cooking with lavender demos and tastings, lavender crafting, and a visit from the beekeeper who will talk about how bees make honey. At The Lavender Fields®, the honey we collect from bees is used to make our special lavender honey.”

Sullivan notes that there’s fun for the whole family at The Lavender Fields®. “Besides just relaxing amidst the amazing beauty and sweet aroma of the colorful fields, there’s plenty to do here,” she remarks. “From strolling through our one-of-a-kind lavender labyrinth to learning how lavender is distilled to browsing in our general store filled with countless lavender products like essential oils, lotions, soaps, body mists, powders, dried bundles, candles and sachets, The Lavender Fields® is a great place to visit.”

AMERICAN IDOL SENSATION TO HEADLINE
BENEFIT CONCERT AT BALBOA THEATRE
San Diego, California—March 18, 2008. Former American Idol contestant and Rent star Frenchie Davis will head the cast of The San Diego Men’s Chorus tribute to boy bands and Broadway babes on Saturday, April 12, 2008 at the recently-restored Balboa Theatre at Horton Plaza in downtown San Diego at 8pm, announced James Simpson, president. The concert will benefit Special Delivery San Diego, the home delivery meal program serving people with AIDS and other life-threatening illnesses.

The concert, called Dreamguys: One Night Only, will feature music made famous by such boy bands as the Beatles, Bee Gees and Backstreet Boys, songs made famous by such Broadway babes as Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler and Bernadette Peters, and hits from Broadway shows like Dreamgirls and Jersey Boys.

Davis starred in Rent on Broadway for nearly four years and was hired to replace Jennifer Holliday in the one-woman show Sing Mahalia, Sing about the life of legendary gospel great Mahalia Jackson. She has also performed as Effie in the national touring company of Dreamgirls, and has appeared as a special correspondent for Entertainment Tonight.

She is set to star in the 30th anniversary tour of the Tony Award-winning revue Ain’t Misbehavin’ with fellow 2003 American Idol winner Ruben Studdard later this year. Davis is currently in the process of starting to record her “debut” CD that will include a combination of the classics, Broadway and a few new original songs.

SAN DIEGO STUDENTS HELP THOUSANDS OF NEEDY FAMILIES IMPROVE THEIR LIVES IN BOLIVIA, ECUADOR, AND PERU

San Diego, California—May 25, 2006. The 80 students at The Child’s Primary School in San Diego are helping thousands of families in South America to lead better lives—and they’re doing it without missing a day of homework. For the past two years, the kindergarten through eighth graders have collected money in variety of ways to contribute to Heifer Project International, the nonprofit organization dedicated to stopping world hunger and promoting self-reliance.

“Students have donated thousands of dollars since we started participating with the Heifer project,” said Donny Kim, history and research teacher. “The students have learned about helping others in the world and knowing that they can make a real difference in the lives of individuals and families. Whether the contribution is great or small or whether the student is in kindergarten or in eighth grade, they know they can all contribute.”

How can such a small number of students change so many lives?

Founded in 1944, Heifer Project International has helped seven million families in more than 125 countries improve their quality of life and move toward greater self-reliance. “Passing on the gift is fundamental to Heifer’s entire approach of improving lives,” explains Kim. “Monetary donations to the organization are used to provide animals to families that will be sources of food rather than short-term relief. Then, families receiving animals agree to “pass on the gift” and donate the female offspring to another family so that the gift of food is never-ending.”