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Subject: URI students give big

URI NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
Sep. 29, 2016

URI Students to Give BIG to Local Nonprofits

Kingston R.I.- Not only do URI students think big, but they give big, too. On October 37, over 150 public relations students at URI will come together to support Community
Impact Week. This special week will allow students to express themselves in order to
raise money and awareness philanthropic causes. During this week, PR students will
come together and support the Rhody Outpost that is located on campus, and also will be
collecting coats for the Jonnycake Center of Peace Dale.
Specifically, a variety of PR students will be participating in clothing drives, food drives
and putting together strategic PR plans for nonprofits like the Jonnycake Center of
Peacedale. the Jonnycake Center of Peacedale is a food pantry but also offers other
services like clothes and household items. The Center will allow its food pantry visitors
to obtain clothing vouchers to pick their gently-used clothing item of choice.
Another public relations class will volunteering at the Rhody Outpost, which is located
on the University of Rhode Islands Kingston campus. Through generous donations, this
organization allows students who have trouble affording meal plans or food eat healthily
and heartily. Students will stock shelves, unpack food boxes, put together small bags of
food and prepare grocery bags full of food for students.
Public Relations students will take their experiences from the classroom to the real world
by brainstorming and setting up a PR plan for the Jonnycake Center of Peacedale, in
order to increase the nonprofits awareness and visibility on campus.
According to the Communications Study Department Chair Kevin McClure, Community
Impact Week will allow students to use their knowledge from past and present courses to
successfully relay information to the public, and make a difference.
This is a great opportunity for our public relations students to share their time, talents
and knowledge with worthy, local nonprofits, McClure shared.
Jonnycake Center Executive Director Kate Brewster has high hopes for Community
Impact Week. She believes that it is possible for public relations students to make a huge
difference in their community by volunteering for nonprofits.
Many times, small non profit organizations have projects that they never touch upon.
Now students are able to help those small groups by making a difference, and providing
valuable services by thinking outside the box. We hope that the experience is mutually

beneficial, with students learning more about the needs of their surrounding community
and the Jonnycake gaining some fresh ideas about communication, said Brewster.
The Public Relations Program at URI takes pride in allowing students to participate in
experiential learning opportunities, whilst creating real life experiences that they will take
with them in their future careers and internships. The main goal of a public relations
practitioner is to be able to manage the flow of information coming from an organization
and going to the public. Community Impact Week is the perfect opportunity for public
relations students to receive practical experience.
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For more Information:
Jenna Pepperman
Public Relations Major
215-435-8127
jenna_pepperman@my.uri.edu

URI PR Students lend a BIG helping hand to local nonprofits during

#CommunityImpactWeek @universtiyofri Release: www.uri.edu/impactweek