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Public Service Committee to address cyber crime in 2009-2010
Each year, the American Advertising Federation: Cedar Rapids-Iowa City (AAF: CR-IC) Public Service Committee offers pro bono advertising assistance to an area non-profit organization for the good of the community.
"We received a goodly number of applications this August, evidence that non-profits’ budgets are tight and the need for awareness of their services, volunteers and donations is greater than ever," said Committee Chair Diane Slawson.
The requests ranged from producing brochures, to creating new logos and tag lines, to helping consolidate one organization’s four Web sites. “They were all worthy of our attention, which made choosing just one project difficult,” Slawson said.
Slawson and Committee members Keith Hindman, Ruth Paarmann, Mark Keele and Mike Wyrick, recently selected one of the more challenging requests — developing an awareness campaign for the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation-Cyber Crime Unit.
“This public service project will address a serious issue facing young people today – ‘sexting,’” said Slawson. “This is the practice by some teens of sending sexually explicit text and/or photos via cell phone. Teens may think it's just harmless fun, but it can be more dangerous than they realize.”
Because the issue can have dire consequences for teens, the Committee hopes to involve some AAF: CR-IC student members as well. “This could give them some great experience in helping develop a campaign while giving our committee their valuable perspective,” said Slawson. The Committee is looking at producing a :30 second television spot, radio and print.
The American Advertising Federation and its affiliated clubs have long established a firm commitment to public service advertising. Because of this commitment, the AAF: CR-IC members annually volunteer their time and talents in the advertising arts in support of the public good.
Need help with a creative project?
Since 2006, AAF: C.R.-I.C. has selected one nonprofit organization and completed a public service project based on that organization's specific needs. Our goals for this project include benefiting a nonprofit in the community, providing valuable expertise in the advertising arts (writing, design, etc.) at no charge and utilizing our creative skills for a worthy cause.
To that end, the Public Service Committee looks for projects that require creative expertise, such as logo design, brochures, ads and other print materials and/or TV and radio scripts. (Because they are an administrative need, marketing plans do not qualify.)
For more information about public service projects, contact: