KARE-APA2006 – A Postscript by Vicki V. Vandaveer, Ph.D. As the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina (August 29, 2005) fast approaches, SIOP’s Katrina Aid & Relief Effort (KARE) Team looks back on a very full – and ultimately successful – year of dedicated work to help the people of New Orleans rebuild their businesses, organizations, careers and thereby their lives.  Our work has only just begun, as the KARE Team is continuing to get new clients and provide services to organizations in New Orleans.    In June of this year, Dave Nershi posted an article on SIOP’s website describing KARE, its mission and its APA2006 initiative.  The following excerpts are repeated here as the context for this post-KARE-APA2006 look-back.   “The effects felt by residents when Hurricane Katrina ripped through Gulf Coast communities on August 29, 2005, are still a lingering reality. As rebuilding in and around New Orleans continues, thousands of psychologists will visit the Crescent City as part of the American Psychological Association’s annual convention August 10-13. Most will be presenting or attending sessions, catching up with colleagues and making new friends. One small band of psychologists will be using their talents to heal the wounds and help get the business community back on its feet.   “Just days after Katrina stormed ashore, the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychologists formed the KARE (Katrina Aid and Relief Effort) committee under the leadership of Dr. Steven Rogelberg. The goals of the committee were to support and assist members and student affiliates who were affected by the storm, first responders, and businesses, workers and workplaces damaged or devastated by the disaster. SIOP was soon joined in its work by the Society of Consulting Psychologists (Division 13 of APA).   “KARE’s Web-based “help and response” center, received thousands of hits and nearly 100 e-mails offering pro bono consulting help were received. Other messages offered internship opportunities, housing assistance and office space. In a few cases KARE worked with journal publishers to help rebuild destroyed personal libraries.”   KARE Team The core KARE Team currently consists of the following individuals:   John Fennig / DRIC Consulting – Chair Vicki Vandaveer / Vandaveer Group – Chair, KARE-APA2006 Adrienne Colella / Tulane University – APA2006 Director of Logistics – New Orleans Alan Davidson / Davidson Training & Consulting Jim Diefendorff / University of Colorado (now University of Akron) Leaetta Hough / Past President – SIOP, and primary liaison to APA Dave Nershi / Executive Director – SIOP Administrative Office Donald Truxillo / Portland State University Greg Gormanous / LSU – Alexandria; Liaison – LA Licensing Board Nic Bencaz / University of Central Florida – Logistics Team Diana Clarke / Silverwood Associates John Cornwell / Loyola University   KARE-APA2006 In November and December 2005 Leaetta Hough encouraged the KARE Team to submit a proposal for hosting an outreach initiative at the APA 2006 convention in New Orleans.  In February, after numerous communications and a specially-called APA Executive Management Committee meeting, our proposal was “not rejected” by APA, but would receive no convention space or active APA support.  The highly energized and talented KARE Team spent countless hours over the next months, planning a two-day program to reach out to business owners, managers, and individuals hard-hit by Katrina – to help them begin to rebuild by offering pro-bono services of Division 14 and Division 13 volunteer psychologists.   This outreach program was also part of a broader initiative, led by Adrienne Colella and the SIOP Executive Committee, to increase SIOP’s and industrial-organizational psychology’s external visibility.   The KARE Team went to work to plan, organize, find suitable meeting space, mobilize volunteers, and publicize the APA KARE event to the New Orleans area people.  As late as June, the KARE Team was doing everything itself. We had a PR plan and all hands on deck to get the word out.  We soon recognized, however, that no matter how hard-working and dedicated we were (and all were!), our team of business psychologists was not equipped to do the PR, marketing, negotiating, etc. that was needed to get the word out effectively.  Those competencies are not our strongest skills, and even if they were, we didn’t have the media and other business connections in New Orleans that are absolutely required.   PR One of the best decisions we made relative to the KARE-APA event was to engage a professional local New Orleans PR firm – Marketing Etcetera.  The day that Stephanie Boh and Beverly Gianna joined our team was the day that things really began happening.  Adrienne had found an ideal place for us to meet – Wyndham Canal Place, and Marketing Etcetera negotiated unbelievable rates for us on everything from the hotel space (thank you, Beverly and Stephanie and Wyndham!) to parking to KARE-branded shirts.  And they managed to get announcements in ALL the major New Orleans publications:  (a) Times Picayune – Money section; (b) Gambit; (c) City Business; (d) La Fete News; (e) BestOfNewOrleans; (f) New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau – calendar and newsletters.  They distributed flyers (that they designed) to thousands of businesses and people; and designed signs for posting at our event and in Canal Place mall.  Thanks to Dave Nershi and the SIOP Administrative Office for printing and mounting the signs!   In addition, Marketing Etcetera got us excellent TV and radio coverage – at the stations of the local NBC affiliate at noon the day prior to the event, again on-site the first day, and at the local radio station, and then again the day after the event, FOX aired an interview.    An APA Monitor Science writer and a Times Picayune reporter also covered the event.    Free Seminars The main attractions for the two-day event were the following four seminars, led by some of SIOP’s and SCP’s best:   “Selecting and Retaining Employees” – Joan Brannick “Managing Stress” – Val Arnold “Managing Change in Turbulent Times” – Randy White “Managing a Diverse Workforce” – Michelle Collins   We are very grateful to all our Seminar Leaders.  Thank you.  Private consultations followed the seminars, and several were interviewed by TV, radio, and newspaper reporters.   Volunteers Special recognition and thanks go to the following amazing people who joined our KARE Team to volunteer their time, talent and services at the APA event:   Nathan Ainspan Damon Bryant Sidney Cooke Stewart Cooper – past President, SCP Sarah de Armond Arthur Freedman Autumn Krauss Ellen Lent Paul Lloyd – past President, SCP Rodney Lowman – past President and current APA Council Rep, SCP Bill Macey – past President, SIOP and KARE Sponsor Debra Robinson – President, SCP Sabrina Volpone Karen Wilson-Starks Beryl Wingate Paul Winum – past President, SCP   “Success” Several weeks prior to the APA event, our PR partners asked us what “success” would look like in terms of turnout.  Given 8,000 psychologists would be in New Orleans and many businesses would be scrambling to serve them well, as well as the unusual nature of what we were offering, the KARE Team decided that if 40 people turned out, it would be a successful event.  We beat that goal by two, and all expressed their enthusiastic thanks for what we were doing.  Several walked away from the event with handfuls of KARE materials to share with friends, colleagues, and business associates who were unable to make it to the KARE-APA event. We have ongoing work with many of the attendees and organizations, and inquiries are still coming in on the 800 line very generously contributed and staffed by Alan Davidson – a KARE Team member with considerable experience and expertise in disaster relief who provided wise counsel throughout the year.  (Thank you, Alan!)   Client Support! One of KARE’s valued clients, the LA-SPCA, developed and presented a PowerPoint presentation (posted on this website) that tells the story of how Katrina impacted them, what challenges they have faced over the past year, and how KARE consultants have helped them.  With all they have yet to do, as well as the anniversary of Katrina fast approaching, Gloria Dauphin and Kate Pullen came on Saturday to talk with other businesses and people and to tell the story of LA-SPCA and KARE.  Deeply appreciative thanks to them and the entire LA-SPCA Management Team for helping us help other businesses and people!   Our Sponsors We could not have done what we did at APA for the people of New Orleans without the support and encouragement of our Sponsors!  When we saw that we needed professional help with PR, marketing and event management, we actively solicited Sponsorships.  We and the people of New Orleans are very very grateful to the following KARE-APA2006 Sponsors: SIOP – APA Division 14 SCP – APA Division 13 Bigby, Havis & Associates RHR International Chevron Global Marketing The A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University Valtera Corporation The Vandaveer Group Applied Psychological Techniques LSU Alexandria APA Division 50 – Addictions HRD Solutions   Huge thanks to our KARE Team members who were “rain makers” with me – Leaetta Hough, Donald Truxillo, Jim Diefendorff, Adrienne Colella, Greg Gormanous, and Diana Clarke, and Nic Bencaz.   KARE-APA2006 was very successful in several ways: a)      We provided assistance to 42 people and organizations – many of them, continuing to be served. b)      We achieved the “greater visibility” objective. c)      We collaborated across APA Divisions to give psychology away to those in need.   The APA event initiated what we intend to be ongoing support to the businesses and people of New Orleans and other Gulf Coast areas.  KARE’s next steps are to (a) continue to serve well those clients we have; (b) help determine KARE’s longer-term vision and infrastructure to support it; and (c) continue to recruit and maintain an active Volunteer base.    Anyone reading this message – if you’d like to join us as a KARE volunteer, please sign up on this website – or contact John Fennig at johnfennig@dric.com for more information.