Corporator PR and Marketing Committee Update
Emerson Plays Multiple Roles at Area Schools
From Harvard to Littleton to Acton, Boxborough and Groton, members of the Corporator PR and Marketing Committee are finding ways to connect Emerson with area schools and at town events.
“We are pleased to have Lisa Krywucki, our PR team member from Groton, join us,” says Beth Kubacki, committee chair. Ms. Krywucki, senior vice president of commercial banking for Fidelity Bank in Leominster, joined as a new corporator in January and quickly joined the committee.
Ms. Krywucki, who grew up in Concord, has her eye on Grotonfest, scheduled for September 21. “Grotonfest has become a big event in town,” she notes. “I’d like to have an Emerson table there. At the very least, we can promote the physician practices located in town.”
She also is hoping that Emerson will have a presence at the Groton Community School’s annual fundraiser, a house tour that is held in the fall. “The school is located behind the Groton Health Center so, in a way, Emerson is a neighbor,” she says. “It’s a popular event.”
Terry Symula continues to work with the schools in Harvard, which participated for the first time in Emerson’s highly regarded Youth Risk Behavior Survey. A community presentation is being organized for the spring. “We anticipate a large gathering of parents,” says Ms. Symula. “People are enthusiastic about the survey—not only having baseline data on their kids’ behavior, but knowing that they can respond with programs and make progress.”
On March 15, the Harvard Schools Trust Annual Gala featured a silent auction item arranged by Ms. Symula. “It was lunch with Chris Schuster, followed by a personal tour of Emerson,” she says. “This is a great gift for a student who may be considering a career in health care.”
Jennifer Ely Carter, a Littleton corporator and IBM alum, is coordinating Emerson’s participation in Take Your Sons and Daughters to Work Day for the second year in a row. Ms. Carter has expanded Emerson’s role; kids between age 8 and 13 will attend sessions on healthy eating delivered by one of the hospital’s pediatric dietitians and yoga by an Emerson Integrative Health & Wellness instructor, in addition to technology-oriented topics.
"The kids will take home goodie bags that include Emerson items, including a flyer about Employee Health Day at IBM, which is being sponsored by Emerson and is scheduled for May,” says Ms. Carter. It will be the first event of its kind since IBM established the Mass Labs site in Littleton, where 2,000 people are employed. “We’ve had several conference calls with the HR team there to determine the best format, topics and screenings for this employee population.”
During planning discussions for the spring events, contacts at IBM asked if Emerson could organize an on-site flu clinic. “In February, two nurses from Emerson Hospital Home Care staffed the clinic,” says Ms. Carter. “The IBMers have been pleased with Emerson’s responsiveness, as well as the breadth and depth of our services and offerings.”
She also is a member of the Littleton Public Schools Committee for Health and Wellness. “We are planning the first-ever health and wellness day for seventh- and eighth-graders, hopefully this fall,” she says. “Emerson will be an integral part of the program. We plan to provide staff and instructors from the Integrative Health & Wellness Center.”
Wellness and You! is scheduled for Saturday, April 27 at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, and Emerson will be there. “We’ll have an Emerson information table at this event, formerly known as Wellness University and aimed at adults,” says Betsy Purcell, a corporator from Acton.
When R.J. Grey Junior High School, a regional middle school serving Acton and Boxborough, held Project Wellness on March 27, Emerson was there. Jennifer Cyrs, a Boxborough corporator, made sure the hospital served as one of the day’s sponsors.
“In addition to a booth promoting Emerson’s Integrative Health & Wellness Center, we had Adam Sonovick from Neurocare, which runs Emerson’s sleep center, make a presentation on teens and sleep,” Ms. Cyrs explains. “He emphasized that sleep affects one’s academic performance and provided tips on healthy sleep.”
Patricia Howard, another Integrative Health & Wellness Center instructor, provided a session, “Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction,” that was slanted to kids and helpful to parents.
The committee now turns its attention to their warm-weather planning, which includes promoting Emerson at farmer’s markets and town fairs.