A Celebration of Life

This past 3-day holiday weekend ended up being very special for us. We did not have the more traditional picnic or beach barbecue nor did we go camping for the weekend.
In fact, our original plans for these weekend was having some out of town friends coming in for the full three days.

Sometimes an event comes along that just demands you stop and take notice. An event that commands your respect, leaves you in awe and builds your faith. An event where you call up your dear out of town friends and apologize for having to reschedule a great weekend but you know they will absolutely understand.

A couple of months back we got a "Save the Date" note. Well it actually was an imprinted refrigerator magnet (hurrah for our promotional products industry!). It was for a 50th celebration. And as great as it is for making it to 50 years old, this was not a birthday nor even a "years in business" anniversary. No, this was a 50th wedding anniversary. The Golden One. Five decades of being husband and wife, after a period of courting, dating, wooing and romancing. Fifty years of being each other's everything. Complete with a couple of generations of legacy to show for it.

The "kids" threw a grand celebration to honor their parents. They invited the extended family to share in the celebration. They made sure they invited members of the original wedding party to gather and be recognized. A champagne toast (I am sure I counted at least one!) was held. The emotions that cracked through the accompanying words by each of their children touched all in attendance. And then they had the DJ play the same first song to which their parents had danced on their wedding day 50 years ago.

There was so much to be honored this night. Family. Love. Faith. Belief in Humankind. And while we were thanked for making the trip and sharing in their celebration, the honor was ours. We feel absolutely and truly honored to be part of this family and to have been part of this grand occasion.

A Page From Our Playbook

We want to share with both potential buyers of promotional products and with our professional consulting distributors, a few ideas on creating real promotions from your promotional product purchase.

The type of product selected should be matched to the message the organization wants to convey. Certain items can create an altruistic image of caring, of concern for well-being, of someone willing to make a positive difference where we work, live and play. These types of products lend themselves very well to creating public relations that speak with heart to our communities.

Typically, organizations that are willing to give away these types of products are members of the local Chamber or Commerce as well as one or more of the local service clubs. As a community service item, ask for some floor time to explain the benevolent program being sponsored even before you are ready for distribution. Accompany this with a write-up for any associated print or on-line publications.

There may be some great opportunities ahead for the formal introduction and distribution as well. Depending on the specific product, select from items such as a Health Fair, Jaycees Carnival, Community Festival, new or classic Car Show, etc. This may provide an additional forum for delivering your message to the community, particularly if there is an associated website or social media network.

There may also be ways to coordinate service clubs, boys or girls community organizations, church youth groups, etc., to help with distribution. Volunteers helping seniors with information, or helping parents with child identification kits, build an even greater sense of community. In some cases, it might even create a perfect blend for asking first responders such as police, fire and EMS/EMT teams to join your event.

The goal really amounts to putting the PROMOTION back into promotional product purchase. As a sponsor, the buyer is helping individuals, their families and the community at large in exchange for placing their logo or message on the item. It amounts to a unique opportunity where the benefit is an altruistic message of caring to make a difference.

While this is written with our particular line of products in mind, many specialty advertising items can indeed benefit from a similar approach. While we won't encourage others to "lift" our ideas verbatim, we share the concepts presented here with an open mind. We believe potential buyers can work better with their promotional product consultants to build better programs. We have faith that the professionals in our distributor network will find value with these approaches and remember Medi-Facts as the source, and even take a few extra minutes to understand our products. And finally, we even openly sharing the ideas with fellow suppliers as we have a firm belief that when the industry as a whole succeeds, we all can ride a higher wave.

This information was extracted from the Medi-Facts Public Relations MediaKit, a toolkit for our professional consultanting distributors. Qualifying distributors may obtain a free download by following the "Distributors, learn more here" link found on our website.

Las Vegas For My Health, Yeah, That's It, It's For My Health!

It is time for one of my favorite events of the year, an annual mini-getaway with some great friends. I guarantee within 5 minutes of greeting each other in the baggage claim area, we will be rolling with laughter. And it won't let up until we part at the airport again on Friday.

The weeks and months of stress will begin to dissipate. Withing a few hours, I'll have forgotten how difficult just yesterday felt. Without taking an extra vitamin or adding any notable exercise, I will actually feel better, healthier. This is the great wonder of time-off, of good friends, of laughter.

Laughter. Absolutely great medicine.

We've known each other for over 30 years. We have been taking an annual trip together for over 20 years. This year is our most common destination, Las Vegas. We have done a few other things like weekend cruises or even Hawaii, but Vegas is our mainstay. And it doesn't matter where we go, what we do, who else we see, it will be full on honest-to-goodness hearty laughs. By now we have amassed more stories than we can remember in a single day.

Among those stories are different trips, different days, where one or two of the group of four have been under the weather, faced food poisoning, or otherwise dealt with health issues. While it may seem to ruin a moment here or there, it always ends up with some funny story associated with it.

Have you ever tried to find some chicken soup, to go, at a casino in Las Vegas? We've got a terribly funny story about that. Have you ever seen somebody actually appear to turn green from something eaten? Fortunately that ended up closer to funny than terrible (at least looking back at it now). There is one evening, my poor wife dragged herself out of the room after recouping the entire day. She even missed dinner but she got up and dressed to meet us for a late night show. It was about the worst show we've ever seen and so now the running gag is, "I got out of bed for THAT?"

And on occasion, we've seen one or another having a bit of a slow morning *wink* after a little extra champagne while celebrating the night before.

I can say though, that the incidence of illness while traveling has not been significantly different for us as compared to being home. We use all the basic standard precautions. We cover our mouths when coughing or sneezing, usually with a tissue if it isn't a "sneak attack." We routinely wash our hands throughout the day and especially whenever we sit down to eat (we've handled all sorts of stuff from doorknobs to money to casino chips all day). Several years back we started carrying hand sanitizer with us no matter where we go. We eat at reputable places although that isn't always a guarantee (ask my "green" buddy mentioned earlier). We will travel in the confines of airplanes. We will ride in taxis. We will meet and greet many people along the way. We will use typical precautions but we won't stop living.

And, we won't stop laughing!

Here are some ideas for you to share.
-Do you have a favorite way of getting your dose of laughter?
-Do you have an annual event with friends you've done for years?
-How about a favored destination?

Health Caregivers Recognition in May

The Month of May has a quite few month-long observations that fit quite well into the theme of our blog, Promoting Wellness. There are proclamations covering everything from specific health conditions such as Arthritis, Lupus and Osteoporosis to wellness lifestyle choices such as Clean Air, Healthy Vision, Physical Fitness And Sports, Better Sleep and even Motorcycle Safety.

We start adding in the various week long observations and then specific days, you can go crazy trying to keep up. (Did I mention that May is also Mental Health Month?) Given the recent high level of attention to healthcare, there are two particular "causes" I really want to give some extra attention. These are two groups of caregivers.

Starting today, May 6, it is National Nurses Week. Their theme this year is "Nurses: Building a Healthy America." This observation runs through May 12th, the birthday of Florence Nightingale. As you may know, she is recognized as the founder of what we would consider modern nursing. This is a perfect time to show nurses true appreciation for their contributions to patients and your communities.

A good starting point for learning more about how they contribute, and how you can become involved with the profession, is the American Nurses Association website


National EMS, or Emergency Medical Services, Week runs May 17th to 23rd. This week recognizes the dedication of first responders servicing as emergency medicine's "front line." Along with your local communities and medical personnel, take a moment to express thanks and gratitude to these individuals that face lifesaving situations daily.

The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) is a good place to learn find links to additional information about this profession.

If you would like to find more information about special recognition days, weeks, or months devoted to promoting particular health concerns, visit the National Health Information Center. While there are a large number of resources available on the web (just do a search using your favorite site) this one is from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Links in this post:
American Nurses Association website
American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)
National Health Information Center