“Public Relations for Nonprofits” is the title of a two-session workshop to be presented by the College of Southern Idaho Blaine County Center at the Community Campus in Hailey from 4-6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 7, and Thursday, Feb. 9. 

Topics will include learning the difference between public relations and advertising, writing a press release and using social media

Instructor is Jo Murray, principal in Jo Murray Public Relations, with locations in Ketchum and San Francisco. Although the workshop will focus on nonprofits, many of the principles also apply to businesses, Murray said.

 The workshop is part of a series of classes on nonprofit management presented by CSI in cooperation with the Wood River Women’s Charitable Foundation.

 Tuition is $40, and a portion of the proceeds will go to the women’s foundation. To register, contact the CSI Blaine County office at 788-2033 or www.csi.edu/blaine. 

Ketchum’s Chuck Abramo has become a life master in bridge, a rank described by the American Contract Bridge League as “the most highly sought level of bridge achievement.”  

He won the final points needed to be a life master at a recent bridge tournament in Reno, where he played on a four-person team with Jo Murray of Ketchum and Deanne and Jerry Drake of Hailey.  

Abramo and Murray also placed in three other events, and the Drakes, in two other events, at the tournament. Two additional Wood River Valley Bridge Club players, Cunnie  McGowan and Judith Baer, also placed in two events.  

Abramo is certified as a bridge teacher and club director by the American Contract Bridge League.  

For information about bridge lessons and bridge games, including games for newer players, visit http://www.sunvalleybridge.com and http://www.woodriverbridge.com, or call  (208) 720-1501. 

Two series of bridge lessons will begin the first week in January.

“Bridge Basics” is designed for people who played years ago and want to learn modern bidding systems, as well as people who have never played bridge. Classes will be on Wednesdays, starting Jan. 4, from 3 to 5 p.m. in the community room of Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church, 206 Sun Valley Road, Sun Valley. Cost of the 14-week class is $250.

“Polishing the Basics” is designed for people who have completed the basic course and want to continue to refine their skills. Topics will range from defense to major suit raises to Jacoby transfer bids. Classes will meet on Fridays, beginning Jan. 4, from 3 to 5 p.m., also at Our Lady of the Snows. Cost is $25 per class, or $100 for five classes.

Instructors are Jo Murray and Chuck Abramo, both certified as teachers by the American Contract Bridge League. To register, send an email to jo@sunvalleybridge.com or call 720-1501. Additional details about the classes, as well as a new weekly game for less experienced players, are at www.sunvalleybridge.com. 

Classes are presented in cooperation with the American Contract Bridge League and the Bridge Club of the Wood River. The Bridge Club of the Wood River holds weekly duplicate games. Details are at www.woodriverbridge.com.

The Egoavil family, after living in Blaine County for 20 years, will celebrate the holidays in their own home for the first time, thanks to the Habitat for Humanity Blaine County affiliate.

Jose and Edith Egoavil moved to the United States from Peru and settled in Blaine County in 1989. They wanted a small, quite community with opportunities in the construction and tourism industries.

Jose Egoavil, today an experienced carpenter, started out as an apprentice in his trade. Edith Egoavil began cleaning houses and today works for Sun Valley Company in the housekeeping department. Both also worked hard to become U.S. citizens.

The Egoavils now have three sons, Yancy, 10; Beyer, 4; and Devin 3. But they had not been able to achieve their dream of their very own home, until they heard about Habitat for Humanity through St. Luke’s Center for Community Health.

They fit the income guidelines and other qualifications required by Habitat.  The Family Selection Committee met with the family at their small apartment in Hailey and explained how the Habitat for Humanity organization works, and the specifics of the Blaine County affiliate.  Within a few days, the Egoavils accepted the offer to become a partner in Habitat for Humanity Blaine County.  

For most of this year, the Egoavils, their friends and other Habitat volunteers have been working to renovate a 1,188 square-foot home in Bellevue that had suffered significant water damage from a broken pipe when Habitat purchased it in May. John Lloyd of Lloyd Construction added a covered porch at the front door. Al Heath, a retired jack of all trades, spent countless hours as did Phil Stelma.

Jesse and Aby Rinella, who earlier this year acquired the first home renovated by the Blaine County Habitat affiliate, spent 15 hours one weekend this fall helping with renovations on the Egoavil home.

“Thank you so much for all of the Habitat members and all of the volunteers who have helped us in every step of the way in working towards owning this home,” Jose Egoavil said. “Everyone has been so helpful and supportive—from encouragement and support in the application process, to hard work and great communication in the building process. We are so very grateful to all!”

Donations of time and material also came from Tom Abbot, tile installer and setter, Matt Dohse of Big Wood Plumbing, Inc., landscapers Jerry and Lisa Flaherty of The Valley Club, structural engineer Liv Jensen, translator George Maurtua, Matt Thorton of Thornton Heating & Sheetmetal, Inc., architect Carolyn Wicklund, and electricians John Ward and Steve Wolper.

Materials and services also were contributed by A.C. Houston Lumber Co. Brennan's Carpet, Idaho Lumber & True Value Hardware, Independent Rubbish Solutions, Inc., Rocky Mountain Hardware, Scott Miley Roofing, Sherwin-Williams Paint  and Sun Valley Shutters & Shades. The Kneadery provided volunteer lunches.

Habitat sells homes to families for no profit, with a no-interest mortgage based on ability to pay. Monthly payments are used to build additional homes.

If the homeowner decides to sell the house, Habitat has the option to repurchase it for the initial purchase price. The buyer will receive equity from all of the mortgage payments made prior to the sale.  This also allows Habitat to keep the home in its inventory. 

Habitat for Humanity International is an ecumenical Christian ministry. Since its founding in 1976, Habitat has built, rehabilitated, repaired or improved more than 500,000 houses worldwide, providing simple, decent and affordable shelter for more than two million people. It was ranked as the sixth largest homebuilder in the United States with 6,032 closings in 2010, according to Builder magazine’s annual survey.

Prior to this year, Habitat volunteers built a home in the Wood River Valley as a committee of the Twin Falls affiliate. ARCH Community Housing Trust helped in that project by holding a lease on the land, insuring that the home will permanently benefit a local family.

For information about the local affiliate, call 726-0610 or send an email to office@hfhblaine.org.

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Jo Murray is a public relations consultant to the Habitat for Humanity Blaine County affiliate.

Have you started making your New Year’s resolutions?

Equally important is figuring out what will motivate you to keep the resolutions, points out Connie Love, a certified life coach. And remember, she reminds her clients, that it’s all right to start keeping resolutions now instead of waiting until Jan. 1. 

Here are some of Love’s suggestions:

1. Break goals into small parts.
2. Make it as easy as possible to succeed. If your goal is to exercise more, lay out the appropriate clothes before you go to bed. If you want to go on a diet, plan menus and shop appropriately.
3. Remember that success breeds success. When you achieve small steps, you have more occasions to celebrate.
4. Reward small steps. Just be sure that your “reward” is not undermining your efforts. Don’t celebrate losing 5 pounds, for example, by going out to dinner. Buy yourself a new pair of slacks instead.
5. Recognize that there may be setbacks. Consider what might cause a setback and how you are going to get back on track if one occurs.
6. Realize that we all can lose motivation from time to time. Create a support system or network to help you achieve your goals. Your support group can be a formal organization such as Weight Watchers, an exercise buddy, or just someone to remind you why you are going for the goal. That person can be a professional such as a life coach or a friend whom you trust to keep you honest.

If you follow these tips, Love said, you have a much better chance of being among the 8 percent of Americans, as estimated by Opinion Corporation of Princeton, N.J., who actually keep their New Year’s resolutions.

Connie Love, a certified life coach in Sun Valley, can be reached at (208) 720-2216 or connie@lifecoachconnielove.com. Additional information is available at www.lifecoachconnielove.com.

Jo Murray is a public relations consultant to life coach Connie Love.

Whatever your business is, it’s time to start working on a year-end press release to be distributed in mid- to late December. 

Think you don’t have anything to say? Think again. 

Newspapers, radio and television stations, and bloggers are all doing stories on the economy in late December and early January. Experts with views on national and global outlooks are plentiful. Experts on the economy in your community or your industry tend to be few and far between. They aren’t listed in the telephone directory – or almost any other directory – either, making it hard for reporters to identify them.

You are, however, an expert on how your business is doing. Here are just a few ideas to get you thinking about possible press releases:

• Do you sell office supplies? How has the past year year been, and what are you expecting for next year? You have valid personal observations on what you are seeing in your business. 

• Do you repair appliances or cars or just about anything else? Are more people keeping their older appliances longer? Or are more people likely to buy a new appliance rather than make major repairs? 

• Are you a medical professional? Are your patients having to make larger out-of-pocket payments as their employers cut back on health insurance? Are you seeing more patients who no longer have group policies? How is this impacting you – and them? 

• What products and services to you offer? Which ones are showing sales increases and why?

 In other words, if you are in business and you have customers, you are doing something of interest to the community. It’s a good time to share your story.

Jo Murray is the principal in Jo Murray Public Relations, with offices in Sun Valley and San Francisco. Additional information is available at www.jomurraypublicrelations.com or 208-726-5869.

Sun Valley Fran Jewell, owner of Positive Puppy Dog Training, LLC, was recently featured in Examiner.com in an article on the best way to socialize puppies. 

Jewell recommends making “your puppy your first priority.  The first 16 weeks of his life are the ones where you will have the most influence and dramatically set your puppy up for success for the rest of his life.”  So why not have a puppy party and invite friends and family over to meet the new puppy.  And if any of your friends have a safe, older dog, ask them to bring him along.”

The complete article is available at http://www.examiner.com/dog-rescue-in-seattle/5-ways-to-soci.

Jewell is Idaho's only resident to hold the Certified Dog Behavior Consultant  designation from the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants.  She also is an evaluator for the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen and 
S.T.A.R. Puppy programs. She has been a dog trainer and instructor for more than 25 years.

Additional information about Jewell is available at http://www.positivepuppy.com or by calling (208) 578-1565.

The blessing and ribbon-cutting for Habitat for Humanity of Blaine County’s second project in the Wood River Valley, the Bellevue home of Jesse and Aby Rinella, was a joyous event.  Shown here from left are board members Tom Harvey, Erin Buell, Maryanne Whitcomb and Gordon Harfst; Aby Rinella with their daughter, Taitym; Jesse Rinella with their son, Colson; and board member Carolyn Wicklund, and Chair John Flattery.

Habitat for Humanity International is an ecumenical Christian ministry. Since its founding in 1976, Habitat has built, rehabilitated, repaired or improved more than 400,000 houses worldwide, providing simple, decent and affordable shelter for more than two million people. It was ranked as the sixth largest homebuilder in the United States with 6,032 closings in 2010, according to Builder magazine’s annual survey.

For information about the local affiliate, call 726-0610 or send an email to office@hfhblaine.org.

Advice from Jo Murray, principal in Jo Murray Public Relations in Ketchum, is featured in the “Best PR Tips” in the blog “The Entreprenette Gazette.”

Her public relations tip is, “Avoid humor. Get to the point quickly. Editors and reporters are busy and may toss a release that is a play on words.”

The complete list of tips is at http://theentreprenettegazette.com/2011/08/23/best-pr-tips/.

 Murray, a former newspaper editor, has been a public relations consultant for more than 20 years. She has offices in Ketchum and San Francisco. Additional information about her public relations firm is at http://www.JoMurrayPublicRelations.com.

Habitat for Humanity of Blaine County will hold a blessing of its latest home on Sunday, Sept. 18, at 5 p.m.

Pastor Ron Brown of Calvary Bible Church in Hailey will offer prayers and remarks at the ceremony. A potluck supper at the church will follow.

Habitat earlier this year came to the aid of Jesse and Aby Rinella, who were about to sell their home at a loss after both became unemployed because of the economic downturn. Habitat purchased their home, made overdue repairs, and sold it back to the Rinellas with monthly payments that fit their budget.

Both the blessing and supper are open to the public. For reservations and directions, call 726-0610 or send an email to office@hfhblaine.org.

Habitat for Humanity International is an ecumenical Christian ministry. Since its founding in 1976, Habitat has built, rehabilitated, repaired or improved more than 400,000 houses worldwide, providing simple, decent and affordable shelter for more than two million people. It was ranked as the sixth largest homebuilder in the United States with 6,032 closings in 2010, according to Builder magazine’s annual survey.

Habitat began operations in Blaine County in 2007.

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Jo Murray is a public relations consultant to Habitat for Humanity of Blaine County.