Final campaigns project by Mohsina

Auburn Parks and Recreation Senior Program Rebranding Campaign Presented to Gabby Meredith By Pawnee Parks and Rec: Molly Lawrence Rachael Taylor Mohsina Yusuf Terra Pharres PRCM 4500 April 25, 2016

Introduction This campaign was done for the PRCM 4500, or “Campaigns,” course at Auburn University. PRCM 4500 is a required course for public relations majors and gives students real life public relations experience. In January, Pawnee Parks and Rec was put in contact with Gabby Meredith at Auburn Parks and Recreation. Meredith is the community programs coordinator at Auburn Parks and Recreation and is in charge of many community activities, including the senior program which we were asked to rebrand.

Table of Contents

Client Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………….2 Situation Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………7 Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Tactics.…….…………………………………………………13 Execution………………………………………………………………………………………...16 Rebranding Results………………………………………………………………………………17 Evaluation………………………………………………………………………………………..19 Recommendations/Conclusion…………………………………………………………………..21 Appendix A- Examples of Communication and Copy Outline………………………………… 26 Appendix B- Examples of Tactics……………………………………………………………….27 Appendix C- Contacts and Resources……………………………………………………………28 Appendix D- Specifics of Research……………………………………………………………...29

Client Analysis Client Introduction The Auburn Parks and Recreation department is a government funded entity part of the City of Auburn. Specifically, the senior program has been growing for the last 15 years. The Parks and Rec office is located at 425 Perry Street in Auburn, Ala. Gabby Meredith, who has worked there for the last two years, is currently in charge of the senior program. Under her leadership, the program has kept up with the unprecedented retirement age growth that the City of Auburn has recently experienced. Before Meredith was hired by Auburn Parks and Recreation two years ago, the program only consisted of bingo and monthly field trips. Since she has worked for Auburn Parks and Recreation, Meredith has added holiday parties, movie nights, lunch days and more. While working with the Auburn seniors is her main job, Meredith also helps plan other city events such as “Bark in the Park.” She is allocated one Auburn University student intern per semester, this intern assists her with the planning and execution of senior events. The senior program includes adults over the age of 50 and hosts activities on a weekly basis. Activities include bingo, Zumba, field trips, themed parties and other events. These events have a reputation of being successful, as the number of seniors involved in the program is now up to 300. Participants are notified about the events through a city-made quarterly newsletter, as well as a monthly newsletter made by Meredith herself. The senior program is also government funded under the Parks and Rec department. Meredith has a budget she uses for the various events and participants are

sometimes charged a small fee based on the event. These fees go back into paying for the events and also into a reserve fund that can be used when government funding is limited. Meredith is passionate about the senior program and the individuals that participate. She has developed close relationships with the individuals that participate regularly in the program and has taken on many responsibilities that go above and beyond her regular call of duty. Meredith also adheres to the Auburn Parks and Rec mission statement, which is: The mission of the Auburn Parks and Recreation Department is twofold: to provide quality leisure services and facilities to the citizens of Auburn and to appropriately manage Auburn's cemeteries. We will achieve this by: •

Establishing and organizing quality programs that address the diverse leisure interests of Auburn's citizens

•

Managing safe, well-maintained parks, facilities, and cemeteries

•

Exceeding the needs of citizens, advisory groups, local officials, and the media through a commitment to effective and efficient delivery of services and a positive approach to customer service

•

Continuing to offer innovative programs and up-to-date facilities

SWOT Analysis The SWOT analysis below is separated into two parts; an internal and external analysis. The internal analysis focuses on strengths and weaknesses of the client, while the external analysis focuses on opportunities and threats of the client. Each aspect is broken down in order of political, social, economical and technological components, respectively. Internal Analysis Strengths •

Political: Gabby is a great employee with a lot of passion and ideas for the seniors involved in the program.

•

Social: Activities are hosted frequently and appeal to a variety of interests.

•

Social: The group of seniors signed up to receive updates is now up to around 300.

•

Social: Ages range from 50-95, so activities are not limited to one specific age.

•

Economical: Auburn Parks and Rec has a well equipped facility for hosting different events.

•

Technological: There is currently not a huge need for an online presence or social media improvement. The senior program currently informs its participants via effective media.

Weaknesses • Political/economical: The program is funded by the government, which could potentially limit the program. •

Social: The senior group needs to be branded and cohesive, something that is easily recognizable to people.

•

Technological: The website, while not under Gabby’s control, is hard to navigate, not updated and unclear.

•

Technological: The monthly newsletter needs a lot of updating.

External Analysis Opportunities • Political: Taking the opportunity to brand the senior program can potentially add value to the Parks and Rec department and City of Auburn as a whole. • Social: The retirement age in Auburn is rapidly increasing. •

Social: Gabby and the seniors have a close relationship which can allow for open communication and improvement.

• Economical: Gabby can hire more interns. Currently she has one intern who is much like an assistant and takes notes during meetings and attends Parks and Rec events. Gabby had previously mentioned that she does not have the time to drive around town and drop off brochures and fliers. By having a larger intern staff, it can be an intern’s responsibility to drop off program information at various locations (i.e. churches, doctor offices, schools, grocery stores, post office, banks, etc.). Some interns can have the responsibility to producing better, more aesthetically pleasing brochures and fliers. Others can have the responsibility of growing an online presence for Auburn Parks and Rec by managing social media accounts. •

Economical/Technological: There are many places in Auburn where Gabby could reach out and distribute more information about the senior program.

• Technological: Gabby can get ahead of the Internet trend. While a fair portion of her audience right now might not be active on social media, it will not be the same years down the road. She should increase her social media and Internet usage as her demographic increases. In the future, people who grew up with the Internet will become her audience. She should create her online presence now.

Threats • Political: The Opelika senior program has less risk management restrictions. • Political: Government funding could be reduced or cut at any time which is not under Gabby’s control. • Social: Since participants are older, certain liability and safety issues could arise during different activities. • Economical: Since the program is government funded, it is difficult to ensure that the amount of money coming in is consistent with how Meredith wants to run the program. •

Technological: The Opelika senior program has a slightly better website.

•

Technological: The Auburn Parks and Rec website and lack of social media presence can potentially be a threat to the business before.

Situation Analysis Problem/Issue: Auburn Parks and Recreation does not have a “brand” for their senior program. They do not have a logo, slogan or cohesive style for the program. Gabby Meredith has expressed that she wants to brand the program in an effort to make it easily recognizable in the community.

Mission Statement: We are specifically focusing on the Auburn Parks and Recreation senior and 50+ adults group, which does not have a mission statement for its own entity. While the specific program does not have a mission statement, the Auburn Parks and Recreation department has a mission statement as a whole. The following was taken directly from their website.

“The mission of the Auburn Parks and Recreation Department is twofold: to provide quality leisure services and facilities to the citizens of Auburn and to appropriately manage Auburn's cemeteries. We will achieve this by: • Establishing and organizing quality programs that address the diverse leisure interests of Auburn's citizens • Managing safe, well-maintained parks, facilities, and cemeteries • Exceeding the needs of citizens, advisory groups, local officials, and the media through a commitment to effective and efficient delivery of services and a positive approach to customer service • Continuing to offer innovative programs and up-to-date facilities”

Stakeholders/Publics: For our research, we conducted a focus group with six participants involved in the Auburn Parks and Recreation Senior Program. The focus group was held at the Auburn Public Library on March 4 at 9:15 a.m. The participants were all women above the age of 50. Their ages ranged from 55-75. We asked the participants the following questions in a conversational fashion and received the following anonymous answers. The appendices section of this booklet contains the flier we created for the focus group and a more detailed bulleted list of the participants’ answers. The first question of the focus group was “what is your favorite part of the senior program.” This question is important because it shows Gabby the parts of the program that she can elaborate on. The first answer was very direct and unanimous, with everyone saying that Gabby Meredith is their favorite part of the program. The seniors all agreed that Meredith brings energy, works hard and is down to earth. Another part that many of the seniors agreed on was the planned trips that the seniors take. In the past two years, they haven’t gone on the same trip twice and they have a lot of variety in the trips they choose from. There was not a lot of response to the second question, which was “what is your least favorite part of the senior program.” People did not like that you have to sign up for the same activities each quarter. One of the women had repeatedly had issues with the women at the front desk. Several of the women thought that yoga and a couple of the other activities could be later in the day. None of the responses had to do with branding, which is one of our main tasks in this campaign.

The question that we asked that was most relevant to our campaign was “what would you look for in the branding and logo of the program?” The answers from the participants were short but informative. The seniors said that they preferred a logo with bright colors, big letters and dark text. They did not want a logo with green in it, but they wanted something with a lot of contrast that draws you in. This was a beneficial question to us because prior to the focus group we were leaning toward a design with pastel, yellow and grey tones but now we know that would not be in the best interest of the seniors. In order to gauge how much the seniors were aware of the “competition” (i.e. other parks and recreation departments), we asked, “are you familiar with the Opelika senior program?” All of the women had heard of it but they all thought it was too far away to go to. This shows that convenience is an important factor to the seniors. However, the women were aware that Opelika has a great SportsPlex center and goes on more elaborate but more expensive trips. We thought that the Opelika senior program may have an advantage because of the trips but the focus group showed us that the Auburn seniors are not very interested in expensive trips. The next question was “do you feel informed on senior events” and they all unanimously agreed that they were well informed. Meredith wanted us to make sure that the seniors are getting their information in the most convenient way possible. The seniors revealed that they are open to getting information from social media, email and mail. Only 2/6 of the people in the focus group

use social media. The senior program used to have a program to help seniors with email, and they think that would be a good thing to bring back. In order to see how easily the seniors can access Auburn Parks and Recreation news and information, we asked “where do you get information about upcoming events?” and the unanimous response was the Harris Center. It seemed as though most of the seniors seek out the information for themselves rather than directly receiving their information first. One of our main goals of this campaign is to improve the senior publications. When we asked the seniors their thoughts on the senior publications they said they thought they were better organized than they were last year. We asked if the seniors felt that their opinion was valued by Gabby and other leaders of the senior program. They all agreed that their input is valued and sometimes their suggestions are taken and implemented into the program. The City of Auburn website is somewhat of a concern for our group. We think that there is not enough information and that it is outdated and unorganized. While not all of the seniors have been on it, those that had found it confusing and difficult to navigate and rarely reference it for information. While social media is not a main focus for our campaign, we asked how many of the seniors have it. Only 2/6 of them have Facebook, 1/6 have Twitter and 1/6 have Instagram. The same person has both the Twitter and Instagram.

The seniors refer to the newsletter all the time, some saying they keep it in a place where they will always see it such as on the fridge or a mirror.

Strategies/Activities: Auburn Parks and Recreation currently are not doing anything to brand themselves. They are under the City of Auburn’s logo and branding, but the senior program is looking to differentiate themselves. Gabby recognizes the importance of having this and has enlisted help in creating it. She hopes to have an easily recognizable brand and logo that can be used on t-shirts, bumper stickers or publications.

Competition/organizations: Opelika Parks and Recreation also has a senior program in the same general area. There are several differences between the two programs. Opelika’s is more expensive, seniors have to be older to join and its trips travel to much further destinations, such as Europe. Opelika’s Parks and Recreation website is slightly more clear to read and has more updated information than Auburn’s. While the program is not necessarily a threat to Auburn’s, it has its benefits and could be considered the competition. The City of Auburn is growing as a place for retirement, and we think that the senior program should keep up with its growth for the betterment of the program.

Organizations/other key publics that could help address issue: Other key organizations and stakeholders include the City of Auburn and all its encompassing departments. Those organizations could work with the senior program for a mutually beneficial outcome. Additional key publics are the seniors of Auburn that are unaware of the senior program. With more outreach, those publics could become members and the program would continue to grow at a higher rate than it currently does. Â

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Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Tactics Goal: Our campaign’s overarching goal is to rebrand the Auburn Parks and Recreation senior citizen program. Within this goal, we hope to achieve brand recognition within the community.

Objectives: • Generate at least a 10% increase in program recognition. • To improve at least three informational outlets. (social media, website, newsletter, etc.) • Increase members by at least 10% within the next year.

Strategies: • To calculate increase in recognition, Auburn Parks and Rec should conduct a survey amongst city residents and senior program members. The survey can be available at all City of Auburn events and emailed out to anyone currently in the senior program database.

• To improve the informational outlets, Auburn Parks and Recreation should invest in newer software, improve the website and hire interns to assist in doing so. Local public relations agencies can be contacted and assist with revamping the website. Public relations interns can be hired free of cost directly from Auburn University. Interns’ responsibilities can include updating newsletters and different

publications and leaving these newsletters in different locations within the community. A list of recommended locations can be found in the tactics section.

• To increase members, start a recruitment rewards program. Suggest and encourage current members to bring their friends and families to events, and events can be created that include these friends and families. Have pertinent information available on newsletters and fliers.

Tactics: • To measure the increase in recognition, Auburn Parks and Rec should conduct a survey amongst the city’s residents at different City of Auburn events. Show the participants the logo (without the name) and ask them a series of three questions: 1. Have you seen this logo before? 2. Do you know what this logo is for? If so, what is the name of the program? 3. Where have you seen the logo?

By asking those three questions, it allows Auburn Parks and Recreation to calculate whether or not the program has become recognizable after a year. The third question will provide insight as to where residents are and are not seeing the brand.

• To improve at least three informational outlets, the program needs a stronger online presence. Most people get their information online, and the current website is not user friendly. In addition to the website, social media is a growing trend.

While the program’s current members may not be as active on social media, future members (especially those of this generation) will be. Auburn Parks and Recreation should have their own Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram. This provides the opportunity to share pictures from events and relay important information.

• To increase members by at least 10%, the program should have easily accessible information and how to join the program and the benefits of it. Information, as well as the monthly newsletters, should be available at locations around the city. The recommended places we suggest leaving newsletters include but are not limited to: public libraries, grocery stores, salons, doctor’s offices, banks, malls, retirement homes, churches and post offices.

Execution To execute this rebranding to yield the greatest response, Meredith should first unveil the new brand at an event, create a t-shirt design with the logo on it, contact Ric Smith regarding a public relations intern and distribute the newsletter in more areas around Auburn. The unveiling of the new name and logo should occur at a senior event that is expected to have a large number of the group in attendance. Meredith should utilize a projector to display the brand in a large and visible way for the seniors to easily see. Meredith should create promotional items, such as a t-shirt design, with the new brand. The promotional items could be shown on the newsletter with information on how to buy them and how much money they would be, or be given away as rewards or incentives to promote the program. The senior program and Meredith would benefit from a student intern that is a public relations major. This student would be able to design the newsletters and distribute them around Auburn, as well as help design a new website for the program. Ric Smith, the director of interns for the School of Communication and Journalism, can be contacted for an intern to be placed with Auburn Parks and Recreation’s senior program. Smith’s contact information can be found on the contact list in the appendices section of this booklet. The last step in executing the rebrand is to distribute the redesigned newsletter in more areas. Grocery stores, churches, post offices, banks, retirement homes and any sort of doctors’ offices would be places where many seniors who haven’t heard of the program could see the newsletter.

Rebranding Results

Name: “Auburn’s Ageless”

When brainstorming a new name for Auburn Parks and Recreation’s senior program, we wanted to have a new, catchy and novel name that is easily recognizable. At the same time, we didn’t want the name to be too cheesy and unappealing for different age groups within the population. As a result, we chose the alliteration to represent the group.

Slogan: “Make new friends, and keep the old”

Our group arrived at this slogan because of the same catchy and novel appeal that we hoped to achieve with the name. This slogan represents the purpose of the program, has a play on words and is easy to recognize and remember.

Logo: Auburn’s Ageless autumn tree and leaves

Our group chose a tree to represent the senior program for several reasons. Trees represent life, from beginning to end regardless of age. Trees and oaks also represent Auburn and the city, making a connection between the tradition of the university and the city. The colors of green, yellow, orange and brown are easy to see and create a color scheme so that several different colors can be used in publication.

Newsletter: Senior Connection

Our group decided to keep the newsletter name “Senior Connection” with Auburn’s Ageless new brand. It is recognizable for current members and distinguishes the senior program from other Auburn Parks and Recreation events and programs. We redesigned the current newsletter on publisher to make it more visually appealing and easier to read for seniors. We recommend that the newsletter generally remains the same from month to month, featuring new pictures.

Pictures and documents of all of the above can be found in the Appendix A section of this booklet and are available as digital versions on the USB drive provided. Further explanation of the new designs and publications are explained in the Appendix B section of this booklet in “examples of tactics.”

Evaluation In order for the rebranding campaign to be successful, it is very important that certain steps are taken after the changes have been made. To evaluate if the rebranding is successful, Meredith will need to gain feedback to see if the brand is well received and recognizable. To understand if the new brand is well received, Meredith should conduct a poll among members of the senior group, asking if they like the name and logo and if it is something they feel comfortable representing them. After six to nine months after the launch of the logo, slogan and newsletter, it is recommended that Auburn Parks and Recreation conducts a poll or survey about the the rebranding. Questions on the survey could include but are not limited to: • Have you seen this logo before? • Where have you seen this logo? • Do you know what program this logo represents? If so, what is it? • Did your initial recognition of this logo pique your interest in the program? • Do you like the new logo and think it represents the program well?

The seniors’ answers to these questions and their general feedback are important to determine whether or not the campaign is successful in brand recognition. In order to make sure all senior program participants have access to the survey, the survey could be conducted on paper or be available on computers at certain events. A digital version of the survey could also be made by an intern through Qualtrics, a program that is free to all Auburn University students. The survey is an important step because it gives a quantitative result as to how successful the rebranding is. Meredith should also focus on people ages 50 and older to who are not involved

with the senior program or are interested members to measure interest based on the brand alone. This is to determine if the brand would entice the new generation of seniors into joining the program. If the new brand, logo and slogan are successful, promotional materials that our group recommended could be made as a supplemental advertisement for the senior program. This is also a method of measuring success of brand recognition. If seniors are interested in T-shirts, stickers, etc., it shows how well-liked the new brand is to current members. Promotional materials would also be an effective method of advertising and spreading word of the newly branded program.

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Recommendations/Conclusion Recommendations: In our evaluation of the City of Auburn’s current senior program through research, Gabby’s opinions, our own opinions and the seniors’ opinions, we came up with recommendations and changes for Gabby to implement for a better senior program. These recommendations can be broken down into three categories: publications, communication and promotion.

Publications • Our group designed a new name, logo, slogan and newsletter for a template that Gabby can use each month. Each of the new designs had several qualifications. We recommend the following that we created for the new Auburn Parks and Recreation senior program. The new logo, slogan and newsletter can be found in the appendices section of this report. • The new name had to be catchy and friendly to all seniors ranging in age from 50-90. With Auburn’s quick and unprecedented retirement-age growth, a revamped senior program is essential to keep up with that growth. As a group, we decided on “Auburn’s Ageless,” nixing the term “senior” or “50+” and the negative connotations that may be implied. • The new logo had to be eye-catching, fresh and also friendly to all retirement ages. This is why we chose the autumn tree, with several different and mature colors. It is an easily recognizable symbol and easy to read for the seniors. Gabby can use this logo for t-shirts, stickers and other promotional items.

• The current senior program did not have a slogan, so our group was responsible for making one. Gabby’s requirements were that our slogan was catchy and fit the new “look” of the senior program. Our group decided on “make new friends, and keep the old.” This slogan contains a play on words and is a positive summary of the activities that the seniors engage in. • Gabby also wanted us to revamp the newsletter. We did this by refreshing the look of the newsletter template on Microsoft Publisher. We recommend that Gabby use this template each month to create consistency and make the newsletter a recognizable publication that both members and non-members will associate with the new program. If possible, we would recommend that Gabby use InDesign in Adobe Suite to create this newsletter for a cleaner, newer feel and updated style. It is easy to use and a consistent template could also be created that could be used each month.

Communication • As the only Community Programs Coordinator, Gabby wears many hats and generously takes on a lot of responsibility. She does it well, and the seniors couldn’t praise her enough in our focus group. However, we recommend that Gabby obtains a public relations intern that can assist with the newsletter each month. This intern can make the newsletter look its best each month, keep the style consistent and concise and promote the newsletter around Auburn and local businesses. • One important aspect of the senior program that is currently lacking is the information on the City of Auburn website. We would recommend that this webpage is more accessible, user-friendly and updated for members and non-members, but Gabby does

not have control over the website. If this were to change in the future, it would be important to keep the majority of the program’s newsletter and information on the website. Most publications are moving towards digital, as well as the younger age of seniors nearing retirement.

Promotion • Promotion of the new program and newsletter is important. Some of the seniors in the focus group thought the newsletter should be promoted more around town. For example, local doctor’s offices, grocery stores, retirement homes and churches are all good places for newsletters to be placed for easy access for senior members and nonmembers. • To receive good feedback about the new logo, slogan and newsletter, we recommend that Gabby incorporates a small “brand launch” into an existing event. Our goal is for the new “brand” for the program gains maximum exposure from both members and non-members of the program. For example, at an event in which Gabby is expecting a larger crowd, she could incorporate introducing the new logo. T-shirts, stickers and other giveaways could be used to promote the new “look,” as well as handing out the new newsletter. Feedback is important in making this change successful, so we recommend that Gabby uses this time to gain the seniors’ opinions about the new branding. • Our final recommendation is that the newsletter, as well as upcoming events, activities and pictures of the program, should be shared on social media as well as the website as previously stated. However, we do recognize that the City of Auburn also has

limitations on social media. With the increasing age of younger aged retirement individuals coming to Auburn that are on social media, Gabby has an opportunity to get ahead of the curve by promoting the senior events on social media. The Auburn Parks and Recreation department does not have its own Facebook page; it is under the City of Auburnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Facebook page. We recommend that the Auburn Parks and Recreation department makes its own Facebook page or at least has a dedicated post every week describing events taking place to keep members informed and interested.

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Conclusion The Auburn Parks and Recreation department’s current senior program is an organization that offers many programs for adults 50+. The organization and its coordinator, Gabby Meredith, do a great job of offering a wide variety of activities, events and trips for more than 300 senior members. With such a large and successful program, our group’s job was to rebrand the program to make a much more attractive and consistent name, logo, slogan and newsletter to match the growth of the younger retirement age moving to the Auburn area. In doing so, our group met weekly and used different publication programs to revamp the program’s “look.” We conducted a focus group as our research with current Auburn Parks and Recreation senior program members, with ages ranging from 55-75. With the research we conduced, we came up with several recommendations for Gabby to improve the senior program. These recommendations include that she uses our new name, logo and slogan, hire an intern to assist with the new newsletter and promote the newsletter in the community and on social media.

Appendix A Examples of Communication and Copy Outline The following pages contain the current version of “Senior Connection,” Auburn Parks and Recreation’s senior newsletter, as well as the new version template we created. The new version contains the same information in a different format, which makes it simple for Gabby to edit monthly. All external visuals that we created can also be found in this appendix. This includes the new logo, slogan and focus group flier that we created.

Logo and Slogan

“Make new friends and keep the old”

a newsletter for active adults 50+

April 2016 • Volume 4, Issue 4

This Month

2016 Alabama Senior Olympics

1 2016 Alabama Senior Olympics

The purpose of the games is to provide the opportunity to participate in a social, competitive, recreational and athletic events to create awareness of the abilities and capabilities of older adults.

2 Sign Up for Trips 2 Birthdays 3 Events 4 Calendar

WHEN: Event Dates: April 13th - May 4th Basketball: April 29th and 30th Swimming: April 28th and 29th For more information contact: Gov. Commission on Physical Fitness at 334-242-4496 or Dee Nance at nanced@ci.hoover.al.us or 205-444-7765

Harris Center • 425 Perry St • Auburn, AL 36830 (334) 501-2930 • www.auburnalabama.org/seniors • gmeredith@auburnalabama.org Open Monday - Friday • 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Register for Trips April 8 - Alabama Wine Trail, Notasulga to Calera, AL Spend the day in Alabama's wine country tasting traditional wines plus our southern favorites. We will visit three different vineyards including Whippoorwill Vineyards in Notasulga and Ozan Vineyards and Cellars and Vizzini Farms Winery both in Calera. We will stay at Vizzini Farms Winery to enjoy lunch at their bistro midway through the trip. The cost of the trip includes all tastings and transportation. Please bring extra money for lunch. $20. Payable to AAB. When: Friday, April 8 • 8:30am - 6pm. April 28 - Driving Miss Daisy, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Montgomery, AL When Daisy Werthan causes a car wreck, her son hires hard-working chauffeur Hoke Colburn to look after her. With humor and heartfelt emotion, Alfred Uhry’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play poignantly explores the transformative power of true friendship. The cost of the trip includes transportation and admission. Please bring extra money for dinner prior to the show. $35. Payable to AAB. When: Thursday, April 28 • 4 - 11pm. BONUS TRIP! May 6 - To Kill a Mockingbird, Monroe County Heritage Museum, Monroeville, AL Set in the Deep South, Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel sees racial injustice envelop a small-town community. Through courage and compassion, lawyer Atticus Finch seeks the truth, and his feisty daughter, Scout - a young girl on the cusp of adulthood - brings new hope to a neighborhood in turmoil. The cost of the trip includes transportation and admission. Please bring extra money for dinner. This trip is limited to 10 Attendees. $55. Payable to AAB. When: Friday, May 6 ● 2:30 - 11:30pm. May 20 - Jasmine Hill Gardens and Outdoor Museum, Wetumpka, AL Join us as we take a mini trip to Greece at the beautiful Jasmine Hill Gardens and Outdoor Museum. We will enjoy an array of flowers along the native stone walkways of the gardens, but also an extensive collection of statuary, representing some of the finest works of early Greek and Roman artists. One vantage point also allows us to view across the Wetumpka Impact Crater formed over 85 million years ago by a meteorite. The cost of the trip includes transportation and admission. Please bring extra money for lunch. $15. Payable to AAB. When: Friday, May 20 • 8am - 2pm. May 27— Lane Orchards, Fort Valley, GA Let’s get to pickin’! Come with us to Georgia as we visit the famous Lane Orchards! Enjoy lunch at the Peachtree Café complete with a multitude of desserts made with fruit directly from their farms! Then we will have a chance to pick a pound of strawberries to take home and visit the roadside market to see if any jellies, jams or other fruits catch our fancy. The cost of the trip includes transportation and the first pound of strawberries. Please bring extra money for lunch and anything else you wish to purchase. $10. Payable to AAB. When: Friday, May 27 ● 9am - 5pm.

Happy Birthday! Please make sure we have YOUR birthday on our list so we can acknowledge it! 1 – Mary Burkes, Fay Shields, Theresa Smith 3 – Leola Washington 4 – Edna (Nan) Galik, Dail Gibbs, Bill Goodwin

5 – Jerry Fitzgerald 6 – Alice Chambliss, Barbara Taylor 7– Marion Beale, Sandra Harris 8 – Ron Moore 9– Cyndi Czerkauslei 10 – Sue Fitzgerald 14 – Shirley Conley

16 – Billie Hudmon 18 – Barbara Large, Bette Vile 19– Karen Williams 24 – Paula Card, Marguerite White 26 — Patsy Carter 27 — Marie Fountain, Angelena Moore 28 — Lynda Adair,

Sabrina van Ginkel 29 — Barbara Kerr

April 2016 • Page 2

Mark Your Calendar! Food for Thought Speaker & Breakfast: Matthew Sparacio, Auburn University PhD Candidate Enjoy a presentation from Matthew Sparacio, Auburn University PhD Candidate. Join us to learn more about "Reconsidering the Native South: the Politics of Native Towns in the Colonial America." This FREE breakfast is sponsored by Miracle Ear. Tuesday, April 12th, 8:30 - 10am at the Harris Center Register at the Harris Center by Friday, April 8th at 5pm Munch ‘N Mingle Lunch Club: Loco’s Grill and Pub Get together with old friends and make some new as we gather for lunch at Loco’s Grill and Pub (located at 1120 S. College St, Auburn, AL 36832). Participants must provide their own transportation and cover the cost of lunch. Wednesday, April 20th, 11:30am - 1pm Register at the Harris Center by Tuesday, April 19th at noon Movie Night: A Walk in the Woods Travel writer Bill Bryson (Robert Redford) takes a long-lost old friend (Nick Nolte) for a hike along the Appalachian Trail, which stretches more than 2,000 miles from Georgia to Maine. DATE CHANGE! Thursday, April 21st, 5:30 - 8pm at the Harris Center $5 to cover the cost of dinner. Register at the Harris Center by Wednesday, April 20th at 5pm 50+ Book Club: Still Alice by Lisa Genova Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children and a house on the Cape, is a celebrated Harvard professor at the height of her career when she notices a forgetfulness creeping into her life. As confusion starts to cloud her thinking and her memory begins to fail her, she receives a devastating diagnosis: early onset Alzheimer's disease. Fiercely independent, Alice struggles to maintain her lifestyle and live in the moment, even as her sense of self is being stripped away. In turns heart breaking, inspiring and terrifying, Still Alice captures in remarkable detail what's it's like to literally lose your mind. A compelling debut novel written by Lisa Genova, who holds a Ph. D in neuroscience from Harvard University. Tuesday, April 26th, 10 - 11am at the Harris Center FREE to the public. Register at the Harris Center by Friday, April 22nd at 5pm

Get Out and Go! Local Adventure Club Join us as we venture out to the Auburn Athletic Complex for an on-depth tour (392 S. Donahue Drive, Auburn, AL 36849). Participants must provide their own transportation. Tuesday, April 26th, 2 - 3pm at the AU Athletic Complex Register at the Harris Center by Friday, April 22nd at 5pm Cornhole Tournament and Cookout Back by popular demand, join us for our third Cornhole Tournament and Cookout! Similar to horseshoes, Cornhole is a lawn game in which teams of two take turns throwing bags of corn at a raised platform with a hole in the far end. A bag in the hole scores 3 points, while one on the platform scores 1 point. Play continues until a team reaches the score of 21. The Cornhole Tournament will be played tournament style with teams of two players competing in a single elimination bracket. Prizes will be awarded! Join us for a morning of fun, laughter, and a yummy cookout. Friday, April 29th, 10:30am - 2pm at the Harris Center FREE to the public, but all participants must bring a dessert or side to share. Event is limited to 24 attendees. Register by Wednesday, April 27th at 5pm.

April 2016 • Page 3

April 2016 Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri 1

Sat 2 Frank Brown 9am - 12pm

6 AARP Tax Aide 9am - 3pm

12 Food for Thought 8:30 -10am

13 AARP Tax Aide 9am - 3pm

20 Munch and Mingle @ Locoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Grill and Pub 11:30 am - 1pm

26 Get Out and Go! AU Athletic Complex 2 - 3pm

Hands on Nutrition @ Harris Center 5:30 - 7pm

A Day

Field Trip 8:30am - 6pm

Money Smart 4 - 5pm

Bike Bash @ Wrights Mill Elem 8am - 12pm

Movie Night @ 5:30 A Walk in the Woods

28 Field Trip 4 - 11pm

29 Cornhole Tournament and Cookout 10:30 am - 2pm

All classes and programs are held at the Harris Center, unless otherwise noted. Trips depart from the Harris Center. Trip departure times are exact. Return times are approximate.

30 Auburn CityFest 9am - 4pm

SENIOR CONNECTION A Newsletter for active adults 50+

April 2016

2016 Alabama Senior Olympics The purpose of the games is to provide the opportunity to participate in a social, competitive, recreational and athletic events to create awareness of the abilities and capabilities of older adults.

Event Dates

Contact Information

April 13th-May4th

Gov. Commission on Physical Fitness at 334-242-4496 or Dee Nance at nanced@ci.hoover.al.us at 205-444-7765.

Basketball: April 29th and 30th Swimming: April 28th and 29th

Auburnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Agelessâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; April 2016

In this issue: 2 Sign up for Trips 2 Birthdays 3 Events 4 Calendar

Auburn’s Ageless– April 2016

Register for Trips April 8– Alabama Wine Trail, Notasulga to Calera When: Friday, April 8 l Time: 8:30 a.m.– 6:30 p.m. l Cost:$20 Spend the day in Alabama’s wine country tasting traditional wines plus our southern favorites. We will visit three different vineyards including Whippoorwill Vineyards in Notasulga and Ozan Vineyards and Cellars and Vizzini Farms Winery to enjoy lunch at their bistro midway through the trip. The cost of the trip includes all tastings and transportation. Please bring extra money for lunch. Payable to AAB.

April 28– Driving Miss Daisy, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Montgomery Alabama When: Thursday April 28 l Time : 4-11 p.m.l Cost: $20 When daisy Werthan causes a car wreck, her son hires hard-working chauffeur Hoke Colburn to look after her. With humor and heartfelt emotion, Alfred uhry’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play poignantly explores the transformative power of true friendship. The cost of the trip includes transportation and admission. Please bring extra money for dinner prior to the show.

Bonus Trip! To Kill A Mockingbird, Monroe County Heritage Museum, Monroeville, AL When: Friday, May 6 l Time: 2:30-11:30 p.m. l Cost: $55

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Happy Birthday to YOU! Please make sure we have YOUR birthday on our list so we can acknowledge it! 1 – Mary Burkes, Fay Shields, Theresa Smith 3 – Leola Washington 4 – Edna (Nan) Galik, Dail Gibbs, Bill Goodwin 5 – Jerry Fitzgerald 6 – Alice Chambliss, Barbara Taylor

7– Marion Beale, Sandra Harris 8 – Ron Moore 9– Cyndi Czerkauslei 10 – Sue Fitzgerald 14 – Shirley Conley

Set in the Deep South, Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel sees racial injustice envelop a small-town community. Through courage and compassion, lawyer Atticus Finch seeks the truth, and his feisty daughter, Scout - a young girl on the cusp of adulthood - brings new hope to a neighborhood in turmoil. The cost of the trip includes transportation and admission. Please bring extra money for dinner. This trip is limited to 10 Attendees.

16 – Billie Hudmon 18 – Barbara Large, Bette Vile 19– Karen Williams

Jasmine Hill Gardens and Outdoor Museum, Wetumpka, AL

24 – Paula Card, Marguerite White

When: May 20 l Time 8 a.m.– 2 p.m. l Cost:$15

26 — Patsy Carter

Join us as we take a mini trip to Greece at the beautiful Jasmine Hill Gardens and Outdoor Museum. We will enjoy an array of flowers along the native stone walkways of the gardens, but also an extensive collection of statuary, representing some of the finest works of early Greek and Roman artists. One vantage point also allows us to view across the Wetumpka Impact Crater formed over 85 million years ago by a meteorite. The cost of the trip includes transportation and admission. Please bring extra money for lunch.

27 — Marie Fountain, Angelena Moore 28 — Lynda Adair, Sabrina van Ginkel

Auburn’s Ageless– April 2016

Page 3

Mark Your Calendar Food for Thought Speaker & Breakfast

When: Tuesday, April 12th l Time: 8:30-10 a.m. l Where: Harris Center Matthew Sparacio, Auburn University PhD Candidate Enjoy a presentation from Matthew Sparacio, Auburn University PhD Candidate. Join us to learn more about "Reconsidering the Native South: the Politics of Native Towns in the Colonial America." This FREE breakfast is sponsored by Miracle Ear.

Munch ‘N Mingle Lunch Club When: Wednesday, April 20th l Time:11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Loco’s Grill and Pub Get together with old friends and make some new as we gather for lunch at Loco’s Grill and Pub (located at 1120 S. College St, Auburn, AL 36832). Participants must provide their own transportation and cover the cost of lunch. Register at the Harris Center by Tuesday, April 19th at noon

Movie Night: A Walk in the Woods When: Thursday, April 21st l Time: 5:30 - 8pm l Where: Harris Center l Cost: $5 Travel writer Bill Bryson (Robert Redford) takes a long-lost old friend (Nick Nolte) for a hike along the Appalachian Trail, which stretches more than 2,000 miles from Georgia to Maine. Register at the Harris Center by Wednesday, April 20th at 5pm

50+ Book Club: Still Alice When: Tuesday, April 26th l Time: 10 - 11am l Where: Harris Center l FREE Still Alice by Lisa Genova Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children and a house on the Cape, is a celebrated Harvard professor at the height of her career when she notices a forgetfulness creeping into her life. As confusion starts to cloud her thinking and her memory begins to fail her, she receives a devastating diagnosis: early onset Alzheimer's disease. Fiercely independent, Alice struggles to maintain her lifestyle and live in the moment, even as her sense of self is being stripped away. In turns heart breaking, inspiring and terrifying, Still Alice captures in remarkable detail what's it's like to literally lose your mind. A compelling debut novel written by Lisa Genova, who holds a Ph. D in neuroscience from Harvard University.

Get Out and Go! Local Adventure Club When: Tuesday, April 26th l Time: 2 - 3pm l Where: AU Athletic Complex Join us as we venture out to the Auburn Athletic Complex for an on-depth tour (392 S. Donahue Drive, Auburn, AL 36849). Participants must provide their own transportation. Register at the Harris Center by Friday, April 22nd at 5pm

Cornhole Tournament and Cookout When: Friday, April 29th l Time: 10:30am - 2pm l Where: Harris Center Back by popular demand, join us for our third Cornhole Tournament and Cookout! Similar to horseshoes, Cornhole is a lawn game in which teams of two take turns throwing bags of corn at a raised platform with a hole in the far end. A bag in the hole scores 3 points, while one on the platform scores 1 point. Play continues until a team reaches the score of 21. The Cornhole Tournament will be played tournament style with teams of two players competing in a single elimination bracket. Prizes will be awarded! Join us for a morning of fun, laughter, and a yummy cookout. FREE to the public, but all participants must bring a dessert or side to share. Event is limited to 24 attendees. Register by Wednesday, April 27th at 5pm.

April 2016 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI

SAT

Auburn’s Ageless– April 2016

Appendix B Examples of Tactics We created a new logo and slogan for Auburns Parks and Rec in an effort to have a consistent theme. The new logo is a tree with colorful, pastel-colored leaves. The tree is a symbol of wisdom and being active. Trees are a part of Auburn’s culture and tradition, and the senior program will pay tribute to that. The new slogan for the program is, “Make new friends. Keep the old.” The senior program allows its members to create new relationships with fellow Auburn residents. The purpose of this campaign was to rebrand and improve recognition. The new logo and slogan can be used in newsletters, fliers, tshirts or bumper stickers. We created a different newsletter to improve the overall presentation of the program. We opted for a more clean-cut and simpler newsletter with softer colors. It includes a simpler layout making it easier to replace the information on a month-tomonth basis. Having a layout will also provide consistency, so if members are only looking for something specific, they can locate the information.

Appendix C Contacts and Resources Adobe Creative Cloud Indesign: www.adobe.com School of Communication and Journalism Internship Director Contact Ric Smith: smithrw@auburn.edu Firm to assist in making a website Verge Pipe Media: www.vergepipemedia.com info@vergepipemedia.com (334)750-5193 Online Survey Publisher (available to all Auburn students) www.qualtrics.com Canva (free publication website) www.canva.com

Appendix D Senior Program Focus Group Notes- Specifics of Research Where: Auburn Public Library When: March 4, 2016 at 9:15 a.m.

Demographics of the group: Members: 6 Gender: all female Ages: Ranging from 55-75

Questions and answers: Q: What is your favorite part of the senior program? A: Zumba, trips (good variety) and Gabby and her hard working attitude.

Q: What is your least favorite part of the senior program? A: Having to sign up every quarter, people at the desk never feel happy, issues with checks and giving money back. Yoga at 7 a.m., wish it was later. Too many activities only available in the morning.

Q: What would you look for in the branding and logo of the program? A: Bright colors, big letters, dark print on white paper, something with contrast to draw you in. No green.

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Q: Are you familiar with Opelika senior program and why do you choose Auburn? A: Very impressive sports complex but too far away. Opelika has more expensive trips and you have to be older to participate in their programs.

Q: Do you feel informed on senior events? A: All participants feel very informed on senior events.

Q: How do you prefer to get information? A: Social media, email or mail. There used to be a program to assist them with email and they wish they could bring it back.

Q: Where do you get info about info and upcoming events? A: Harris Center, the participants feel like they have to seek out information on their own rather than it coming to them.

Q: Thoughts on senior publications? A: Better than last year, more organized.

Q: Do you think your input is valued? A: All participants responded yes.

Q: What are your thoughts on the parks and rec website A: Mixed of people that have been and haven’t. Those that have been found it confusing.

Q: Do you have social media accounts and if so which ones? A: Two out of the six participants have a Facebook account and one participant has both and Instagram and a Twitter account.

Q: How often do you refer to the newsletter? A: All participants refer to the newsletter often.

Q: How did you first hear about the program? A: All of the attendees heard about the program through word of mouth, but there were some recommendations as to how the program could get more attention including pamplets, fliers and a marquee on Opelika Road.

Q: Do you often suggest the program to others? A: All participants suggest the program to others and even tell their family and friends to join their local senior programs.

Q: Are your friends aware of the program and if so what are their opinions? A: Some had friends that were interested, and others had friends that thought they were too busy to join the program.

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