Who Are We?

Since 1987, Ridgewood has helped organizations and individuals get the right message, to the right people, in the right way. From our roots as a traditional public relations agency, we have expanded our scope to meet the challenges of the changing communications landscape. Today, our clients come to us to address diverse communications challenges. We help them build and engage their community, sharpen their message and deliver it powerfully, heighten public awareness, and create innovative online solutions that help get the job done – and done well.

The Capital Area Food Bank and Their New Interactive Map: Bringing Together Services in Central Texas and Those in Our Community Who Most Need Them

Monday, 03 January 2011 09:18 Written by admin2

How far must you travel in times of emergency to a food pantry or soup kitchen? Do enough services exist for the most vulnerable among our older adults and children?

How far is the nearest Health and Human Services Commission office? Where is the closest Women, Infants and Children clinic or farmers market? Can you access a community garden in your neighborhood?

Capital Area Food Bank of Texas hopes their new interactive map will help you answer these questions and get you thinking about the unique hunger challenges in our community.

The Hunger Relief Map uses 2000 Census data down to the census tract level to display concentrations of poverty in the Food Bank’s 21 county service territory. It also includes points of access to get relief from hunger and food insecurity.

You can even click on the color key to only display the poverty level concentration you’re interested in.

This map will be updated with 2010 Census data as soon as it is available.

Movember, or How Your Dapper Moustache Can Help Battle Men’s Cancer

Monday, 20 December 2010 11:44 Written by admin2


Each year Movember brings together the almighty moustache and November to change the face of men’s health.

The rules for Movember are simple.

Start Movember 1st clean-shaven and then grow a moustache for the entire month.  The moustache becomes the ribbon for men’s health and the means by which awareness and funds are raised for cancers that affect men.

The Ridgewood Team is proud to be a part of the Austin Movember Team’s fundraising success during Movember 2010.

Team Austin’s 173 participants raised $31,471 to raise funds to battle men’s cancer.

Below are a few shots of the Ridgewoood Team in full moustache glory and in their previous clean-shaven states.

David J. Neff
Aaron Bramley
Peter Bramley

The idea for Movember was sparked in 2003 over a few beers in Melbourne, Australia. Inspired by the women around them and all they had done for breast cancer the Mo Bros set themselves on a course to create a global men’s health movement.

The Movember moustache has continued to grow year after year to countries in four continents. 

In 2009, global participation of Mo Bros and Mo Sistas climbed to 255,755, with over one million donors raising $42 Million in US dollars for Movember’s partner organizations. 

The funds raised through Movember’s US campaign benefit the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) and LIVESTRONG the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

The PCF uses the money raised by Movember to fund research that is accelerating the discovery of better treatments and to ultimately find a cure for prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer remains one of the most controversial cancers in both diagnosis and treatment:
        Over 2 million American men currently live with prostate cancer.
·   Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer that affects men after lung cancer.
·   The risk of developing prostate cancer increases after the age of 50 years. The majority of prostate cancer is diagnosed in men over 65 years old. 
 
 
·   Prostate cancer presents some of the most promising chances of recovery if you’re cursed with a cancer.
Prostate cancer is a relatively slow-growing cancer. For all
 
stages of the cancer the average 5-year survival rate is 98% and the 10-year survival rate is 84%.
Remember – Most people die with this cancer and not of it.

For more information about prostate cancer please take a look here and here.
Team Austin would like to thank some of the wonderful sponsors who helped to make 2010’s Movember such a success.
For more information about how you can use your own dapper moustache growing abilities to help battle men’s cancer please visit here.

How Are Young Volunteers in Your Community Spreading the Holiday Cheer? Y Gen Wants to Know

Monday, 13 December 2010 09:27 Written by admin2

Y Gen is sponsoring a contest for young volunteers to show us what they are doing this holiday season to give back to their communities.

The contest includes three categories: essay, video and slideshow.

The winner from each group will receive a $250 Visa gift card and a spot along with their nonprofit as a guest on the Keeping Up with Gen Y radio show. The contest is national and is open to 18 to 30 year olds.
For more information please click here.

The Ridgewood Austin Team at ScoutJam 2010

Wednesday, 08 December 2010 17:34 Written by admin2

The Ridgewood Austin crew along with our friend Weston Norton had an awesome time filming all the exciting activities at ScoutJam 2010.


Thank you to Charles Mead and the Boy Scouts of America Capitol Area Council and the 10,000 scouts in attendance for the amazing opportunity.

Here is just a brief behind the scenes glance of some of the fun we had.


To find out how to promote your organization through video that gets attention contact Aaron Bramley at 512.637.6333 or .aaron@ridgewoodpr.com.

Social Media Presentation at the Aldine Independent School District

Thursday, 04 November 2010 11:54 Written by admin2

This post was written Aaron Bramley, Ridgewood’s Director of Digital Media

I was fortunate enough to travel to the Aldine Independent School District yesterday to deliver a presentation to the Superintendent’s Instructional Technology Committee (SITC) on social media and the public school.  This committee is responsible for providing technology recommendations to the Superintendent of the 63,000 student school district.

The Powerpoint presentation is below. And here is a link that I referenced to a listing of the Top 10 U.S. School Districts in Digital Technology.

Presentation objectives:

  • Understand what is social media and how has it changed the way people and organizations communicate.
  • Understand the differences and similarities between private, personal and professional communications online.
  • Know how to navigate a variety of online situations in a way that supports district policy and keeps social media interesting.

Agenda:

What is social media and why is it important?

  • Demographics and user data
  • Personal, professional and private

Social media and the public school

  • Opportunities and challenges
  • Case studies

Using Social Media to Extend the Reach of Your Message

Monday, 01 November 2010 09:01 Written by admin2

We recently got the chance to sit down with Sarah Page, Senior Economic Development Specialist at Lower Colorado River Authority and talk about how she’s using social media to raise awareness about the Colorado River. She discusses topics such as Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, and Gowalla.

Utilizing Your Connections to Get the Word Out About Your Cause

Monday, 25 October 2010 08:14 Written by admin

Watch our friend Layla Fry, Director of Communications at Southwest Key speak about how she is using social media to get the word out about the great work they are doing for children and families. Topics covered include utilizing connections, Facebook, Twitter, and social enterprise.

Leadership Symposium on Colorado’s Children

Tuesday, 28 September 2010 09:49 Written by admin

The Ridgewood Team recently returned from Vail, Colorado, where we provided conference planning services for the Leadership Symposium on Colorado’s Children.

The Symposium brought together 350 key leaders from across the state that work with families and children.  The event was focused on topics that are currently impacting the system, and gave decision makers time to discuss implementation.  It featured keynote presentations by nationally recognized speakers, in-depth workshops on groundbreaking topics, and workgroup exercises for the state’s 22 Judicial Districts.

Participants included: 
  • Directors and Administrators from State and County Departments of Human Services,
  • Judges, Magistrates and Court Facilitators,
  • Attorneys and Probation Officers,
  • Representatives from the Department of Education,
  • Mental Health, Domestic Violence and Substance Abuse Providers, and
  • Workers from the Division of Youth Corrections.
The goal of the Symposium was to strengthen relationships among all professionals that interact with Colorado’s children and families, in order to improve outcomes for all.  It was sponsored by the Colorado Department of Human Services, Division of Child Welfare, the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement, and the Colorado Supreme Court, Court Improvement Program.

To learn how Ridgewood can help your organization plan an upcoming event – whether it be a half-day meeting or a 5-day conference – please contact Peter Bramley at 520-318-0828 or pbramley@ridgewoodpr.com.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Training Presentation for Best Friends Animal Society

Monday, 20 September 2010 07:07 Written by admin
View from the lunch patio

It was a real privilege to visit the Best Friends Animal Society’s 3,700 acre sanctuary in Kanab, Utah.  While David and I (Aaron) were there to conduct a search engine optimization training for the communications and web staff, we were also given a tour of a very amazing place.

Flemish Giant Rabbit

The combination of red rock mountains and playful, happy animals made this one of the most fun training environments imaginable—not to mention the wonderful hospitality of Jon Dunn.

The following are the slides of the SEO Trainings we delivered while at the sanctuary.  As always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email aaron@ridgewoodpr.com or call 512-637-6333.




Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Training Presentation

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Training Presentation

Learn to Tell Your Story at Our Social Media Boot Camp for Nonprofits

Friday, 10 September 2010 18:09 Written by admin

We here at Ridgewood : Ingenious Communication Strategies are offering a Social Media Boot Camp for Nonprofits.

This workshop will help you understand the game-changing innovations that are currently occurring in the world of communications.

It will give you the tools, skills and confidence you need to tell your story in Social Media.

You will also learn how to attract attention in the competitive space of Social Media and produce content that gets your cause noticed.

Following are the learning objectives of the Boot Camp.

  • Understand the transition that has occurred in the world of communication from traditional media to Social Media.
  • Understand how to effectively use the most popular social networking platforms to build a robust online community.
  • Learn how to turn a blog into a digital communications hub to give readers information in the way they want it. 
  • Develop key writing techniques that work best with search engines to improve Web site traffic.
  • Discover some of the most exciting new innovations that are revolutionizing communications to put your cause on the cutting edge.

The cost is $200.00 per person and the date of the class is Sept 29th from 9am till 1:00 PM in the community room at
       Ronald McDonald House Charities of Austin and Central
       Texas
       1315 Barbara Jordan Boulevard
       Austin, Texas 78723
       Phone: 512-472-9844

If you have questions or to RSVP please contact Aaron Bramley at aaron@ridgewoodpr.com or call 512-637-6333.

Register today!

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We offer a variety of classes and workshops on social media, media relations and other great topics. Contact us!