Reaching Out
It won’t surprise you that MVES can’t afford a commercial during the Super Bowl to let people know what we do. Is our service any less important than those that are advertised during the Super Bowl or during the season premiere of “Grey’s Anatomy”? I’m biased, but I certainly don’t think so.
MVES doesn’t buy expensive advertising, but we do work hard to make people aware of our services. As a not-for-profit, we’re not out to generate sales, but instead want community elders and their caregivers to know about help that is available to them. We pride ourselves on the choice of services that we offer to elders, and likewise, we’re pleased with the numerous methods we use to promote the agency’s programs. Our objective is to increase awareness by using as many effective vehicles as possible.
Since you’re reading this, you’ve already found one way we reach out to the community! Through our electronic newsletter and web site, we offer readers current news and helpful information. For your friends and family members who don’t frequent the Internet, we maintain a steady presence in the local newspapers by submitting regular press releases, public service announcements, and a biweekly question and answer column.
Many of our efforts to reach you often come with a face…or a voice. When you call MVES during the day, you’ll always be greeted by a person—not a recording. We’re a human services agency and we want you to know that we have a human face. On a similar note, our staff makes presentations at local health fairs and at fraternal organizations such as the Rotary Club. We’re out and about. Just ask physicians. We regularly visit their offices to make sure they know where to refer their older patients.
There isn’t a finer example of face-to-face outreach than Project SAFE. Through this initiative, MVES is visiting each person who is 80 years or older in our eight communities. Why? To make sure they’re safe and aware of the community resources that are in place for them.
We continually promote our services because our hope is that people will learn about MVES before a crisis occurs. When a difficult situation does arise, the well-informed consumer knows best what help is available. Helping you learn about MVES before you need us is our goal, but we’re here for you before, during, and after a crisis.
Once you know about us, it’s our responsibility to provide you with easily understood information. To that end, we hire staff who speak many languages, translate forms into different languages, and provide menus in Braille. We attempt to help you in the manner that suits you.
There’s no doubt that the best way to promote MVES happens naturally. When people are pleased with the services they receive from us, they will talk to friends and neighbors and share their experiences. We hope you do the same. Please help us tell people that MVES is here for them. Perhaps you can forward this newsletter or mention MVES the next time you’re having a conversation about elder issues. You’re the best way to reach more community members. Besides, the Super Bowl only happens once a year. We want to help every day.
