Today we have a guest post from one of our fall interns, Amy Dodge. She has been a wonderful addition to our team and has signed on to join See.Spark.Go in the spring as a part of our apprentice program. We’re thankful for her and look forward to the upcoming semester. Enjoy!

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This semester, my fellow interns and I have been blessed to work with a variety of See.Spark.Go’s amazing clients. As I learn about their core missions and values, I begin to appreciate more and more the incredible stories that these clients have to tell.

Boosterthon Fun Run is one of those clients: a fitness, leadership and character development program that helps boost funding in schools throughout the country. It’s far from just selling wrapping paper or cookie dough—Boosterthon Fun Run helps students embrace strong character and teaches them what it means to be a leader.

Last month a local Athens school, Prince Avenue Christian School, hosted the Boosterthon Fun Run. I was excited to see with my own eyes the enthusiasm and motivation that I have learned about over the course of the semester.

When we arrived at the school, I could hear the loud music from 500 yards away but still didn’t know quite what to expect. But as we walked into the gym, I saw hundreds of kids running laps around the gym, donning their Boosterthon All-Star jerseys. The teachers checked off every lap on their jerseys as they whizzed by with smiles on their faces. The stands were full of parents and grandparents to check out the program—and there’s no doubt in my mind that they were all quite impressed.

Their children were getting exercise and raising money for their school, all while learning valuable principles about teamwork and leadership.

This year’s character theme at Boosterthon is “Epic Adventure.” EPIC is an acronym Boosterthon uses to represent four key actions: Encourage, Play, Invite and Celebrate. By teaching children to encourage their peers daily, play together outside, invite others to play and celebrate the success of friends, Boosterthon is establishing a foundation of leadership and teamwork early on.

As we left the Prince Avenue gym that day, I couldn’t help but wish my elementary school had participated in a Boosterthon Fun Run. Boosterthon is so much more than just holiday wrapping paper or double-chocolate chip cookie dough; it is a revolutionary program that is changing the lives of elementary school children in more than 1,500 schools throughout the country.

In the true fashion of a See.Spark.Go client, Boosterthon has a great story to tell. To learn more about the Boosterthon story, visit their website.

It’s that time of year again! The weather has started to cool, Athens is full of red and black and a new semester has begun at UGA. While all this is happening, we’re excited to welcome new interns into the office. This semester kicks off something new in our internship program.

For the first time in See.Spark.Go history, we have three talented interns on our team! We’d like to introduce you to Amy Dodge, Heather Kevern and Libby Wilson, three Grady students with a passion for PR. Each of them brings unique skills and talents to the table and has proven to be a huge asset to our team!

Amy, a senior public relations and Spanish major from Roswell, Ga., has an extensive resume in the communications industry and is the kind of employee who you can count on to get the job done.

Fun Facts about Amy:

• She is originally from the Cape Cod area in Massachusetts and sailed as a child.
• To relax, you can find Amy with a cup of coffee and a magazine.
• She was a collegiate swimmer at University of Richmond for a semester.
• Her PR dream is to work for an international PR agency in Boston.

Heather, a native of Memphis, Tenn., moved to Athens as a freshman in college and has never looked back. Now, Heather is a senior public relations major with a communications studies minor and a certificate in new media. But don’t worry, she still has some Memphis roots in her, as her favorite food is Memphis-style barbeque nachos.

Fun Facts about Heather:

• Her favorite place (other than Athens) is Verona, Italy.
• Her passion is dancing. She’s got some great skills.
• She has an affinity for local coffee shops and farmers markets.
• She has a dream of starting her own Not-Just-for-Profit company that has a business model to support a philanthropic goal.

Libby, from the Golf Cart Capitol of the World (Peachtree City, Ga.), is a fifth year public relations major and speech communication minor who will graduate in December. As she finishes up school, we are thankful she is dedicating some of her time to See.Spark.Go.

Fun Facts about Libby:

• One of her favorite scents is the smell of honeysuckle trees.
• Her favorite food is sushi, which is great, because she works at RuSan’s on the side.
• Her family vacations at her cottage in Northern Michigan on Lake Huron, one of her favorite places.
• She dreams of being a travel writer. What could be better than seeing the world and writing all the time?

As the fall season comes closer, we are already seeing how talented and high-caliber these interns are. We’re thankful for their constant desire to learn and ability to achieve. We can’t wait to see all they accomplish this semester!

In addition to celebrating our fall interns, we are accepting applications for the spring 2012 internship.

To apply for spring 2012, please send your resume to lauren@seesparkgo.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

I present to you a post by our interns, Jessica Seagraves and Heather Green, who you can meet here. They are absolutely talented and wanted to share a recent SSG experience with you. Hope you enjoy!

A couple weeks ago, we traveled to Macon, Ga., with Lauren Locher to spend the day with Mutual of Omaha’s Aha Moment Tour, a client we have been working on since the first day of our summer internship.  We were excited to see first-hand the story we have been learning so much about.  Plus, we got to spend the 3-hour car ride getting to know each other better and swapping stories!

We quickly found the site upon spotting the large, 34-foot silver Airstream trailer that is the Aha Moment Tour “mobile television studio.” We were able to meet all of the team members and experience the early morning frenzy of setting up a new tour stop.  While tour producer Jessica Henry was running around preparing for the first guests to arrive, we helped another crewmember, Natalie Webb, set up the registration area.  It was only 11 a.m. and already, it felt like it was 100 degrees outside—fans were a must.

The crew driver, Gary, told us that the truck they drive to pull the trailer has over a million miles under its belt. Holy cow! It’s literally a legend.

We also got the chance to meet and get to know six guests who came to record their “aha” moments, and personally hear their stories. It was interesting to see some guests prepared with a story to share and others racking their brains for the right words to say. Before we left we were lucky enough to tour the trailer and sit in on a guest recording her very own “aha” moment.

We later grabbed lunch at none other than Chick-fil-A, a See.Spark.Go hot spot, but our final stop on the trip was Lane Peach Orchard where they pack and distribute the most delicious peaches we had ever tasted. We could not leave without indulging in their homemade peach ice cream. What can we say? We are weak! So, with full tummies, we headed back to Athens. Of course, all that talk of ‘what will we do when we grow up’, accompanied by lots of laughter and some philosophical discussions made one of us (Heather) a little sleepy on the way home.

All in all, we were so excited to meet an SSG client face-to-face and we can’t wait to see what other adventures the summer holds for us here at See.Spark.Go!

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You can follow Jessica Seagraves and Heather Green on Twitter for more updates on their internship at SSG. Be on the lookout for future posts by these girls!

Quite a few awesome things have happened at the See.Spark.Go office since we last posted. Not only have we moved into a new office (more on that to come!), but we also have two new interns for the semester!

I introduce to you our two wonderful new ladies: Maureen Flaherty and Hannah Springston.

Maureen, a Peachtree City native, is currently a senior at UGA, majoring in Public Relations. As an executive board member of Relay for Life, Maureen has been involved with many organizations on campus. Even though she is busy preparing for graduation, we are so thankful for her eagerness to jump into See.Spark.Go from the start of the semester. We love having her personable, hard-working self in the office.

Fun Facts about Maureen:

• She lived in Germany from age 2-5.
• Her MacBook was the best gift she has ever received.
• She swam with the whale sharks at the Georgia Aquarium.
• She has traveled to 17 countries, but her favorite place she has visited is Tuscany.
• Her “dream job” would be as a dolphin trainer at Sea World, but her PR “dream job” would be to work in PR or special events for a resort or luxury hotel, or to work in the entertainment industry.

Hannah, born and raised in Buford, Ga., is currently a junior at UGA, majoring in Public Relations. Clocking in at 4 feet 11 inches, Hannah is full of energy and always willing to learn. Like Maureen, Hannah loves to travel and had the opportunity to study abroad with Global LEAD in Greece. As our resident chef, she always brings delicious treats to share in the office.

Fun Facts about Hannah:

• Her dream destination is South Africa and/or Bora Bora.
• Her favorite food is cheese, and we hear she makes a mean mac & cheese.
• She bungee jumped 28 stories into the Corinth Canal in Greece – it was “intensely terrifying but a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
• She sang opera in high school.
• Her “dream job” is to own her own lifestyle PR firm in either California or the Southeast.

So, you can see that our interns are pretty impressive. Both claim that one of their favorite parts of interning with SSG is being a part of our team, but we are even more thankful that they are here! We can’t wait to share with you some of the awesome things they are doing!

Recently, I asked our summer interns, Anne Mitchell + Hannah Adams, to write a blog post on why college juniors, seniors or recent grads should intern at See.Spark.Go. I was THRILLED to see their response! If you’re interested in interning at SSG, email me with your resume at brittany [at] seesparkgo.com.

Reason #9: Athens

This one speaks for itself. I mean really, who wants to drive all the way to ATL during football season!

P.S. Lots of UGA blood in the SSG family.

Reason #8: Big agency experience – small firm relationships

One thing we’ve noticed/come to LOVE in our time here at SSG is the agency’s ability to incorporate business and great relationships into their work.

As an SSG intern you’ll have the opportunity to work intimately on big name national accounts and be included in decision-making processes. You’ll get an inside look at what goes on in meetings with the movers and shakers of the PR world, not to mention great guidance and friendship with your fellow colleagues.

Reason #7: Creative reign

Every skill you bring to the table will be used in your time at SSG. Every SSG intern gets an invite to brainstorming sessions and your input is always welcome and appreciated. Trust us – It’s AWESOME to have people who listen to your ideas and actually even use them from time to time!

Reason #6: You’re part of the team

You won’t be just making copies or fetching coffee here at SSG (though trips to Chic-fil-A and Jittery Joes aren’t uncommon). At SSG you get thrown straight into the fire, in a good way of course!

As an SSG intern you’ll be doing some of the same things as the head honchos and getting real world experience with really great guidance and leadership. You’ll learn the secrets they don’t teach you in school!

Reason #5: Prime Location

This office is what we call ‘primetime locale.’ You are within a mile of 2 Chic-fil-A’s, Five Points Deli, Barberitos, Panera, and Hannah and my personal favie- Publix (home of the pub sub for the uneducated sandwich eater). Occasionally we take office trips to Last Resort and Yoguri. Just sayin’.

Reason #4: The Other Intern

Over the course of this summer, Hannah and I have shared an obsession with Diet Coke, a weirder obsession for The Bachelorette (don’t get us started on Jake & Vienna) and most of all a love for SSG. We hope the next crop of interns is as lucky.

Reason #3: Carson

If you’re lucky, you might catch this little snuggler in the SSG office. He’ll probably try to get you hooked on Dinosaur Train and he LOVES to play in photobooth.

Reason #2: Expanding your network

As SSG interns we learned quickly that owners Brittany & Andy know any and everyone in town/the Southeast, probably the country. We’ve literally never been anywhere with them where they didn’t know someone. Naturally, they are great people for you to know as well!

Reason #1: Brittany aka ‘boss lady’

Co-owner, Brittany, is undoubtedly the best part of the SSG internship experience. Of course we chat about all things PR, but we chat about the celeb gossip, The Bachelorette and life in general too. Truth be told, we couldn’t have thought up a better mentor ourselves. We hope you’re lucky enough to meet her too!

For the past 3 years, See.Spark.Go has had an incredible internship program that’s attracted some amazing talent (from whom I learn something new every day!). This post belongs to the one and only Mary Catherine Kinney (MCK as we call her, or just plain “Rockstar”). Take it away, MCK!

Mary Catherine the Intern here!  It’s a sunny day in the Classic City, but a busy day around the office. We are all a-buzz preparing for Mutual of Omaha’s 2010 Aha Moment Tour in May and busy brainstorming for all of our clients. Brittany just asked me what I’ve learned about PR from See.Spark.Go and I just had to share with you my life as a member of the SSG family!

My experience at See.Spark.Go has given me great insight and experience in the wide and ever-changing field of PR. From pitching client events to crafting press releases, my intern days have been far from the water cooler and copy machine tasks.

As a senior in the Grady College of Journalism at the University of Georgia, I’ve had several years of PR teaching, instruction and knowledge. However, the classroom can never teach what you learn from being in the PR “trenches”. My internship at SSG has given me tangible real-world experience in Public Relations. I recall my first week working for Brittany. We had an event happening in Pismo Beach. There were media alerts to be written, lists to be made and reporters to call.

And I was clueless.

Brittany, however, saw a diamond in the rough. She equipped me with a quick lesson in Cision, Mapquest (Where exactly is Pismo Beach anyway?), and an expertly crafted press release and said those fateful words that led to great growth “Go for it.”

Through my internship, I’ve discovered the basics of writing press releases, developing media lists and building relationships with reporters while gaining clear insight into the real-world of PR that I wouldn’t have learned this anywhere else but at See.Spark.Go. This incredible experience equipped me for any PR job that may come in the future.

I just hope that wherever I land after my internship with See.Spark.Go also celebrates all accomplishments with freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

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Read more from Mary Catherine on her blog and follow her on Twitter!