sophie beauvais

November 2004 – Present: Communications Specialist at Vinfen, a private nonprofit human services organization and the leading mental health provider in Massachusetts

> Doubled regional media coverage with proactive media relations (examples of pitches, placement of experts, media releases)

> Editor of the Award-winning newsletter The Vinfen Voice: increased circulation from 2,000 to 5,000 copies, created editorial committee (see side bar for downloads)

> Initiated and coordinated Vinfen's first Community Awareness Forum in May 2006 announced in the Boston Globe Health & Science Calendar

> Content manager for Vinfen’s Internet web site, www.vinfen.org

> Collaborated on new visual identity and on the production of two annual reports and various marketing materials

> Internal Communications: handled employee newsletter, part of Vinfen’s first Intranet web site Steering Committee

> Contributing writer, photographer, and designer

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Example of a story pitch to the Boston Sunday Globe, City Weekly Editor Thomasine Berg, on December 12, 2005:

Subject: A Christmas lunch for individuals with disabilities in Dorchester

Dear Ms. Berg,

Cynthia Berman has been working as an Occupational Therapist for the past thirty years and running cooking groups since the beginning of her career in hospitals, day treatment and now at Vinfen’s Baycove Community Rehabilitative Support program (CRS) in Dorchester for the past three years.

The group, called the “Fat Monday Cooking Group” and composed of individuals with mental disabilities, was created to promote nutritional awareness and improve cooking and diet habits among individuals with psychiatric disabilities. From 10a.m. to 12.30p.m. every Monday, the group prepares and then enjoys lunch together. Since its inception, Cynthia was able to see the great strides that individuals, who often combine a mental disorder with a co-occurring disorder due to medication or living habits such as diabetes, have made.

On Monday, December 19, the group will meet for the “Holiday Cooking Group” from 10 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and, among other “delicacies”, will prepare and enjoy a veggie and a turkey meatloaf and Christmas cookies.

This group, which is a huge success, was also involved in Vinfen’s Tasty & Healthy! Teaching Cookbook and Eli Lilly’s nutrition and fitness manuals for individuals with disabilities.

This is a great uplifting story for all the people with disabilities and human services workers in the Metro Boston area and I thought you might be interested in it.

Please contact me if you wish to know more,

Sincerely,

Sophie G. Beauvais
Communications Specialist

Result: 4 columns feature with photo on page 3 of the City Weekly on January 8, 2007 (pdf)

Placement of experts:

> Maureen Drouin, director of planning and legislative coordinator for Vinfen in Metro Boston on December 18, 2006 (pdf).
> Renee Rabouin, residential counselor at a Vinfen residence, in Metro Boston on December 7, 2006 (pdf)

Media Releases (selection):

> Latest release: Cambridge, Mass. (June 14, 2007) — Dr. Karen Shedlack of Vinfen receives Distinguished Fellowship from the American Psychiatric Association (pdf)

> Cambridge, Mass. (April 17, 2007) — Anne Fracht and Craig Smith of Vinfen recognized for their accomplishments in self-advocacy with the 2007 Gunnar Dybwad Leadership Award (pdf)

Photo pulished in the Boston Business Journal with extensive caption (pdf).

> Cambridge, Mass. (June 22, 2006) — Marlborough Resident and Roslindale Program Director Amali De Zoysa receives Vinfen Board of Directors Scholarship Award (pdf)

A portion of this release was fist published in the West Roxbury Transcript with a photo of De Zoysa receiving the Scholarship at Vinfen's Employee Recognition Event. It then inspired a feature story on De Zoysa and her mission as a program director for a Vinfen residence located in Roslindale. The story, Vinfen honores director who serves with wisdom and heart, was featured on the cover and page 6 of the Roslindale Transcript and other community papers on July 20 (pdf).

For more media releases, check out the newsroom page on Vinfen's web site.