“Kathy’s professionalism, expertise and flexibility has proven to be invaluable to our organization.   Her team’s ability to grasp and appropriately communicate complicated issues to our customer base has played a pivotal role in our overall communications strategy.”

John Sims, Director, Corporate Communications & Customer Service, ENSTAR Natural Gas Co.

These figures represent 110 percent of this year’s campaign goal of $2 million, and an increase of nearly 50 percent over last year’s total.

“These cash donations represent true acts of kindness,” said Cassandra Stalzer, communications manager at Rasmuson Foundation. “Alaskans’ unique quality of life is directly linked to the health of our nonprofit sector, and Pick. Click. Give. provides a safe and easy way to support the causes we care about.”

 ”Our participation rate of 4.2 percent makes Pick Click Give one of the most successful fundraising campaigns in the United States of America,” added Stalzer.

Last year, 19,000 Alaskans raised $1.5 million for nonprofits, community foundations and the University of Alaska campuses through Pick. Click. Give. In 2010, 9,500 Alaskans donated a total of $927,000 and in 2009, the program’s first year, 5,500 people gave $545,000.

 More information on Pick. Click. Give. can be found at www.PickClickGive.org and on Facebook.

About Pick. Click. Give.

The Pick. Click. Give. statewide outreach campaign is made possible through financial support from the Alaska Children’s Trust, Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, Atwood Foundation, BP Alaska, ConocoPhillips Alaska, ExxonMobil, Mat-Su Health Foundation, Northrim Bank, Providence Health + Services Alaska and Rasmuson Foundation. Also providing generous amounts of in-kind support are the Alaska Public Radio Network, Regal Entertainment Group/CIRI, The Alaska Club, Alaska Aces, Nerland Agency and Wells Fargo Bank Alaska. Pick. Click. Give. is coordinated through a partnership including the Permanent Fund Dividend Division of the Alaska Department of Revenue, Rasmuson Foundation, The Foraker Group, United Way of Anchorage and Alaska Community Foundation.

 “Alaskans who have already filed for their dividend can still go back and make donations to Pick. Click. Give. causes across the entire state. It’s as simple as visiting the PFD Division website and clicking on the Add or change Charitable Pledges link to add a gift,” said Jordan Marshall, Initiatives and Special Projects Manager at Rasmuson Foundation. “Tens of thousands of Alaskans are already making a difference in their communities through simple gifts from their dividends.”

With the dividend application deadline looming, organizers announced today that, according to the Permanent Fund Dividend Division, as of Tuesday morning, March 27, a total of $2,038,675 has been pledged by 21,700 Alaskans making 34,801 pledges to hundreds of Pick. Click. Give. nonprofits, community foundations and the University of Alaska campuses. A total of 507,510 PFD applications have been filed thus far in 2012.

Examples of how Pick. Click. Give. dollars are put to good use are found in the attached “2012 Pick.Click.Give. Social Services” document. The attachment highlights stories of impact from several organizations providing emergency and transitional services to Alaska’s vulnerable populations (i.e., Abused Women’s Aid in Crisis (AWAIC), Bean’s Café, Catholic Social Services, Covenant House Alaska, The Salvation Army, and Stone Soup Group).

For point-in-time data on each participating nonprofit, please see attached spreadsheet. Please note additional worksheets show regional performance breakouts and ranking by dollars per nonprofit.

To file for the PFD, go to http://www.pfd.alaska.gov. More information on Pick. Click. Give. can be found at www.PickClickGive.org and on Facebook.

 Last year, 19,000 Alaskans raised $1.5 million through Pick. Click. Give. In 2010, 9,500 Alaskans donated a total of $927,000 and in 2009 (the first year of the program), 5,500 people gave $545,000.

The Pick. Click. Give. statewide outreach campaign is made possible through financial support from the Alaska Children’s Trust, Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, Atwood Foundation, BP Alaska, ConocoPhillips Alaska, ExxonMobil, Mat-Su Health Foundation, Northrim Bank, Providence Health + Services Alaska and Rasmuson Foundation. Also providing generous amounts of in-kind support are the Alaska Public Radio Network, Regal Entertainment Group/CIRI, The Alaska Club, Alaska Aces, Nerland Agency and Wells Fargo Bank Alaska. Pick. Click. Give. is coordinated through a partnership including the Permanent Fund Dividend Division of the Alaska Department of Revenue, Rasmuson Foundation, The Foraker Group, United Way of Anchorage and Alaska Community Foundation.

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Alaskans can take advantage of the Anchorage Free Income Tax Preparation Program at eight sites around Anchorage through April 17th. Tax sites are located at Anchorage Senior Activity Center, the University of Alaska Anchorage, First Free Methodist Church, Northeast Community Center, Spenard Rec Center, the AARP State Office, Credit Union 1-Mountain View, Crosspoint Community Church and on military bases. Days and hours vary, so check the schedule at www.FreeTaxPrepANC.com or call 2-1-1 to determine the date, time and location that is best for you.

One more Super Saturday event will be held on Saturday, March 31st at Crosspoint Community Church in south Anchorage. Bring the whole family for fun children’s activities, informational booths staffed by community service providers and local nonprofits, free money saving seminars and the opportunity to get your taxes done for free (hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., come early if you want to have your taxes done). The Super Saturday site is disability accessible and a sign language interpreter will be available throughout the day.

Anchorage residents also can take advantage of the new FAST Tax Site also at Gateway Learning Center, 801 Karluk Street, where filers will have access to free computers and volunteers who can assist them in getting started with filing their taxes online.

The Anchorage Free Income Tax Preparation Program has set a goal of helping 4,500 area residents file their taxes (not counting military bases) in 2012. Last tax season, Alaskans who filed from free local tax preparation sites saved more than $900,000 in preparation costs while being guided to over $1.7 million in Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC) and ultimately receiving more than $10 million in returns.

Taxpayers have until April 17 to file their tax returns this year because of Emancipation Day, a holiday observed in the District of Columbia which falls on Friday, April 15.

Free tax preparation in Anchorage is made possible by a collaboration between United Way of Anchorage, the IRS, AARP Tax-Aide, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), the University of Alaska Anchorage, Wal-Mart Foundation, the National Disability Institute, the faith-based community, individual volunteers, nonprofits and government service providers.

For more details on tax preparation sites, contact Alaska 2-1-1 by dialing 2-1-1 or 1-800-478-2221, join us on Facebook and visit the website at www.freetaxprepANC.com.

About United Way of Anchorage

United Way of Anchorage works to advance the common good by creating opportunities for a better life for all by focusing on the three key building blocks for a good life: education, income and health. The goal is to create lasting changes that prevent problems from happening in the first place. United Way invites everyone to be part of the change. GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER. LIVE UNITED. Please visit LIVEUNITEDANCHORAGE.org.

For the 29th year, more than 400 vendors will pack Sullivan Arena, the outdoor tent and both sides of Boeke Ice Arena for Alaska’s largest trade show. Attend one or more of the 100 free seminars, get the kids over to the Trout Pond or archery range and take advantage of show-only specials on outdoor gear and services.

“We have more than 50 new vendors at this year’s show, and a completely new lineup of seminars, so we promise great information for newbies as well as for the seasoned sportsmen and women who have been coming to the show for years,” said Steve Shepherd, president of Aurora Productions, Inc.

The 29th annual Great Alaska Sportsman Show runs for four full days: Thursday, March 29th from 4 to 9 p.m.; Friday, March 30th from 12 noon to 9 p.m.; Saturday, March 31st from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and, Sunday, April 1st from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $11 for adults, $3 for kids 12 and under and $6 for parking. Save the
parking fee by riding the free Shuttle Express, courtesy of Premier Alaska Tours. Buses will run 60 minutes prior to opening and 60 minutes after the show closes each day from La Z Boy at University Center and from Burlington at Northway Mall.

Other features at the Great Alaska Sportsman Show include a full schedule of seminars led by Fisheries Biologists and others with the Alaska Department of Fish & Game. The Alaska Bird Treatment & Learning Center will have daily owl and raptor demos. Fly fishers will want to practice and attend hands-on demos, and kids 12 and under have an opportunity to catch a fish in the Kid’s Fishing Pond.

A complete special section, with a list of vendor booths, seminars, informational articles and more will be inserted into the Anchorage Daily News on Sunday, March 25th, and will be available online at www.adn.com. For more information about the 2012 Great Alaska Sportsman Show, visit www.greatalaskasportsmanshow.com or call Aurora Productions at (907) 562-9911.

Aurora Productions, Inc. has been producing trade shows in Alaska since 1983. In addition to the Great Alaska Sportsman Show, the company organizes the Alaska Women’s Show, the Winter Recreation and Travel Show and the Great Alaska Beer and Barley Wine Festival.

This year in Alaska, more than 150 troops will allow customers to pay by credit card. The Girl Scouts are using a credit card swiper for smartphones that makes it easy to process payments. In the past, cookie buyers had to pay with cash or a check only.
In 2012, Girl Scouts are offering a new lemon cookie, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouting. Savannah Smiles™ is a lemon wedge cookie that is cool and crisp, with just the right number of lemon chips to deliver tiny bursts of flavor. When you hold it right, you’ll also be reminded of that world-famous “Brownie smile.” This lemon cookie, named after the birthplace of Girl Scouts Founder Juliette Low, will only be offered this year to commemorate the Girl Scout centennial.

The free Cookie Locator App for iPhone® and Android™ (introduced last year) also allows people to search for cookie sales in their neighborhood, either by GPS, zip code or city. The App also allows you to map your way to a cookie booth and share the results with friends and/or add the sales to your calendar automatically. Cookie Locator also allows you to discover your Cookie Personality and to share it on Facebook, Twitter or email. The free Cookie Locator App can be downloaded in the iTunes Store or Android Marketplace or by calling **GSCOOKIES from your mobile phone. Even without an iPhone or Android, Cookie Locator works with Web-enabled smart phones. Go to http://mobile.littlebrownie.com or call **GSCOOKIES from your mobile phone. For more information, visit the Little Brownie website.

No university has produced as many female business owners as the Girl Scout Cookie Program. This year, Girl Scouts of Alaska has set an impressive goal to sell more than 560,796 boxes of cookies at $4 per box, a 3 percent increase over 2011. Girls pre-sold nearly 355,513 boxes, and they’ll begin selling another 235,283 boxes in public places like grocery stores and malls beginning Saturday, Feb. 25. Store sales, at many Carr’s and Fred Meyer grocery store locations, New Sagaya Midtown and Northway and Sear’s Mall to name a few, will continue through March 25th. Of every box sold $2.99 stays right here in Alaska and is used to build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.

Alaskans who want to support Girl Scouts, but who don’t want to eat cookies can donate their purchase to the “Gift of Caring” Program. Those cookies will be donated to local charities such as Bean’s Café or Kids Kitchen, or will be sent via Operation Morale
Boost to military troops overseas. In 2011, 4,327 boxes of cookies were donated to community groups across the country through this program. Donated cookies can be tax deductible, check with your accountant or tax attorney.

Cookies available this year include Savannah Smiles™, Thin Mints, Samoas® (caramel, coconut and chocolate), Trefoils (shortbread), Tagalongs® (peanut butter patties), Do-Si-Dos® (peanut butter sandwich), Dulce de Leche and Thank U Berry Munch™. The two most popular cookies in Alaska are Thin Mints and Samoas.
Learn more about Girl Scout cookies on Facebook or follow Girl Scouts on Twitter.
Girl Scouts of Alaska serves 6,160 girls from Bethel to Ketchikan. Everything Girl Scouts do is based on three keys to leadership: Discover, Connect and Take Action. Girl Scouts is committed to developing girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place. Learn more at www.girlscoutsalaska.org.

Each year, the Anchorage Public Library chooses one book and encourages everyone in the city to read it to promote literacy and build community by encouraging people of all ages and backgrounds to engage in a shared reading experience.
This year’s Anchorage Reads book, The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi is a memoir that opens with her childhood in Iran during the tumultuous era that saw the overthrowing of the Shah, the Iranian Revolution, the rise of Ayatollah Khomeini and the war with Iraq.

“We hope Alaskans will take advantage of this opportunity to share a book and discuss it with their friends and throughout community,” said Toni McPherson, community relations coordinator with Anchorage Public Library.
This is the sixth year the Anchorage Public Library has organized Anchorage Reads, which is sponsored by Target. Hope is that by choosing The Complete Persepolis, people will learn more about Iran, will examine the up-and-coming form of storytelling, and have a chance to explore how a graphic novel is created and its unique value as literature.

Over the next six weeks, Alaska Public Library neighborhood libraries, partnering with local businesses and nonprofit groups, will hold a variety of special events celebrating Anchorage Reads 2012. The events begin with a kick-off book discussion on Feb. 2 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at the Stevens Room at Loussac Library. Other events planned include book discussions, Persepolis Jeopardy, comic workshops and a World Affairs Council lecture. There also will be screenings of the 2007 Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize film based on the book. The first volume of the book, Persepolis, which details Satrapi’s experience until she leaves Iran at age 14, is on the reading list for 9th graders in the Anchorage School District.

To access Anchorage Reads resource materials inlcuding maps, an Iranian historic timeline and lists of similar books and films, visit www.anchoragelibrary.org and join us on Facebook.

The USCA “Best of Local Business” Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USCA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2011 USCA Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the USCA and data provided by third parties.

About KD/PR Virtual

KD/PR Virtual is Alaska’s only virtual public relations firm. Established in 2000, KD/PR Virtual is made up of 12 senior level communications professionals who offer everything a traditional PR firm provides, except for the building. The firm has won numerous awards for its excellence in media relations, collateral development, crisis communications and special event planning from the Public Relations Society of America-Alaska Chapter.  Learn more at www.KDPRVirtual.com

About U.S. Commerce Association (USCA)

U.S. Commerce Association (USCA) is a New York City based organization funded by local businesses operating in towns, large and small, across America. The purpose of USCA is to promote local business through public relations, marketing and advertising.

The USCA was established to recognize the best of local businesses in their community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations, chambers of commerce and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to be an advocate for small and medium size businesses and business entrepreneurs across America.

Read the entire news release here