Monday, May 7 - Putting the Special in Events

Location: Broadway Palm Dinner Theater
Time:  11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Carolyn Rogers, APR, CPRC, CFRE, is the event and PR coordinator behind the SWFL Wine & Food Fest, Lee County’s all-time largest netting fundraising event, and one of the Top 10 Wine Auctions in the United States.  Built on a platform of proven fund development tactics and a strong public relations plan, plus a theme of FUN and the oversight by a cadre of detail freaks, the Wine Fest combines the generosity, teamwork, skills and contacts of numerous bidders, volunteers, donors, corporate and media sponsors - all of whom are grassroots supporters.  

During the last four years, the Wine Fest has grown from netting $750,000 to $2.3 million. Part of its legacy is the Fund-a-Cause auction lot that this year raised $400,000 to purchase nine incubators for The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, adding to the seven incubators purchased in the prior three years cumulative.With more than 25 years of experience in public relations, marketing, advertising and nonprofit fund development, Carolyn holds a bachelor's degree in mass communications with a specialization in public relations from the University of South Florida, Tampa.  She has achieved Certification as a Public Relations Counselor (CPRC), and the Universal Accreditation in Public Relations (APR), and is also a member of FPRA’s Counselor's Network.   As former development director at both The Children’s Hospital and Canterbury School, she has also achieved certification in professional fundraising through CFRE International.

Carolyn’s work has been recognized by FPRA with Golden Image Awards for best public relations program in the state for special events 2010, 2009, and for best community relations program 2008.  Her work has also received local awards including recognition by the Southwest Florida Chapter of FPRA for public relations programs, special events and printed tools, and a 2009 Silver Addy awarded by the SWF Chapter of the Ad Federation for best brochure/sales kit. Carolyn is the principal of SimplifyPR, a full service marketing and public relations firm located in Fort Myers.

Register Today!   

The 74th Annual State Conference Theme Announced!

Join fellow FPRA members in discovering a "Treasure Trove of PR Strategies and Tactics" in St. Augustine from Aug. 5-8, 2012, at the Renaissance Resort at World Village Golf.

A sampling of this year's treasured speakers:

General Session: David Griffin and Rhonda Barnat, Managing Directors at Abernathy McGregor in New York.

Breakout Speakers: Steve Momorella and April Schroeder of Marketing Mud

Please be sure to check the state web site (fpra.org) regularly for updated conference information.

A special thank you to the 2011-2012 Annual Sponsors who have pledged to help FPRA continue to provide its members, future leaders and the southwest Florida community with stellar professional development programs: 

MyRiverDistrict.com - Title Sponsor



MyRiverDistrict.com has been created to provide visitors a comprehensive site to explore the many offerings of the Fort Myers River District.  There are so many wonderful businesses, organizations and events that call the River District home.  This site is a collaborative effort between the Fort Myers Conference & Convention Council and the Fort Myers Redevelopment Agency.



LCEC - Platinum Sponsor

Established in 1940, Lee County Electric Cooperative, Inc. (LCEC) is a not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative. Beginning with 15 miles of distribution line and 158 members, LCEC now has over 8,000 miles of distribution and transmission line, more than 197,000 customers, and is one of the largest electric cooperatives in the nation. 

J.J. Taylor Companies, Inc. – Premium Sponsor 

J.J. Taylor is a local beverage distributor for many import and domestic malt beverage products, including MillerCoors, Diageo/Guinness, Heineken USA, and a variety of craft brews such as Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada, Cigar City and Blue Moon.  J.J. Taylor serves more than 10,000 retail customers in seventeen Florida counties and has over 670 full time employees across the state.

Membership Scholarships Available

A limited number of membership scholarships will be available again this year for renewing or new members. If you're interested in a membership scholarship, please submit two or three paragraphs outlining your financial need, involvement in chapter activities, commitment to professional development and how your participation in FPRA will benefit the chapter and your professional career. Submit your request to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .