Betsy Storm
Anixter Center
A highly respected leader in its field, Anixter Center serves people with disabilities, individuals with behavioral needs, and people who are deaf, deaf-blind or hard of hearing. During my five-year tenure as Director of Public Relations, the organization achieved an unprecedented level of external recognition via an aggressive strategy. In only four years, my department generated 600-plus media placements. I directed public relations with an emphasis on fostering full-service relationships with members of the media. We developed interest in this (sometimes challenging) subject through a journalistic framework.
betsystormwriter.com
When Anixter Center collaborated with Children's Memorial Hospital to open the first home to provide independent living for people with disabilities, the "Chicago Tribune" featured the story in its Sunday magazines. Mayor Richard M. Daley (shown second from left in last photo above), attended the groundbreaking event.
The National Lekotek Center is part of a Swedish-based international program that provides family play centers and toy lending libraries for children with disabilities. The Chicago-based National Lekotek Center is a division of Anixter Center.