In harmony: Marketing students, community choir join forces

By Kevin Parks

CLINTONVILLE, OH — Earlier this year, Terry Swanger was elected
public relations chairwoman for the Clintonville Community
Choir.

“And had no clue how to write a press release,” Swanger
admitted, “no clue who to send it to or how to get our name
out.”

Swanger’s daughter-in-law suggested contacting the marketing
department at Ohio State University to see if students might be
interested in helping her out for extra credit. When that brought
no result, Swanger reached out to Columbus State Community College,
and her request eventually came to the attention of Clintonville
resident Paul Carringer.

The former area commission member teaches at CSCC and is also an
adjunct faculty member in the masters of marketing and
communications program at Franklin University.

“The program for students provides theory, so they get the
traditional academic theory, but then they have to develop
real-world examples of theory implemented, so they’re not just
reading books,” Carringer said.

That real-world experience comes through working with community
groups throughout the region, but Carringer said that he had never
before had the opportunity to bring the effort so close to
home.

“This time to see Clintonville as a part of that was a fun piece
of it for me,” he said.

Carringer admitted he was not himself all that aware of the
existence of the community choir, now in a sixth year of “making
beautiful music together,” as the nonprofit organization’s website
states.

“It gave me a chance to see another example of Clintonville that
all the people who live and work there can be proud of,” Carringer
said.