Her Voice Blog

An expandable golf putter for growing kids. A multifunctional back seat table for vehicles. A nonprofit to help support Title IX schools.

These are among some of the business ideas coming out of Knoxville’s inaugural class of the Young Entrepreneurs Academy, or YEA!, a year-long program that teaches middle and high school students how to start and run their own original businesses.

Now that 2015 has come and gone, we’ve narrowed down our favorite social media moments of the year. We’ve included pivotal occurrences in America’s history, as well as hilarious memories that still make us #LOL. Here are our favorites!

Congratulations to Fletcher Team Members Chris Martin and Claudette Saryia for their recent board appointments with local chapters of the Public Relations Society of America and American Marketing Association, respectively.

It was a passion for communications, especially toward women, that helped shape and grow the business Kelly Fletcher started nine years ago.

Her hard work and dedication to the craft has resulted in a flourishing company in downtown Knoxville that was recently spotlighted in the latest edition of Cityview. The magazine profiled six successful East Tennessee women entrepreneurs, who started and head up their own communications firm.

With more than 3 billion people now using the Internet, it is more important than ever to have a strong online presence.

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success.”- Albert Schweitzer

Live elves and cocktails? It was a party you didn't want to miss!

Over the last several months, I’ve had a couple opportunities to learn about the Malala Fund and the upcoming film release, “He Named Me Malala.” Co-founded by Malala Yousafzai and her father, the fund works to secure girls’ rights to a minimum of 12 years of quality education, particularly in the global south. The goal is to help girls achieve their potential and positively impact their local communities for the rest of their lives. Below are a few stats on why this is such important work.

Bobby Maze 3^rd Annual Celebrity Weekend featuring Adrian Peterson, Candace Parker, Allen Iverson & Chamique Holdsclaw and more!

If you're a sports fan or just dig hanging around celebrities, this is THE weekend to hang in Knoxville! Bobby Maze, former professional basketball player and point-guard for the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons is making his way back to good ‘ole Rocky Top to host the 3^rd Annual Celebrity Weekend benefiting the Emerald Youth Foundation. Kickball and basketball game tickets are available for purchase online. Kickball tickets are $5, and basketball tickets range from $25 to $75.

Did we mention that Bobby’s bringing some of famous friends and lots of former VOLS along for the ride? Purchase a ticket and get up close and personal with celebs like Adrian Peterson, Candace Parker, Allen Iverson and Chamique Holdsclaw, while watching them play kickball and shoot hoops to benefit Knoxville’s youth.

The weekend festivities kick off at the new Emerald Youth Samson Sports Complex on Friday, June 19, with a kickball game starring professional athletes playing against members of the Knoxville Police Department and the Emerald Youth Foundation.

Things really heat up on Saturday, June 20 at Hardin Valley Academy with two AAU basketball games and a star-studded celebrity basketball match-up to follow.

It’s going to be one Big Orange Party with after-hours happenings at NV Nightclub and The International. You can even don your white duds Kanye style and hip-hop the night away.

Maze, who is passionate about mentoring today’s youth, wants to provide children and teenagers with encouragement and opportunities to help them stay active and become leaders in their communities. He is proud that the Celebrity Weekend will benefit Knoxville’s urban youth.

Kudos, Bobby Maze. You truly put the ROCK in Rocky Top.

The last four months of my internship at Fletcher has helped shape me into the career woman I’ve been inspired to be. It wasn’t a “Grab six non-fat lattes before you come into work,” internship. It was a get-it-done and do-it-right sort of gig. There’s little time for errors in the world of PR, and that’s something I quickly had to realize.