|
| The invisible ink writing could only be seen if the light was shone on it |
“Would you like to see our magic pen?” Those of us who sat at the booth know that line well. It drew people, albeit some suspiciously, to the Community Health Planning and Policy Development Booth Number 127 at the APHA Annual Meeting in Philadelphia. Exhibit visitors would try to write with the pen, the kind-hearted ones saying, “sometimes these new pens take a while to start writing.” "It is a magic pen,” CHPPD Section Chair Tom Piper would say when he was staffing the booth. “You write on paper,” he demonstrated writing the person’s name on a grey copy of the “Irreverent Guide,” “and you don’t see anything, right? Now you shine the light. And voila! You see your name written down. It is meant to symbolize what CHPPD stands for, and that is, "Enlightening Our Vision for Life." If you let me swipe your badge on the badge reader, you can have a pen with extra replacement batteries for free.” Most folks let CHPPD booth staff swipe their badge, while others needed an assurance that they would not be bombarded with marketing information.
|
| Paul Meissner, past chair, talking to a visitor at the CHPPD booth |
So what was the magic of the pen? Was it the invisible writing? Was it the fact that it made it fun to volunteer at the booth? Ask Ed Hsu, Associate Professor from the University at Maryland, who volunteered at a whim. Was it the care that Tom Piper showed when he crafted the card holder for the pen and batteries? Was it the fact that it was voted one of the coolest giveaways by our colleagues in the Community Health Worker booth who sat across from us? If you volunteered at the booth, you know.