Co-Winner: National Football League – NFL Play 60
The NFL Play 60 campaign is designed to tackle the childhood obesity epidemic by educating kids age 6-14 about health habits and the importance of being active for 60 minutes per day. The multi-tiered effort aimed to reach children through different outlets including schools, at NFL games, online and on television. For the in-school program, the NFL partnered with the American Heart Association to educate teachers and students on integrating health and fitness breaks into the daily classroom lessons. On the community front, the NFL hosted more than 1,500 local events across the country. NFL players worked with the community to build playgrounds, indoor fitness training rooms and walking trails. The campaign was a success, with 77,000 schools participating in the NFL Play 60 programs, while the campaign generated coverage in The New York Times and on ESPN. Perhaps the biggest success was the collaboration between the NFL and partner organizations. “Any successful partnership between the NFL and a nonprofit organization requires that both parties stay true to their core values and advance their philanthropic mission,”says Anna Isaacson, NFL director of community affairs. —RD
Co-Winner: Vodafone Turkey – Dreams Academy
The Dreams Academy was formed to reverse social exclusion of the disabled in Turkey, helping them become active and productive through culture and art. The Dreams Academy offered young people with physical and mental disabilities, hearing and visual impairment or chronic illnesses free workshops in painting, dance, photography, design, music and more.
Vodafone publicized the program through live events and campaigns such as World Disability Day. The team produced a “Dreams Academy” advertorial that ran on several national Turkish TV channels and received public acclaim. Since the program launch, 620 children have graduated from the Dreams Academy, with the assistance of 126 Vodafone employees who volunteered to support the program. —RD
Honorable Mentions:
Bridgestone Americas Inc. and Public Strategies Inc. – Bridgestone Americas: Driving Home Teen Driver Safety: Teendrivesmart.com serves as a resource for teens, parents and educators to engage in conversations about safe driving. The “Road Show Rally” contest encouraged driver safety and gave the winning school $5,000 to expand its driver safety program.
The Hershey Company – CocoaLink: Connecting Cocoa Communities: CocoaLink is an innovative way to reach cocoa farming families in Ghana and give them access to cocoa agricultural information. More than 2,000 farmers have registered for the program, which disseminates information through voice and SMS text messages at no charge to them.
Honda Manufacturing of Alabama – HMA 2011 Tornado Disaster Relief: After the tornadoes struck Alabama on April 27, 2011, HMA organized a clean-up and relief activities for associates in the wake of the aftermath. Some 4,000 Honda associates volunteered in the community to work on community service programs and donate funds, vehicles and non-perishable items to relief agencies.
Office Depot Foundation and JKG Group – Office Depot Foundation 2011 National Foundation Backpack Program: In 2011, the Office Depot Foundation expanded its backpack program, providing 350,000 new “sackpacks” to children who couldn’t afford book bags. They were distributed to 180 nonprofit organizations and 29 school districts across all 50 states.
Raytheon Company and InkHouse Media + Marketing – 2011 Raytheon Pi Day Community Relations Campaign: In an effort to thank educators for their hard work in shaping tomorrow’s innovators, Raytheon highlighted Pi Day, March 14. Real pies were delivered to more than 70 local school teachers, while the Boston Globe and other outlets covered the event.
The Walt Disney Company – Disney Magic of Healthy Living: Looking to inspire kids and parents to be healthy, Disney worked with nonprofit play space provider KaBOOM!, community partners and volunteers to transform empty lots into playgrounds. Thirty radio spots on Radio Disney helped rally volunteer help in 14 build locations.