The Broadreach team in a live national “ceremony” socialcast via Periscope.
In August, Broadreach Public Relations was awarded gold by leading PR industry professional development provider Bulldog Reporter in the 2015 Bulldog Not-for-Profit PR Awards category. The distinction came for Broadreach’s work with Maine-based non-profit Safe Passage on the kayaking expedition from Maine to Guatemala led by Dr. Deb Walters of Yarmouth to raise awareness and funds for the children living in extreme poverty in the Guatemala City garbage dump.
Winners were chosen exclusively by working journalists from entries representing the very best strategic and tactical prowess that the PR and corporate communications industry has to offer. Campaigns were assessed based on the ability to achieve extraordinary visibility and influence opinion, as well as on their creativity, command of media and technology and tenacity.
For the Broadreach team, the award capped off more than two-and-a-half years of involvement in the expedition’s strategic planning, organization and media promotion. Hundreds of hours in pro bono services were dedicated to securing media placements for Deb up and down the eastern seaboard.
Specific efforts included organizing a soft launch for insiders followed by a hard launch for media, as well as developing and facilitating a multi-strategy social media plan leading up to and during the expedition launch. Despite Deb suffering a spinal injury that sidelined the expedition for several months, Broadreach continued to generate momentum for the campaign and recently promoted the relaunch of her expedition from her last stop in South Carolina.
“It’s such an honor to receive this level of recognition from journalists for our work,” said Linda Varrell, founder and president of Broadreach. “The relationship with Deb and Safe Passage was a true partnership and we were honored to have the opportunity to help them win friends and exceed their fundraising goals. I’m personally proud of the team at Broadreach for their outstanding efforts.”
In September, Deb Walters, since fully recovered, relaunched the Kayak for Safe Passage Kids expedition from South Carolina, determined to finish what she started. To date, the campaign has helped raise more than $400,000 for the organization’s mission to help the children of the Guatemala City garbage dump. To learn more about Safe Passage, visit www.safepassage.org. You can also track Deb’s progress online at https://share.delorme.com/DebWalters.
