Little City honored for disability awareness campaign
With a modest budget, a noble mission and aggressive ambition, Little City last year rolled out a strategic integrated communications awareness campaign to educate and enlighten thousands of Chicagoans on the prevalence of autism and other disabilities.
Early this month, the nonprofit organization received two of the industry's most prestigious accolades for the effectiveness of its efforts.
Little City's awareness campaign developed in response to dwindling state budgets that placed individuals with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities, their families and their communities in Illinois at great risk. It also evolved to combat the stigma associated with autism and the need to enlighten members of the greater Chicago community on the prevalence of disabilities in Illinois and throughout the country.
“At Little City, we not only provide the very best of services to hundreds of children and adults with disabilities, but we serve as a resource for the state community; we advocate and we educate,” said Executive Director Shawn E. Jeffers. “Our marketing and communications team believed that an autism awareness campaign was one of the best ways to help mark our Golden Anniversary year in a way that would benefit all individuals with disabilities, and we agreed.”
The Publicity Club of Chicago serves as the premier communications industry association in Chicago, and hosted its 52nd annual Golden Trumpet Awards where it presented Little City with its esteemed “Edwin J. Shaughnessy Quality of Life Award” recognizing the year's foremost contribution to improving quality of life in society through public relations — one of the coveted top four honors selected from winners spanning 22 categories.
“The statistics regarding autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities both on a national level and state level are alarming,” said Lisa Hoffmann, director of communications and marketing. “Though there is support to search for a cure for autism, we wanted people to realize that there are individuals with pervasive needs who need support today, and Little City stands devoted to them through everyday service and leading-edge advancement in the field of disability care.”
“We had three major objectives for the campaign,” said Dana Rice, director of strategic market engagement. “Educate the greater Chicago community on the prevalence of autism and other IDD, enlighten thousands by portraying individuals with autism in a positive light, and serve individuals with autism and their families by providing resources as well as encouraging support and inclusion within their neighboring communities.”
The autism awareness integrated communications campaign included “Little City TV: The Only Live Autism Awareness Show in Chicago,” Web and social media promotion, media relations, direct marketing, television placement, outdoor media placement and print placement over the course of three months.
“The creative we developed focused on bright, smiling faces of children with simple, easy-to-read fonts and minimal copy on a clean, white background. The visual communications of many nonprofits today often ‘victimize' those they serve in order to grab attention,” said graphic designer Tina Maraccini. “It was paramount to us to position our children and adults as they should be: happy and empowered.”
The campaign resulted in millions of impressions, thousands of website visits, and hundreds of inquiries to Little City.
Little City's autism awareness integrated communications campaign also received the PCC's 2011 Golden Trumpet Award for community relations, which gives tribute to “communications programs seeking to serve, educate, enlighten or influence a specific community or communities.”
“Chicago is an incredible, national hub for the field of PR and communications, and to be spotlighted among this company of fellow practitioners is so humbling,” concluded Hoffmann. “I have no doubt in my mind that the mission of Little City, and the smiles and eyes of the children and adults we serve, drove us to do our absolute best for them — there's nothing else I'd rather support — there are fewer things more worthy of attention.”
To support the children and adults of Little City, visit littlecity.org/support.
To view the segments of Little City TV, visit Little City's YouTube channel at: youtube.com/user/lcfmedia2009 or lilttlecity.org/autism.
To learn more about Little City on Facebook, visit: facebook.com/LittleCityFoundation.
For complete information about Little City, visit littlecity.org or contact Lisa Hoffmann at lhoffmann@littlecity.org or (847) 221-7825.
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