Lights On ‘Till Dawn Student Campaign Wins PR Award

12/19/2016 9:15 AM

A team of public relations students were awarded the Fall 2016 Ebeling PR-ize™ for the top senior public relations campaign this semester.

The team consists of Madeline Koenig-Schappe from Columbia, MO; Katrina Hauser from Ballwin, MO; and Emily Yuill from Plainfield, IL. Their project “Lights On ‘TIll Dawn”, was designed to address the issue of crime in one section of Peoria’s Southside neighborhood.

Students teamed up with Southside Community United for Change, Inc. and Ameren Illinois to encourage residents to take crime prevention into their own hands by keeping their porch and exterior lights on every night. With the Peoria Police Explorers and two city council members, they passed out 100 LED light bulbs and educational safety material to residents in the 1600-1800 blocks of Millman and Howett streets. They also hosted a Halloween-theme neighborhood block party for more than 250 residents featuring child-friendly activities and a presentation on lighting and safety.

The Ebeling PR-ize™ was conceived by Bradley alumnus Chuck Ebeling and faculty member Dr. Ron Koperski in 2004, and is a competitive program among Bradley’s senior public relations students in their capstone course. Students form “agency” teams and are responsible for planning and implementing a real, coordinated public relations campaign on behalf of a local business and a compatible community service organization. Campaign submissions and judging criteria are based on the nationally recognized Silver Anvil Award competition administered by the Public Relations Society of America.