Map the Gap PR Campaign Wins Prestigious Award

In January 2018, it was announced that two Kroger grocery stores were closing in Peoria. The neighborhoods where the stores were located were about to become food deserts with no nearby access to a grocery store.

As part of their senior project, a group of Bradley PR students took on the issue of food insecurity in the Peoria area. They researched the needs of the neighborhoods impacted by these store closings and the resources available to the residents. Their findings resulted in the "Map the Gap" campaign.

They created a GIS map with detailed information on all the food insecurity organizations in the region and created a database to connect organizations to one another and better serve the region. The map has been integrated into the City of Peoria, 211-HOI, and numerous websites already and the team hopes it will continue to be used as a resource for the community for years to come.

For their efforts, they were awarded the Spring 2018 Ebeling PR-ize™ for the top senior public relations campaign of the semester. The student team, called OC PR Group consists of:

Danielle Brewer
Major: Public Relations
Minor: Marketing
Hometown: Coatesville, IN
Year: Senior

Austin Branaman
Major: Public Relations
Minor: Religious Studies
Hometown: Washington, IL
Year: Senior

Kirsten Klima
Major: Public Relations
Minor: Social Media Marketing, Political Science
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Year: Junior

Christopher Dolphin
Major: Public Relations
Minor: Religious Studies
Hometown: Glen Ellyn, IL
Year: Senior

*The attached photo consists of the students listed above (ordered from Danielle on the far left to Christopher on the far right).

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.