Gold: Child Care Aware of America
By: Craft Media
As with so many organizations, the pandemic put Child Care Aware of America (CCAOA) in a precarious position. With stay-at-home orders in place across the country, many child care providers closed indefinitely. Seemingly overnight, parents lost the support of critical institutions such as schools and child care centers, hampering essential workers’ ability to show up in their communities.
In response CCAOA, along with agency partner Craft, lobbied Congress to institute emergency stimulus funding to safely reopen child care centers. The campaign centered on CCAOA chief executive Dr. Lynette Fraga, who embarked on a nationwide media tour, speaking about the issue on a variety of television and radio stations. Her message was simple: No child care, no recovery.
The CCAOA also conducted a study, in partnership with Yale University, which found that care programs which had remained open were not contributing to the spread of the virus. Promotion of the study generated 40 earned media placements, including coverage in TheWall Street Journal, TheNew York Times, Washington Post and People.
Following the media campaign, the child care industry received $13.5 billion in emergency Congressional funding in 2020, with an additional $40 billion from President Biden’s 2021 stimulus bill.
Silver: Memorial Sloan Kettering: Cancer Care Can't Wait
Due to COVID-19, Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK), a leading cancer organization, saw one of the sharpest declines in admissions, as patients delayed much-needed treatment over fears about the virus. In response, MSK launched a multi-component campaign focusing on the work its staff was doing to provide first-rate care throughout the pandemic. The results were impressive: new visit requests doubled from May 2020 to January 2021, and as of September 28, 2020, MSK saw demand bounce back.
