5-14-13
Radio Ink is constantly looking for stations who are working hard to serve and build community all across the country. This piece (and pictures) were sent in by Phil Davidson who holds the very interesting title of Director of Community Engagement for Mid-West Family Broadcasting in Rockford, IL. The goal was to highlight how much the radio stations sincerely cared about the local community.
Our vision is ?to use our voice to build Rockford.? Two years ago, we began developing a community engagement program to assist in the implementation of this vision and to use our resources and assets to make our community stronger. Before initiating the program, we wanted to assess what community leaders and our staff believed were the important community needs and the staff?s desire to serve in those areas. Meetings were held with community leaders and an on-line survey conducted with staff members. It was determined that the major areas of need were education, unemployment, and crime.
It was our hope that this community engagement effort would position us as a company that truly cares?fostering name recognition and creating a positive image among the public and the business community. We wanted to make a difference, and it appears that we are doing so.
Our community engagement began by making the connection between our company and employees and those nonprofit organizations that are also building Rockford and making a difference. This volunteerism included tutoring, mentoring, donations of food items, participation on committees, and other areas.
We then continued our efforts by joining nearly a hundred other businesses in the first Academy Expo at one of our public high schools. The purpose of this event was to expose the high school students to a variety of career areas to assist them in making an academy selection. Our booth was very interactive, set up like a radio production studio, complete with microphone, control board, and large video monitor. Students were invited to voice promos that aired on our stations. We won ?Best of Show? in our category for our efforts. Best of all, we believe that by touching these students in a positive way, we made a difference in their lives.
In Spring 2012, there was a real possibility of a teacher strike in our public schools. We knew the negative effect that such an educational gap could have on reading skills, particularly in grades K-3. So, we developed the ?Keep the Pages Turning? program. Our goal was to empower the people in District 205 to help lessen the reading gap through volunteering to read with children during the strike period. We partnered with the local United Way. Although the strike was very short, we adapted this idea to a summer reading gap program. Thousands of children were positively affected, and we continued to make a strong positive impact in the area.
Currently, Community Engagement has embarked on a program to raise awareness of those other organizations who have also dedicated their efforts and energies to Rockford. This is being accomplished through a series of on-air and on-line spots and interviews aired on all of our stations. The spots feature the voice of someone from the recognized organization, relating how they are building Rockford through volunteerism, donations, and other efforts. We feel that there is no better way to show our community what is possible than by focusing on some of the most successful and respected businesses and organizations in Rockford?to encourage other businesses to develop their own programs to help build our community.
Furthermore, an increase in violent crime is a concern of community leaders and citizens. By facilitating efforts with agencies, community leaders, and other media, we have taken a leadership role in providing systems that improve communication and access to resources that insure the safety of our residents.
Phil Davidson is the Director of Community Engagement for Mid-West Family Broadcasting in Rockford, IL. Congratulate him on a job well done at phildavidson@maverick-media.ws
How are you serving your community? Let us know by sending your story and pictures to edryantheeditor@gmail.com
