OV SafeSteps Program Honored for Excellence
The Town of Oro Valley’s OV SafeSteps program recently received a prestigious award from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) for Southern Arizona. This recognition highlights the program’s excellent work in public relations and communications.
On November 2, OV SafeSteps earned a PRSA IMPACT Award. This award celebrates the top-notch standards in programs that incorporate essential elements like research, planning, implementation, and evaluation. It’s a testament to the program’s positive impact on the community.
OV SafeSteps kicked off during the peak of the pandemic. Its goal was to spread the word about financial aid for small businesses and to assure residents that shopping locally was safe. The program ran an impressive multi-channel communication campaign. It featured a detailed website, digital ads targeting both businesses and locals, social media outreach, and printed materials. Thanks to these efforts, the website saw over a million hits, social media goals were surpassed, people returned to local stores, and more than $800,000 was distributed to over 200 businesses.
“OV SafeSteps provided crucial support to our local businesses during the pandemic,” said Chris Cornelison, Project Lead and Assistant Town Manager. “We’re thrilled to receive this recognition from PRSA Southern Arizona and are grateful to everyone involved, especially our residents who shopped locally. Our community really pulled together during a challenging time.”
The award also highlighted the collective effort involving Town officials, the Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce, Gordley Group, and individual businesses.
Sources
Google Maps