Effectively increasing public awareness about children’s mental health earns special honor for Flint Communications
(Fargo, ND)—Flint Communications was awarded a 2008 Special Projects Award from the Region V Children’s Services Coordinating Committee (CSCC) at the annual meeting of that organization. The award acknowledges Flint’s work in creating and executing a public awareness campaign for children’s mental health in Cass and Clay Counties.
“Flint’s work on the Children’s Mental Health initiative has been creative, but more importantly, effective in increasing public awareness of this issue. It’s clear they have a passion for the community,” said Kathy Hogan, Region V CSCC spokesperson. “It is rare we honor a private business with this award, but Flint Communications has done so much for us.” Since 1997 only non-profit organizations or specific volunteer groups have received the honor. For example, the Fill the Dome food drive organizers received the honor last year.
According to Kimberly Wold Janke, Flint Communications account strategist, “the goal of the campaign was to create awareness that children’s mental health is as important as physical health. In addition, we wanted to connect parents, guardians, school staff/teachers and child care providers with the materials and resources they need to recognize and identify possible mental illness in children from birth through age eight.”
The Flint team developed the “Half a Child” campaign which included a communications plan, promotional materials, paid media, press releases, interviews and writing real stories and introducing them to the media.
“This type of work is important to us,” said Wold Janke. “We’re inspired by so many people in our community who give their entire careers to helping others. This is one way we can contribute to their efforts.”
The entire month of May was officially recognized as Mental Health Month by congress in 1949. One week of the month, May 4-10, 2008 was specifically dedicated to Children’s Mental Health. Events and resources are generously funded by Dakota Medical Foundation in partnership with Region V Children’s Services Coordinating Committee.
Flint Communications, headquartered in Fargo, N.D., is a full-service marketing communications firm dedicated to building brands, businesses and relationships. Established in 1946, it has grown to include a network of six companies, known as the Flint Group, serving a diverse list of businesses, industries, government entities and not-for-profit clients. The Flint Group includes Flint Communications, Fargo, N.D., HatlingFlint, St. Cloud, Minn., SimmonsFlint, Grand Forks, N.D., WestmorelandFlint, Duluth, Minn., AadlandFlint, Anchorage, Alaska, and Flint Interactive, an online services firm with staff in multiple locations.
Other interests in the Flint Group include AdFarm, an agency dedicated to agricultural communications, advertising and public relations, with clients throughout North America and offices in Fargo, N.D., Kansas City, Missouri, Calgary, Alberta, and Guelph, Ontario; Media Productions, a Fargo-based, full-service audio, video, film, photography and live-event company, and Praxis Strategy Group, a nationally recognized research and economic strategy company, with locations in Fargo, Grand Forks and Duluth.
