HispanicBusiness

--> WASHINGTON — Vanguard Communications has been selected as one of five finalists in the Mid-Size PR Agency of the Year category of the 2003 PR Week Awards, sponsored by PR Week magazine. Judged by top PR professionals from all sectors of the industry, Vanguard’s nomination is the result of its financial growth/business strategy, client relations and retention, PR innovations and creativity, and staff initiatives.

"Being recognized by our peers for our passionate commitment to organizations and programs that improve the health and well-being of our planet and all of its people is an honor," said Maria Rodriguez, Vanguard’s president. "The PR Week nomination is an added reward for our staff, who give so much of themselves to support our clients' important goals."

The agency’s entry, "Philanthropy, Food and Fun: A Year of Growth and Achievement," featured a description of Vanguard’s 2002 "Buy Local Challenge," a unique, hands-on, company-wide social marketing effort that helped the firm, its clients and the community better understand the barriers to identifying and choosing locally and sustainably produced food.

For one month, staff challenged themselves to buy and eat only foods grown locally and/or in socially and environmentally responsible ways. Vanguard staff invited friends and clients to participate in the challenge, and the company devoted a special section on its Web site to record daily impressions, successes and barriers. To further understand links between farmers and local communities, staff members purchased shares in a CSA (community supported agriculture).

Vanguard Communications (www.vancomm.com) is a Hispanic woman-owned public relations firm specializing in communications campaigns that change attitudes, perceptions and behaviors, and shape public debate about critical social issues. Based in Washington, D.C., the firm was founded in 1987 and has focused its time, effort and experience on issues related to public health, youth and families, mental health, safe food and farming, the environment, energy conservation, human rights, civil liberties, education, and other quality-of-life concerns.

The award nominees were featured in the Jan. 13 edition of PR Week. The winners of the 2003 PR Week Awards will be announced on March 6, during a ceremony at Tavern on the Green in New York City. For more information on the awards ceremony, please contact awards@prweek.com.