Bloomington, Illinois, June 17, 2008 -- State Farm Insurance received the highest honor in the field of public relations, the Silver Anvil, for its sponsorship of The 50 Million Pound Challenge, an innovative effort in the African-American community to help people get fit, lose excess weight and stem the toll of weight-related diseases that threaten millions of Americans.
"I hope that everyone takes a moment to cherish this award and what it means and what it says we, as a community, are able to accomplish," said Dr. Ian K. Smith, medical and diet expert on VH1's Celebrity Fit Club, host of BET's Meet the Faith, and creator and founder of The 50 Million Pound Challenge. "We are changing and saving lives and making this world a little better place."
State Farm's collaboration with Dr. Ian Smith was kicked off last year with a Challenge tour of major U.S. cities beginning in Washington, DC. Each challenging event included free health screenings, nutrition and exercise tips, a community walk for healthy living, entertainment and presentations from celebrities and health and nutrition professionals. The effort also includes online resources at 50millionpounds.com, where total pounds lost are tallied, upcoming events are shared, and Challenge kits are made available with a CD, brochure, menu and fitness advice, and a pedometer to count steps. The 50 Million Pound Challenge launched in April of 2007 and currently has thousands of participants who have collectively lost more than 2.2 million pounds. The next Challenge event is scheduled for Wednesday, June 18, at Cleveland's Q Arena where the NBA's leading scorer, LeBron James will be teaming up with Dr. Smith.
The Silver Anvil, the highest honor accorded by the public relations profession in the United States is sponsored by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and recognizes outstanding achievement in strategic public relations planning and implementation. State Farm won in the Multicultural Public Relations – Business category. The program generated significant local, national and on-line news coverage throughout the past year.
"The finalists in this year's Silver Anvil Awards represent some of the most strategic, creative and finest public relations campaigns in our industry," said Joice Truban Curry, 2008 PRSA Silver Anvil Committee chair and President/CEO, c3 Communications, Inc. "The Silver Anvils are the Oscars of the public relations profession and these finalists exemplify the best practices in the country."
State Farm's collaborative partners on the Challenge team include: the public relations firms Brown Lloyd James and Meryl Moss Media Relations, media measurement firm Blue Marble, media services company D.S. Simon, event planner USM&P, advertising agency Sanders/Wingo, and online development agency Tribal DDB.
"The 50 Million Pound Challenge is special, not in that it associates State Farm with a great cause, but it literally makes the lives of our customers better," said Mike Fernandez, vice president of Public Affairs for State Farm. "And, at the end of the day, as a mutual company, that is what it is all about – being there for our customers."
Each week, 10,000 people die from heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer and other illness related to inactivity and diet. African Americans are especially hard hit: 80% of women and 67% of men face higher risk from weight-related diseases, with life expectancy five years below the U.S. average.
For questions or more information, contact Mia Jazo-Harris, Relaciones Públicas, al (309) 766-5242.
Acerca de State Farm
State Farm® insures more cars and homes than any other insurer in the U.S., is the leading insurer of watercraft and is also a leading insurer in Canada. State Farm's 17,000 agents and 67,000 employees serve over 80 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and more than 1.9 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 32 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com® or in Canada statefarm.ca®.
About the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
The Public Relations Society of America, headquartered in New York City, is the world's largest organization for public relations professionals with nearly 32,000 professional and student members. PRSA is organized into 109 Chapters and 10 Districts nationwide, and 19 Professional Interest Sections and Affinity Groups, which represent business and industry, counseling firms, independent practitioners, military, government, associations, hospitals, schools, professional services firms and nonprofit organizations. The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) has 296 Chapters at colleges and universities throughout the United States, and one Chapter in Argentina.