Midge Vreeland Public Service Award

Midge Vreeland Public Service Award recognizes a public relations professional or organization whose efforts help the greater good

Named in honor of the late Midge Vreeland, the Midge Vreeland Public Service Award embodies the core principles held by Midge Vreeland—integrity, commitment to community service and a willingness to advance organizations and their causes.

Midge Vreeland embraced and supported MPRC both professionally and personally. Recognizing the APR
accreditation as a tool to advance our profession, Midge was one of the first PR Professionals in the state, and
the first agency owner, to study for and pass the APR examination.

Please watch this inspiration remembrance video

2019 Midge Vreeland Public Service Award Winner

Heather Van Dyne

Midge Vreeland Public Service Award presented to Heather Van Dyne, Darlings Auto Group

Heather Van Dyne, Midge Vreeland Public Service Award

This year’s Midge Vreeland Public Service Award recipient has acted as a dedicated public relations volunteer for Camp CaPella since 2013. The camp is located in Lucerne and provides quality-of-life experiences for people with disabilities and their families year-round, including traditional day and overnight summer camp for children and adults in a fully-accessible setting.

During her time as a Camp CaPella volunteer, she has helped raise awareness about the organization’s mission through media coverage and social media channels, brought attention to annual fundraising events and secured event sponsors, and helped Camp CaPella gain new donors and increase overall giving from donors.

Last year, when the camp received a $200,000 grant and the opportunity to receive another $100,000 if they could raise $100,000 in six months, this award winner got to work on a plan. It was a big task for a small nonprofit, but by the 6-month deadline the camp had raised $122,000. The $422,000 will be used to build new camper cabins to serve 70 more campers during the summer, and hundreds more from organizations that rent the camp and also serve people with disabilities.

Her dedication to help Camp leaders learn the various ways to promote the nonprofit, and being a “endless supply of ideas” led to her being named Camp CaPella’s 2017 Volunteer of the Year.

ELIGIBILITY

The nominee must have personal involvement with a Maine organization or group that benefits a group, cause or the community and be able to demonstrate the impact of their involvement.

NOMINATION PROCESS

Any current MPRC member or organization can nominate or self-nominate.

How to nominate: Nominees should provide the following information using the guidelines specified. Do not include any pages or materials other than requested. The judges will not consider any information other than what is requested.

The nomination must include:

  1. The name of nominee(s) and contact information.
  2. The name of the nominator and contact information.
  3. One to three paragraphs describing the scope of the nominee(s)’s involvement with the service recipient (organization/group). Please include the start and completion dates of a campaign, if appropriate.
  4. List the results achieved/impact of the involvement. For example, the amount of funds raised, volunteers recruited, items donated, legislation passed or blocked.
  5. Provide supporting documentation (photos, articles etc.) of no more than two pages.

Age Friendly Saco Coordinator Jean Saunders was the recipient of the Midge Vreeland Public Service Award.