A positive, collective response to the 2016 mass shootings in Kalamazoo has earned kudos for communications that rallied the region.

On May 4, the West Michigan chapter of the Public Relations Society of America recognized the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, the Battle Creek Community Foundation and United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region with a gold PRoof Award in the Public Service category for its regional Help Now! Fund collaboration. The Help Now! Fund was a philanthropic response to the Feb. 20, 2016 mass shootings that killed six people and injured two, impacting people in Kalamazoo and Calhoun counties. All three organizations have worked together to manage the fund, ensuring that it supported the victims, families and communities impacted.

In addition, United Way and the foundations collaborated on spreading the word and encouraging the community’s response. Rick Chambers & Associates, a strategic communications firm partnering with UWBCKR, assisted in that outreach and was named in the award announcement.

Each year the PRoof Awards recognize “the year’s best public relations programs, projects and people” from across Michigan.