JHG-Townsend Recognized as PR News’ Non-Profit PR Award Finalist for Outstanding Work Contributed to Diana Legacy Fund Launch
Successful public relations campaign acknowledged in Event PR category for work with organizations providing HIV/AIDS hospice and palliative care in sub-Saharan Africa

JHG-Townsend, a results-driven communications group that effectively combines traditional marketing and PR services with new digital media, today announced it has been named as a finalist in the Event PR category for PR News’ prestigious Non-Profit PR Awards. The public relations campaign was designed to launch the Diana Legacy Fund to support programs that encourage and sustain hospice and palliative care – the holistic care for patients with HIV/AIDS – in sub-Saharan Africa. The campaign was executed on behalf of the National Hospice Foundation and the Foundation for Hospices in sub-Saharan Africa.

JHG-Townsend, recently formed by the merging of a consumer-centric marketing group and a technology-focused branding and public relations agency, will compete with other top national firms and organizations for the award for "Outstanding Event PR" on behalf of a non-profit organization. Award winners will be announced during a gala event at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, December 4.

Finalists in the Event PR category were selected based on public relations efforts conducted at an industry, association or other event/conference, or a series of events conceived and implemented by an organization (for instance, awareness of an issue). Entries were judged by a "blue chip" panel of non-profit and academic executives, as well as the PR News editorial staff and evaluated on creativity, innovation, planning and implementation, and proven success in aligning the organization’s strategic objectives with their end goals. Now in its 61st year, PR News provides corporate PR and agency professionals with ideas, tactics and tools to maximize the business impact of their organization’s communications efforts.

"We are honored to be recognized as a finalist by PR News magazine for the work we contributed to launch of the Diana Legacy Fund," said Jackie Townsend, co-founder and executive vice president of JHG-Townsend. "To be acknowledged by PR News for work on a campaign that addresses such a momentous need for hospice and palliative for those affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic is overwhelming."



The Diana Legacy Fund officially launched on May 12, 2007 with more than 250 people in attendance. The launch was hosted by Archbishop Desmond Tutu with video remarks endorsing the fund made by former President Bill Clinton and Elton John. To kick-off the event, The San Diego Martin Luther King Choir serenaded the crowd with several inspiring songs and Noah Gray-Cabey, from the TV series, Heroes, led a procession of 50 San Diego school children holding white roses individually representing 10,000 children who die of HIV/AIDS each year in sub-Saharan Africa.

"The unrelenting efforts of JHG-Townsend to promote the launch of the Diana Legacy Fund resulted in a class act media launch that was well-received and truly impressive," said Greg Grabowski, vice president of development for the National Hospice Foundation and the Diana Legacy Fund. "The amount of media attention we received, coupled with the response from participants, key figures and donors was exceptional. We’re very grateful for the time, dedication and hard work the agency put into this event to ensure the Diana Legacy Fund launch was a huge success."

JHG-Townsend’s media relations efforts produced front-page news in the San Diego Union-Tribune and all the major broadcast network affiliates, including FOX, ABC, NBC, CBS and Univision, were in attendance to cover the event, thus raising awareness of the devastating issue and the need for assistance in battling the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Additional articles were run by leading media outlets such as Associated Press, Ladies’ Home Journal, People Magazine, AOL News, Yahoo News, Forbes.com, San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News and others. The combination of top-tier trade articles, broadcast coverage and top-daily coverage amounted to several million media impressions and millions of dollars in advertising value.

Details about PR News’ 2007 Non-Profit PR Awards and the list of finalists in all categories are available at http://www.prnewsonline.com/awards/nonprofit/.

About JHG-Townsend
San Diego-based JHG-Townsend represents a new model of marketing and public relations agency in a digital world. JHG-Townsend empowers businesses with strategies that are reality-based, forward-looking, and both business-to-business and consumer-focused. The group combines traditional communications with new media, such as Web-based services, digital public relations, interactive and mobile to create breakthrough marketing programs. From strategy to execution, from marketing research to evaluation, and from creative brainstorming to creative campaigns, JHG-Townsend offers a complete set of communications and marketing services to business clients in the following industries: technology, health and life sciences, media and entertainment, sports, gaming, consumer goods, government and education. JHG-Townsend clients include QUALCOMM, MediaFLO USA and MediaFLO Technologies, National University, Toshiba, Vidacare, Comcast, Continuous Computing, Sequoia Communications, SEMDirector, Visual Sciences (NASDAQ: VSCN), and many more.

JHG-Townsend is here for business, here for their clients’ success. For more information, visit www.jhg.com or call 1.858.457.4888.