The GreenShoots Foundation Covid-19 Vaccine Awareness Campaign Expands Nationwide

BLYTHEVILLE, Ark., June 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The GreenShoots Foundation, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to uplifting people across the social fabric of America, is reporting that its Covid-19 vaccine awareness campaign is picking up momentum nationally. Established by Ted and Cheryl Huffman, the grassroots initiative originated with a PSA campaign focused on rural communities in Ted's beloved home state of Arkansas.

The campaign kicked off in November 2021 with a touching PSA about a father's journey overcoming vaccine hesitancy. The PSA achieved widespread visibility across TV, radio, and billboards, with data revealing an uptick in vaccination rates in Arkansas communities that received the heaviest PSA play. 

To view the PSA, "Life. Your Journey. Your Choice." please visit: https://vimeo.com/684005023

In the three months after the release of the PSA campaign, Pulaski County, which contains Little Rock, Arkansas' capital and largest city, saw an increase of +9% over similar markets in neighboring Mississippi without access to the PSA campaign, such as Harrison County and others, which experienced a drop in vaccination rate among the unvaccinated population during the same time period. 

Less populated rural communities, such as Arkansas' Chicot County, experienced vaccination rate improvements within five weeks of the introduction of the campaign as compared to rural counties in neighboring Oklahoma, like Blaine, Pushmataha, and Beckham County, which all experienced a drop in vaccine rate over the same period.

In early March, the campaign began to spread organically into small and mid-sized markets outside of Arkansas, generating more than 103,000 donated broadcasts in Mississippi, Tennessee, Missouri, Oklahoma, Montana, Maryland, Wisconsin, Idaho, West Virginia, Ohio, South Carolina, Alaska, Michigan, Wyoming, Illinois, Tennessee, Utah, and Kentucky.

"We are deeply humbled by the response to this campaign," remarks Ted Huffman. "To see how the message continues to resonate across so many other state lines truly makes our initial hopes for this campaign all the more remarkable and gratifying."

"The spread of this campaign is the traditional media equivalent of going viral," adds Rich Quigley, SVP, Group Director, PR Services at DEFINITION 6, the agency that spearheaded the campaign. "All the credit goes to Ted and Cheryl Huffman, whose strong vision and personal connection to the people of Arkansas was the key to crafting a sincere message that is now resonating in communities across America."

"When you look at the success of this campaign, I believe it comes down to the representation of core human desires and needs, which are universal and apolitical, like respect, health, and safety," concludes Ted Huffman. "We hope the word will continue to spread and encourage even more people to consider vaccination."

TV and radio stations in Arkansas wishing to air the PSA can download media assets here.

Media in rural communities outside of Arkansas can download assets here.

Founded in 2021 by Ted and Cheryl Huffman, The GreenShoots Foundation is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to uplifting people across the social fabric of America. An agricultural term describing the moment when a plant first breaks ground, the GreenShoots name symbolizes the renewal that springs forth after a period of winter, drought, or darkness.

www.thegreenshootsfoundation.org

Media contact: 
Mark Tillman
[email protected]

SOURCE The GreenShoots Foundation