What's Bugging Florida Teens Wins State Award

After distributing $20,000 in awards and discovering that Florida high school seniors have some very important things to say through its “What’s Bugging You?” Youth Achievement Award program, Middleton Lawn & Pest Control, a subsidiary of Sunair Services Corp., has received an Award of Distinction from the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) for its community relations initiative.

Given as part of The Golden Image Awards competition conducted by FPRA annually, the Award of Distinction is presented to entries that demonstrate the very best public relations programs in innovation, planning and design, and meet the standard of excellence set by a panel of judges. Middleton Lawn & Pest Control won out of a total of more than 400 entries.

In its ongoing efforts to positively impact the communities it serves, Middleton Lawn & Pest Control launched the “What’s Bugging You?” Youth Achievement Award program last fall. The bulk of the program was executed this year as part the company’s 55th anniversary celebration. This youth achievement program gave a voice to Florida’s youth by asking them to write about what “bugs them” in society and their daily lives.

“We are honored by this recognition as we continue expand our services throughout the state of Florida,” said Greg Clendenin, chief executive officer of Middleton Lawn & Pest Control. “Through the ‘What’s Bugging You?’ Youth Achievement Award competition, Middleton received some very valuable insight into the minds of tomorrow’s leaders, and we were impressed to see that the Florida students’ concerns extend well beyond the daily struggles of the typical school day.”

Over 215 high school seniors that reside in one of the 28 counties that Middleton serves entered the competition, with 17 winners each receiving $1,000 to use for college expenses and an iPod Shuffle MP3 player. Entry themes explored such issues as sexism, prejudice, racism, the misrepresentation of teenagers in the media, body image, lack of social awareness, politics and environmental concerns among others.

Conducted in partnership with agency of record PUSH, the program also received exposure throughout Florida. “We were impressed that so many of today’s youth had so much to share with us,” said Lori Cuonze, director of public relations for PUSH. “This program gave a voice to an audience whose opinions are often overlooked by society, while giving Middleton another way to give back to the community in their 55th year.”