Lurleen B. Wallace Community College recently received five awards from the Alabama Community College System Public Relations Association (ACCSPRA) at the annual conference in Orange Beach.

ACCSPRA is the statewide association for all two-year colleges in the state, with entries judged by an outside panel of judges representing the marketing, advertising, and public relations fields.

“We are proud of the accomplishments and recognition for the work of Renée LeMaire in the marketing and public relations department and Heather Owen, our student recruiter,” said LBWCC President Dr. Herb Riedel.

LeMaire, public information officer and director of marketing and development, earned both the first-place and the second-place award in the category of news writing, as well as the first-place award in the category of student success stories.

“I really enjoy being able to bring recognition of the accomplishments of my colleagues and students,” she said. “To earn the top two awards in one category is such an honor and was a complete surprise to me, especially considering the high level of competition among public relations practitioners throughout the community college system.”

News releases earning the first-place Pyramid Award were “Student Becomes Teacher,” which follows the path of a female LBW student in welding to ultimately taking a teaching role, and “Sight Not Needed for Vision,” the story of academic accomplishments of a student blind from birth. An Award of Achievement was earned for “Cook Retires from Teaching,” which told the story of a 37-year teaching career.

Owen, director of recruitment, won Awards of Merit for the “Open House” postcard in the category of direct mail piece, and in the category of recruiting event or campaign for “Congratulations on Your High School Graduation.”

ACCSPRA is a nonprofit organization that provides members within the Alabama Community College System opportunities for networking and enhanced professional relationships among colleagues, opportunities for effective cooperation and interchange of information, and promotion of professional standards and ethical conduct.