Solomon McCown has been working with Building Educated
Leaders for Life (BELL) since the beginning of 2010 on an ambitious
integrated branding and communications program to heighten
awareness of BELL's transformative effect in the lives of
children.
Founded in 1992, BELL is a leading provider of high-impact
summer and after-school programs for children throughout the
nation, transforming the academic achievements, self-confidence,
and life trajectories of those living in under-resourced, urban
communities. For the last five years, every child that entered a
BELL program at the failing level in either reading or math has
advanced to a higher academic level. In 2012, BELL expanded to now
serve over 15,000 children annually in cities such as Baltimore,
MD; Boston, MA; Charlotte, NC; Detroit, MI; Newark, NJ; New York
City, NY; San Jose, CA; San Rafael, CA; Spartanburg, SC,
Springfield, MA; and Winston-Salem, SC.
After a comprehensive communications audit, messaging and
branding process, SM& began a strong media relations campaign,
garnering numerous national, regional and local coverage, and
establishing BELL CEO Dr. Tiffany Cooper Gueye as a foremost expert
on out-of-school learning and education solutions. SM& worked
one-on-one with Dr. Cooper Gueye in messaging and media training
for national and trade media, resulting in her current status as a
resident blogger on Huffington Post. Most recently Dr. Cooper Gueye
was featured in a New York Times' "Room for Debate"
discussion, and had a blog post featured on NBC's "The Learning
Curve" as part of the Education Nation Summit, which gathered
education leaders and policy-makers nationwide to discuss efforts
surrounding education in America. In 2012, SM& began an
aggressive local media and community outreach campaign to highlight
BELL's four new school district partnerships as well as its eight
existing ones.