Recognition Award "Living Sea" to be Presented by Heal the Bay Foundation

Living Sea, a custom award designed by MK Shannon, will again be presented by Heal the Bay Foundation of Santa Monica, California at their annual gala in May. Their 18th annual Bring Back the Beach benefit dinner is being held at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. This year’s theme “A Sea of Possibilities” will recognize and honor those whose "thoughts, words and actions demonstrate the powerful impact of seizing tremendous opportunities for positive change." HTB's mission is dedicated to making Southern California coastal waters and watersheds safe, healthy and clean.

MK Shannon Awards & Rewards is honored to have been commissioned to design and produce Living Sea for the Heal the Bay Foundation. Our mission for over 20 years has been to design innovative custom awards and trophies for recognition, achievement, fundraising, gifts, and sports. We do that by translating your ideas and vision into meaningful, artistic recognition awards.

HTB has presented awards to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Grammy® award winner Brian Wilson (of the Beach Boys), and the National Geographic Society. Shown here are photos of last year's honorees along with Julia Luis-Dreyfus.

The Jane Goodall Institute Recognizes Global Leaders with MK Shannon Commissioned Award In Harmony

On November 7, 2008 in Washington DC, the Jane Goodall Institute held its second annual Global Leadership Awards Celebration presenting each honoree with a commissioned award designed by MK Shannon.

This year’s award recipients were US Representative Tom Udall for Excellence in Public Policy, Pierce and Keely Shaye Brosnan for Responsible Activism in Media and Entertainment, and Green Mountain Coffee for Corporate Social Responsibility. In addition, the Youth Leadership Award winners included Manoj Gautam of Kathmandu, Nepal, Emily Woodall of Banner Elk, NC, and Tayler McGillis of Toluca, Il.

The master of ceremonies for the evening was Anderson Cooper, host of CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360. Academy award-nominated actress Abigail Breslin and her brother, actor Spencer Breslin helped present the Youth Leadership Award.

MK Shannon designed the sculpted award called In Harmony incorporating the three elements requested by Dr. Goodall: a globe, a woman, and a dove. The custom design expresses the interconnectedness of our planet, humanity, and the peaceful coexistence that Dr. Goodall’s tireless efforts strengthen. “It is a rare honor to work with such an extraordinary woman as Jane Goodall,” said MK Shannon. “She is truly the inspiration behind In Harmony. We are so pleased and–yes–inspired by the opportunity to work with her and her wonderful organization for these two years.”

AARP Honors Best Employers For Workers Over 50 with Custom Award Created by MK Shannon

In 2007, the American Association of Retired People (AARP) commissioned MK Shannon Awards & Rewards to create a custom award for their Best Employers For Workers Over 50 awards. This September marked the second year the AARP Best Employers program honored their winners with the MK Shannon custom award called “New Day”. This year, AARP also expanded the program to include international companies in a program called AARP International Innovative Employer Awards. There were 50 New Day custom awards and 10 International Edition New Day custom awards presented at a gala event in Washington DC in October.

MK Shannon worked with Deborah Russell, Director of Workforce Issues at AARP, and Nancy Shaffer and Karen Bridges of BRAVO! Events By Design to develop the design of the New Day custom award. This was truly a labor of love for MK Shannon Awards (did we mention some of us are over 50?). It was also a fantastic team that worked well together to articulate the message of the award and express it as a custom award to honor and recognize these outstanding companies. It just reinforces the idea: communication, communication, and more communication make for a great custom award!

In October 2008, AARP ran this ad in The Wall Street Journal to recognize the 50 companies in 2008 that had been selected to receive their Best Employers For Workers Over 50 awards. We extend our congratulations. We were proud to see New Day pictured in the ad along with the names of those organizations receiving their recognition award. We also believe they should get the recognition they deserve!