Creating "In Harmony" for the Jane Goodall Society

In 2007 MK Shannon was contacted by Marika Holmgren, founder of Organic Events. Her client, The Jane Goodall Society, was looking to have a custom award created for their Leadership Awards program that was to be established that year. MK met by phone several times with the planning staff and MK submitted several drawings of concepts from which Jane Goodall and her team could select the most appropriate. This was a commissioned piece and the copyright was donated by MK Shannon to The Jane Goodall Society. The award needed to reflect the aspect of Jane's work that are dearest to her heart: People, particularly children, Earth, and Peace. MK incorporated these aspects into a finished design entitled "In Harmony". The sculpture depicts a young figure standing on half a globe with one leg kicked up in the air and whose arms are both thrown up in the air in a statement of joy! The arms of the figure morph into the wings of a dove. 

In Harmony award for the Jane Goodall Society

This award is cast in pewter and has been presented to heads of state, government officials, entertainers, CEOs, educators, and outstanding individuals without question who have stood up for peace, the earth and us all! The awards are presented once a year in Los Angeles and Washington D.C. Jane Goodall is an amazing woman. She personally took time to greet and meet MK Shannon at one of the Los Angeles presentations. "I was so inspired meeting Jane, this tiny woman with so much passion and energy. She was so warm and engaging, I will never forget the time she took with me; she is a gift to our planet." said MK.

ClubCorp Circle of Excellence Awards

ClubCorp prides itself in being “the world leader in private clubs.” ClubCorp comprises an elite collection of private golf and country clubs, business clubs, sports clubs, and alumni clubs. Its private clubs are unrivaled in their scope, quality of facilities and services, and are distinguished further by the collection of names found on their rosters of membership.

Chairman Success Award

"For the past 15 years, ClubCorp has partnered with MK Shannon on our most prestigious award—our Circle of Excellence. Out of our 160 Clubs only about one-quarter of our Clubs receive this award per year and when they do, they proudly display their Circle of Excellence award's for their Members, Guests, and fellow Employee Partners to admire. MK Shannon always produces quality work, and is responsive to our every need. Thanks for your continuous excellent service!" ~Kay Miller, ClubCorp Executive Assistant

ClubCorp awards member clubs every year for achievement according to their level of services, the quality of those services, and the facility. Only a few clubs qualify. Those that do qualify are presented with the award entitled “Success”. This piece is presented along with matching “Success” lapel pins that are presented by the recipient’s club to each of its staff from the grounds keeper to the manager. This program was so successful that an additional award was customized to be presented to honor a still higher level of achievement.

Chairman's Circle of Excellence (detail)

In 1999 Club Corp contacted MK Shannon wanting a substantial award to be presented to properties that have achieved and met membership qualification for their Circle of Excellence. They also wanted to have something smaller to give to the staff of the entire club that reached the membership qualifications. MK created an award entitled "Success". This award is about 14 inches tall. MK also created a matching lapel pin to be given to the qualifying staff members. Club corp also established a Chairman's Circle of Excellence Performance Recognition program which focuses on ClubCorp's five key business initiatives. The executive committee members present the club with a framed Circle of Excellence certificate, a sculpture created and signed by the artist MK Shannon, and a custom-designed lapel pin in either silver or gold, for each Employee Partner of the team. Maintaining Gold status in the Circle of Excellence for three consecutive years qualifies a property for membership in the Chairman's Circle. MK added a one inch Cubic Zirconia to the base of the "Success" award for the Chairman's Circle Award. These awards continue to set the bar for achievement very high!

Inova's "The Gift Holding a Rose"

"The Gift Holding a Rose"

Inova is a not-for-profit healthcare system based in Northern Virginia that serves more than two million people each year from throughout the Washington, DC metro area and beyond. Governed by a volunteer board of community members, Inova has grown from one hospital in 1956 to a nationally recognized, comprehensive network of hospitals, outpatient services and facilities, primary and specialty care physician practices, and health and wellness initiatives serving the Washington, DC, metro area.

Inova's comprehensive network of hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, emergency and urgent care centers, home health care, mental health and blood donor services, wellness classes and more, is conveniently located throughout the Washington area, providing lifetime continuity of excellent care for patients and their families.

"The Gift Holding a Crystal Ball"

Inova needed awards customized to represent their mission. The awards are presented yearly to their donors. The award chosen for their event was “The Gift.” This piece was originally designed with a figure holding a crystal faceted reflective ball. Inova loved the award but wanted the figure to hold a rose in order to have it more closely represent their ideals and mission. Inova also requested that we create a caduceus. We suggested that it be held by the “Appreciation” award figure. With the use of these two different custom pieces we were able to offer awards that uniquely suit the needs of their donor program.

"Appreciation Holding a Caduceus"

"Appreciation Holding a Star"

Children’s Miracle Network Hospital

Children's Miracle Network Hospital Award

Children’s Miracle Network Hospital's goal is to raise funds for children’s hospitals and to keep the funds in the community in which they were raised to help local children. The organization was founded in 1983 by Marie Osmond and her family, John Schneider, Mick Shannon, and Joe Lake. As of 2011, Children's Miracle Network Hospitals has raised more than $4.3 billion—most of which is donated a dollar or two at a time. Its most recognizable symbol and greatest fundraising tool is its red and yellow Miracle Balloon icon.

Sketch for Original Children's Miracle Network Hospital Awards

MK Shannon Awards and Rewards specializes in the creation of awards that are crafted using a company's logo. That is what was done for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. The logo provided to us was used all over North America as their symbol. This is the second rendition of the logo over the past several years. This project has been in place since 2007. The old logo is a familiar site in stores all over the nation where individuals donate a dollar or more and place their name on a paper balloon that is displayed on the wall of the store after each donation is made.

Original Version of Award for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals

The more modern version from 2011 represents a more contemporary “balloon”. Once the company provided the new logo, it was just a matter of weeks before the new design was modeled, molded, and cast.

The awards were created to honor various donors each year.

A Special Award for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Program

CASA volunteers are ordinary people doing extraordinary work for abused, neglected and abandoned children in Contra Costa County, California.

Appointed by a judge in the dependency courts, a CASA volunteer speaks up for the best interests of a child in court. Many times the CASA volunteer may be the only consistent and caring adult presence in the life of a child in foster care.

This program has used MK Shannon Awards for over a decade. The piece they chose to use is part of a series of small sculptures designed to be placed in the “arms” of a sculpted award figure titled “Appreciation.” This award, to many, looks like a little “Oscar” but it is designed to hold a heart, a star, or a child figure. It can also be customized by having MK Shannon create “your company logo” in metal to be held by the figure.

The CASA program presents one award yearly to recognize a special volunteer.

Annual Award of Excellence for the Catering Industry

Fork and Spoon (18.5" High)

Catering Magazine has used MK Shannon Awards for over a decade. The award they selected was designed for another event company that is no longer using this award. The magazine's management team took advantage of the opportunity to use this award for their most prestigious event of the year.

In designing Fork and Spoon, MK felt a strong desire to create an award that represented food as art itself. She created a contemporary design in the graceful lines of the fork and spoon. The piece is meant to convey the power of wonder and elegance. Food engages so many facets of ourselves and this piece tries to convey that message. It is an annual award of excellence for the Catering Industry.

General Electric Aviation's "Blade" an Extraordinarily Engineered Work of Art!

This custom project involved the reproduction of a portion of a GE engine blade whose unique and innovative design is displayed at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. There is only one word to describe the elegance of this “blade”, gorgeous! It was a joy for MK Shannon to recreate and experience this exquisite piece of work. It is about two feet tall and very dynamic. A black patina was used to create a contrast that allows the beauty of the blade to exhibit itself sharply.

It took several weeks to complete the model . The base of the award was also designed by GE Aviation and then executed by MK Shannon Awards following specific directions provided by GE. The name plate is imprinted on clear Lucite and raised off the marble base with small aluminum tubing to make it stand out.

As an award for engineers it is pretty extraordinary.

Close up of Clear Lucite Nameplate