SCARBOROUGH – Recently, the Maine Public Relations Council, the premier association of public relations professionals in the state, presented Jon Paradise, Senior Vice President of Communications, Marketing and Community Outreach at Town & Country Federal Credit Union, the 2022 Midge Vreeland Public Service Award. The award, named in honor of the late Midge Vreeland, a highly respected public relations practitioner, recognizes an outstanding public relations professional for their dedicated commitment and service to the community.
In announcing that Paradise would be the recipient, John Lamb, current President of MPRC, highlighted some of Paradise’s longstanding involvement in community service. “In addition to being a top-notch public relations practitioner (and past MPRC President and recipient of the 2010 Edward L. Bernays Award for Outstanding Maine Public Relations Professional), Jon is a passionate volunteer in communities across Greater Portland and Maine. His most important work comes each year with the annual CU Swish-Out Childhood Cancer Challenge. The three-on-three basketball tournament, in its 28th year, has raised more than $650,000 for the Maine Children’s Cancer Program. Jon recruits teams, finds sponsors and does countless media interviews to promote the event. I took pictures of the event, and it’s really impressive to watch. His community service also includes a long history of serving on the boards of various non-profit organizations and he currently serves on the boards of the Maine Children’s Cancer Program; the Maine Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy; the University of Southern Maine Alumni Engagement Council; and the University of Southern Maine Athletic Advisory Council. Thank you, Jon, for your tireless efforts on behalf of the community.
Accepting the award, Paradise said: “Having known Midge personally and admired her work in the community, it is a special honor. I firmly believe that giving back is an important part of belonging to a community. I am fortunate to work in an organization that values community service so much and to participate with so many other great people in some of the wonderful non-profit and community organizations that enrich the place where we live. I am honored to contribute in a small way to these efforts. Thank you for this moving award.
As the second largest credit union in Maine with 40,000 members, Town & Country is a full-service financial institution offering a wide range of financial products and services to people who live, work, go to school or pray in Cumberland and York counties. Town & Country is Maine’s only credit union to be named one of Maine’s “Best Credit Unions” by Forbes In three of the past five years, the credit union has $515 million in assets and is part of the largest network of branches in the country. To learn more, visit http://www.tcfcu.com.
