VermontPBS and its Community Engagement Director Chuck Pizer received a Collective Impact Achievement Award from the National Educational Television Association for their expanding educational and community engagement efforts across Vermont. Pizer has been instrumental in growing VermontPBS's engagement activities, which include an annual Halloween party, a poetry contest, and community cinema screenings. VermontPBS President Charlie Smith praised Pizer and said the award affirms the positive impact they can have on Vermonters through increased community partnerships and activities.

1. For immediate release
Contact: Jeff Vande Griek
jeffv@vermontpbs.org/(802) 655-8062
VermontPBS’s Chuck PizerReceivesNational Recognitionfor CommunityEngagement Activities
VermontPBS,Vermont’sstatewide publicmediaorganization, anditsCommunityEngagementDirector,
ChuckPizer,were recentlyrecognizedforthe station’s expandingeducational andcommunity
engagementendeavorsthatserve schoolsandcommunitiesacrossthe state.
The PBS memberstationwasone of three recipientsof a Collective ImpactAchievementAward from
the National Educational TelevisionAssociation(NETA)atitsannual conference inDallas.NETA isa
collective organizationof 92 publictelevisionstationsfromacrossthe nation,committedtofurthering
the educational andpublicservice missionof publicmedia.
The awards were presentedbyNETA’sboardchair,EricHyyppa,who notedthat“publicmedia's
educationservice hasexpandeditsmissiontoinclude community-wide engagementopportunitiesand
services…impactingnotonlyourschoolsbutinfluencingourcommunities’critical issues.”VermontPBS
was one of three stationstoreceive the award.Alsohonoredwere NebraskaEducational
TelecommunicationsandKLRU inAustin,Texas.Inrecognizingthe three winners,Hyyppanotedthat
their“state effort,projectdiversity,collaborativepartnershipsandcommunityimpacthave proved
exemplary.”
VermontPBSwascitedfor several of itscommunityengagementactivities,includingitsparticipationin
the AmericanGraduate “Storyof Champions”campaign,itsannual Halloweenpartyforareachildren,its
annual PBSKIDS WritersContestanditsPoetryOut Loudsponsorship whichengagesVermont high
school students.The stationwasalsorecognizedforitsstatewide communitylibrarypartnershipthat
offersfree screeningsof PBSkidsprogrammingand foritsCommunityCinemaseriesthatoffers
screeningsanddiscussionsof independentfilmsthattouchon currentsocial issues.The stationpartners
withvenuesacrossthe state to holdthe screenings.
The award was acceptedbyPizer,whohasbeeninstrumental inexpandingthe station’sengagement
activities.Inadditiontothe activitiesmentionedabove,Pizernotesthatthe stationhasalso expanded
effortstomake PBS contentavailable toVermontschools,increasedstation-sponsoredpublicevents
and expandeditscivicengagementactivities withsucheventsasSen.Bernie Sanders’State of the Union
Essay Contestanddiscussion,and by invitingstudioaudiencesin forsome of itslive broadcastssuchas
political debatesandits“Askthe Governor”program.
In additiontohisrole withVermontPBS,PizeralsoservesasChair-ElectonNETA’sExecutiveCommunity
EngagementCommittee,comprisedof colleaguesfromacrossthe country. SaidVermontPBSPresident,
Charlie Smith,“It’sgreattobe recognizedforourexpandingcommunityrole acrossthe state,and

2. especiallyforChuckPizertobe singledoutforhisexemplarywork.He hasreallybroughtour
engagementendeavors toanewlevel. ThisCollectiveImpactAwardreaffirmsourbelief that,through
increasedcommunityactivitiesandmore robustpartnerships,we canindeedhave apositive impacton
the livesof Vermonters.”
VermontPBSreachesthe entire state andneighboringareasviabroadcastand cable services,andhas
recentlylaunchedasecondHD channel,VermontPBSPlus,whichprovidesanadditionalvenueformore
local contentand independentfilms.More informationaboutthe stationisavailableatvermontpbs.org.
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Attachedphoto:
VermontPBS CommunityEngagementDirector,ChuckPizer.