We take great pride in announcing that a public relations campaign that kept our team hustling all summer was recognized by the leading public relations trade publication, PRWeek, in a profile of the "Salute Our Troops" campaign.

Members of The USO Jeep Tour team pause and pose for a celebration photo at the Salute Our Troops campaign finale. The Jeep tour made stops across 8 states, traveling more than 13,500 miles and visiting more than 75 communities and 300 Kangaroo Express stores, recognizing local military heroes and providing a news peg that averaged more than three stories a day throughout the summer in local market media outlets.

We're even more proud of the fact that we were able to play a role in a successful campaign for our client, The Pantry and its more than 1,600 Kangaroo Express convenience stores, that far exceeded fundraising expectations of $1 million to benefit a noble cause – support for our nation's military forces and families. The presentation of a $2.5 million check to military support organizations is a tremendous source of pride shared by Largemouth Communications and Kangaroo Express. In fact, this represented the largest donation from a grassroots campaign ever received by the USO in its 70-year history. Spiritual high-five to Bob Hope. How awesome is it being a part of that!

The story is truly a testament to the vision and passion of Kangaroo Express, the military partners and vendor partners that made the campaign possible. And as part of the "do good, do well" philosophy of Kangaroo Express, customers rallied around the cause while also experiencing an enhanced shopping experience being rolled out at Kangaroo Express stores. The headline of the PRWeek article says it all: "The Pantry broadens customer awareness via military support." The PR campaign helped increase traffic in the stores as customers made donations, and sales went up as well.

Please read the press release we issued about the PRWeek story and the press release about the overall campaign we shared with media on behalf of Kangaroo Express.

In addition to the 518.3 million media impressions in national and local media outlets, the campaign was featured in numerous retail and convenience store trade publications, including the focus of a special edition and cover story from Convenience Store News.

Witnessing the pride of every member of the Largemouth team of the campaign's success and extensive media coverage throughout the summer, culminating with the coverage in PRWeek, gives me a personal sense of pride of collective accomplishment. The team is moving on to create more successful campaigns on behalf of Kangaroo Express and all of our clients, but pausing to celebrate the PRWeek story helps us all remember why we have so much fun in this profession.