SANFORD - Central Carolina Community College has won a first-place national Paragon Award from the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations (NCMPR) in the category of Government Relations or Community Relations Project.

Four bonds - totaling $23 million - were put before the Lee County voters in November 2014. The bonds included new construction of the Lee Health Sciences Center, expansion and renovation of the Veterinary Medical Technology facility, renovation and expansion of the Emergency Services Training Center and the Lee County Campus, and new construction and renovation at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center and renovation of the Small Business Incubator.

Lee County gave their approval to all four Central Carolina Community College bonds that were on the ballot. Each of the bonds passed with more than 60 percent voter approval.

The CCCC Marketing and Public Affairs Department led the college's efforts to educate the public about the bonds, including the justification and details for each of the bonds. The department developed a website (www.cccc.edu/bond) that contained bond referendum information as an educational tool for the public. Also, the department created a booklet, flyer, and PowerPoint - all of which were available on the website.

"Central Carolina Community College is honored to have received the Paragon Award from the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations," said Dr. T. Eston Marchant, CCCC President. "Our Marketing and Public Affairs Department did an outstanding job in preparing these materials to educate the public about the bonds. Marcie Dishman and her Marketing and Public Affairs staff are to be commended for their superior work."

NCMPR annually presents Paragon Awards to recognize outstanding achievement in communication at community and technical colleges. It's the only national competition of its kind that honors excellence exclusively among marketing and PR professionals at two-year community and technical colleges. More than 90 marketing and PR professionals from around the country donated their time to review and score this year's Paragon entries.

NCMPR supports the professional development of community college communicators, serving more than 1,700 members from more than 550 colleges across the United States and Canada. It is the only organization of its kind that exclusively represents marketing and public relations professionals at community and technical colleges and is one of the largest affiliates of the American Association of Community Colleges.

For more information on Central Carolina Community College, visit the website www.cccc.edu.