Best of CASE District III Award
 

Institution: Furman University

Title of entry: Riley's Love

About this entry: Lots of dogs come on Furman's campus. The private university has a public walking trail. But only 15-year-old Riley, a short, long-haired mix of golden retriever and Basset hound has visited campus every day for 10 years. She has one mission: provide love. Her owners, Kathy and Dave Knox, have another mission: give back for the love their son Jeff, a Furman alumnus, received after a near-deadly car accident that left him permanently disabled. After lying in a coma for three months, Jeff's first move was to pet a hospital therapy dog.

The writer noticed Riley and her humans and knew they must have a story because of their regularity on campus. He knew the story would be popular when he heard Riley had brought joy to students for 10 years. That's 10 classes of alumni who knew Riley, and would appreciate a story about her, creating an opportunity to build a connection back to campus. The Knoxes are quiet, unassuming folks who don't readily share their son's story. Learning Jeff's story, and Riley's purpose, would strengthen affinity for Furman through the dog. The story ran in the summer, when other news is slow.

The story was the most popular ever shared on Furman social media. Instagram reached 16,514 people with 3.026 likes and 82 comments, On Facebook, Riley reached 87,670 people, caused 1,633 reactions, 148 comments and 105 shares. Two TV stations wanted to cover Riley, but the Knoxes passed.