An Eastern student was named the winner of the fifth annual statewide “Be a Buckle Buddy” radio public service announcement contest on April 26.

Korey Adkins, a 2012 communication studies graduate, received $1,000 for his entry titled “Anyone can be a Hero.” He is the third Eastern student to win the contest, and his entry will air as a public service announcement on radio stations across Illinois to promote the “Be a Buckle Buddy” program.

The “Be a Buckle Buddy” radio public service announcement contest was sponsored by the Illinois Department of Transportation Division of Traffic Safety and the Children’s Hospital of Illinois to help promote the program.

The program encourages drivers to call a toll-free number to anonymously report when a child is either not buckled in or buckled in improperly in a vehicle.

The reported drivers are not ticketed, but they receive informational packets explaining the importance of state laws regarding child restraints, as well as information about the program.

Contestants were required to produce a radio public service announcement to promote the program.

Adkins created his entry as part of a project for his radio production class taught by Mike Brad, who incorporates projects he thinks students can use for entry into contests.

In his one-minute entry, Adkins portrayed Clark Kent returning home to tell Lois Lane that he reported a child who was improperly restrained in a vehicle. Kent then goes on to explain how he reported the driver and how the “Be a Buckle Buddy” program works.

“I kind of just got the idea in a flash late at night,” Adkins said.

The inspiration for Adkins’ entry came from his personal love of superhero culture.

“I was building a correlation between the concept of saving children’s lives, being a hero and my love of Superman,” he said.

Adkins explained that while the ad is only one minute long, he spent two or three hours on sound effects, background music and editing multiple voices.

“There are a lot of things you can nitpick on,” he said.

Adkins also won the Silver Dome Award for Best Use of New Media and the Best New Ad Radio Competition this school year.

However, he said that his winning “Anyone can be a Hero” entry is most rewarding because of its impact in the community by informing the public and saving children’s lives.

Now that he has graduated, Adkins said he intends on pursuing a career in radio broadcasting. While he said he is not certain of a specific position he would like to have, the awards he has received recently have strengthened his resolve to continue working in the radio broadcasting field.

Tim Deters can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].