Rainbow's Kenyon Kemnitz named Communicator of the Year
Rainbow’s Kenyon Kemnitz named Communicator of the Year
JEFFERSON – Rainbow Community Care is pleased to announce that Kenyon Kemnitz, its Marketing Communications Manager, was honored with the Communicator of the Year Award by the Madison and Northeast Wisconsin chapters of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) during the fifth annual WisCOMsin Awards ceremony held virtually on May 6, 2025.
The ceremony recognized the top communications and public relations achievements in the Badger State in 2024. The event included project-based awards for organizations and prestigious practitioner honors bestowed on individuals and a team.
“The WisCOMsin awards exemplify the core of PRSA - strategic communications,” stated Diana Henry, president of PRSA Madison. “We are delighted to honor Kenyon Kemnitz for his outstanding contributions in the area of narrative medicine. That is, a clinical practice that emphasizes the use of storytelling to improve healthcare outcomes by informing, inspiring, and empowering end-consumers.”
Since joining Rainbow in May of 2019, Kemnitz has evolved into one of the nation’s most prolific writers of human-interest stories in the aging, serious illness, and loss space, having authored 80 accounts highlighting the experiences of patients and families living in Dodge and Jefferson counties. In 2024, he wrote 13 stories, eleven of which were published by local newspapers. One of these stories, titled Facing end-of-life, Rainbow NP goes from asking ‘Why Me?’ to ‘Why Not Me?’, was particularly impactful in that it chronicled the cancer diagnosis and journey of Kristina Heimsch, a 37-year-old nurse practitioner, wife, and mother of four from Watertown.
Kemnitz, a former award-winning sports anchor/reporter with WXOW-TV 19 News in La Crosse and WBKB-TV in Alpena, Michigan, and a sports photojournalist with WKOW-TV 27 News in Madison, is an expert at crafting clear and concise messages for specific target audiences. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Communication Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2005 and his Master of Arts degree in Communication from Drake University in 2021. A diehard Badgers and Wisconsin sports fan, he has also moonlighted as a public address announcer for the Watertown Unified School District since 2013. Kenyon, a 2001 graduate of Watertown High School, has become the PA voice for nearly every Goslings home event.
"I am truly grateful to accept this award,” said Kemnitz. “I would like to thank my colleagues at Rainbow for contributing to this honor, as well as my family and friends. My mom was a nurse for over 40 years, and I didn't fully appreciate everything she did until I started working at Rainbow. Sharing the stories of our extraordinary patients and families, along with our amazing staff - including nurses, social workers, CNAs, the bereavement team, and volunteers—has deeply touched my heart, and I hope it has touched others as well. I am thankful for the opportunity to make a meaningful impact in the communities we serve at such an incredible organization like Rainbow."
For a complete list of the 2025 WisCOMsin Awards winners, please visit WisCOMsin Awards- 2025 Award Recipients — PRSA Madison.
About the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) is the nation’s leading professional organization serving the communications community. PRSA is the principal advocate for industry excellence and ethical conduct and provides members with lifelong learning opportunities and leading-edge resources to enhance professional connections and support them at every stage of their careers.