2014K fundraising efforts continue

0
9

By Patrick Lanman
Vevay Media Group

Earlier this year I spent some time here in The Indiana Publisher announcing the formation of a new fundraising campaign within the HSPA Foundation.

2014K is an endowment designed to encourage individual donations to the Foundation.

It is a way that everyone who earns a living in the newspaper industry can help support projects and efforts to sustain our industry and also to help our press association and foundation grow and evolve for the future.

At its core, 2014K is a way for everyone to contribute a little, and that helps create a lot.

I have asked that each member of the newspaper industry across the state consider making a donation of just $20 to this endowment.

If 700 members of our newspaper family each did that, we would create $14,000 for our Foundation’s efforts.

The HSPA Foundation works hard and spends its funds on supporting all Indiana newspapers, big and small, daily and weekly, with the tools we need to succeed.

Not only does the Foun­dation offer training and seminars on traditional topics that we are using every day in our jobs, but it also looks to the future and sees technology issues that we will need to move forward as a news industry.

On Thursday, June 19, the HSPA Foundation will partner with Associated Press Media Editors to host a workshop at Ball State University that focuses on how to create and use video in your news gathering duties using your smartphone.

Being able to create and produce quick video pieces as a means of helping tell the story will become even more vital as we work to keep our communities informed and educated about what’s going on around them.

That daylong workshop is available for just $35.

You can’t go anywhere in the private sector and get this type and quality of training for such a small amount of money.

That’s what HSPA and the Foundation does for you. It works to promote your industry and train your workforce.

It provides scholarships for high school students who are entering college to major in journalism.

It helps create intern­ships and programs for reporters and advertising representatives while they are in school, making sure that employees coming from colleges and universities have the tools to be successful from day one at an Indiana newspaper.

But programs and training take money.

Since its inception, the HSPA Foundation has been blessed with support from newspaper families and newspaper companies.

But if the Foundation is going to thrive in the future, it needs every person drawing a paycheck from our industry to see the importance of Foundation activities and sacrifice just a little bit to help with the effort.

To participate in 2014K, mail your check, payable to the HSPA Foundation, with “2014K” in the memo line, to HSPA Foundation, 41 E. Washington St., Suite 301, Indianapolis, IN 46204.

Include your name, mailing address, and the newspaper you work for and what you do there. Save some stamps and encourage co-workers to mail all their checks in together.

Thank you for reading this, and thank you in advance for deciding to participate and encourage your staff members to as well.

We appreciate everyone who has donated so far. If I can answer any questions, contact me at (812) 427-2311.

Patrick Lanman, owner of Vevay Media Group, is a member of the HSPA Foundation Board of Directors.