CHARLESTON, W.VA. – While many newspapers are facing tough times, the role of one newspaper in Raleigh County is becoming more important to the community, as staff and management volunteer with community projects.
The Register-Herald, published by Beckley Newspapers, Inc., will receive a Governor’s Service Award on Wednesday, July 15 at the Charleston Civic Center at a banquet held as part of Faces of Leadership, the annual state volunteerism conference.
Presented since 1995, the Governor’s Service Awards honors individuals of all ages, families, organizations and businesses who exemplify outstanding dedication to volunteerism and community service in West Virginia. The Register Herald will receive its award in the business category.
“If there were a lifetime achievement category for businesses, the Register-Herald would be worthy of consideration,” Ellen Taylor of the Beckley-Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, said.
In 1930, the editor of the then-called Post-Herald, began a project called Mac’s Toy Fund, which still continues today. The project began as a way to provide area children with toys during the depression-era Christmas season. Today, it is a 501c3 entity that still strives to meet the needs of under-served children in Raleigh County.
Last year, the project raised nearly $34,000. Reporters from the newspaper wrote feature articles about the project and provided daily accounts of the dollars raised, the list of donors, and the honor designations of the gifts. A gala holiday party was held in the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center and children from nearly 1,800 families were provided with both new and used toys, refurbished dolls, bags of fresh fruit, dental hygiene kits, smoke detectors and coats. Volunteers, including most of the newspaper’s employees, cleaned and re-dressed donated dolls, repaired bicycles, dry-cleaned used clothing and even made some of the dolls and toys distributed at the gala.
Because of the project’s impact, several large estate gifts created two Mac’s Toy Fund endowments at the Beckley Area Foundation. These endowments have helped pay for playground equipment at city parks, support a childhood abuse program called “Just for Kids,” upgrade concession stands for the Babe Ruth Baseball program, purchase education materials at an outlying school, underwrite the purchase of age-appropriate equipment for First Tee, and provide seed money for toy funds in two nearby counties.
The Register-Herald is also a strong supporter of community arts. When a new building was constructed in 1982, wall space in the lobby was dedicated to local artists, creating what is now called the BN Gallery. The public space has become the home of regular displays of two-dimensional art. Since its inception, there have been at least four exhibits in the space each year, each running approximately three months. Many local businesses and homes now display original artwork purchased from the gallery. A portion of the gallery is also reserved for artwork from area schools and art classes. The Gallery has an estimated 3,000 visitors each year.
“It is generally felt that the growth in the number of local artists, the increase in quality of the art, and the growing number of display options is due, in some part, to the BN Gallery,” Taylor said. “This gallery has contributed to the cultural enrichment of our community.”
Finally, the Register-Herald has been heavily involved with the “Raleigh County, Make It Shine” campaign. Volunteers from the newspaper participate in each of the litter sweeps organized by the Make It Shine committee. Newspaper management allows employees to participate in this effort during working hours. The newspaper also provides advertising for the effort at no cost.
“The management and staff of The Register-Herald are volunteers themselves – donating time, expertise, financial support, and in-kind gifts,” Taylor said. “Their efforts have served to recruit, educate, and reward untold numbers of other volunteers. There is no doubt that our local newspaper has effected positive change in our community.”
The Governor’s Service Awards are administered by Volunteer West Virginia, the state’s Commission for National and Community Service to honor outstanding individuals, organizations and businesses solving community problems through volunteer service. A panel of volunteer judges, including past awardees, choose the recipients on the basis of achievement, community needs, continuing involvement, innovation and impact of service.
Other recipients of the 2009 Governor’s Service Awards include, by category:
- Lifetime Achievement: Karen Betler, Harrison County; Vivian Crane, Greenbrier County
- Youth: Jonathan Ross and Anastacia Meadows both of Cabell County
- Adult: Annette Fetty-Santilli, Barbour County
- Senior: Raymond Shaw, Harrison County; Betty Russell, Berkeley County
- National Service: Ruth Pepper, Jackson County
- Organization: The Hope Shop, Wirt County; The Shepherd’s Center of Greenbrier Valley, Greenbrier County; Generation Charleston, Kanawha County
For tickets to the awards banquet, or information about the conference, contact Moya Doneghy at (304) 558-0111 or 1-800-WV-HELPS, or by email at moya.doneghy@wv.gov.
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