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Testimonials
The Ann
Arbor (MI) News
Our Warm The Children program has been a tremendous way to help needy kids and involve more than a 1,000 readers every year
who volunteer or open their wallets for donations. We raised
more than $1 million in our first nine years, and the program grows
every Christmas season. Warm clothing is the only Christmas gift
that a lot of the kids get, and that triggers wonderful feelings in the
kids and in our volunteers.
Ed Petykiewicz, Editor
The Ann Arbor News
(800) 466-6989
epetykiewicz@annarbornews.com
The
Post-Star, Glens Falls NY
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The
community reception to Warm The Children is overwhelming, and the good will for the
newspaper is very worthwhile. Warm The Children heats up your community relationship. All the money
goes to meet kids needs which makes it so
rewarding. Warm The children works for everyone
involved. There is not a better feel good project
than Warm The
Children. Everyone is a winner.
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James G.
Marshall, Editor and Publisher
The Post-Star
Glens Falls, New York
(518) 792-3131
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The
Journal, Martinsburg WV
Five
hundred-fifty area children!
That's how many
youngsters received hats, coats, scarves, gloves, boots,
jeans and pajamas, courtesy of The Journal during the 2006
holiday season. Called Warm The Children (WTC), the program
helps provide needy children in local communities with
clothing during the cold winter months. Getting names from
local social services agencies, the newspaper relies on the
good work of the Salvation Army and Department of Human
Services to act as screening agents.
This year (2006-07) at The Journal, the program marked its
11th year. And this year marks one of the program's most
successful campaigns ever: We raised $52,000. Over the past
decade, more than $350,000 has been raised, and all of that
has been spent locally on local needy children.
Almost better than the money raised, The Journal had more
employee participation than ever before this season - more
than 50 (out of 180) employees from all departments helped
record donations, organized shopping trips, wrote thank you
letters to volunteers. The program is administered almost
exclusively from the efforts of the newspaper's employees.
Every cent that readers donate goes toward the purchase of
clothing for children; there are no administrative costs.
Not many non-profits can say that. Additionally, over the
course of a decade, some of those helped by the program when
it was beginning have come back to volunteer. Thats how
much they believe in it. That is a wonderful testament to
success.
Warm The Children may be the best thing The Journal does. It
shows the paper is committed not only to providing the most
comprehensive local news coverage to the community, but it
also shows how willing the paper is to go above and beyond
that to actually recognize the needs and try to fill them
in the community.
Those who volunteer, those who receive clothing, those
merchants who take part all find Warm The Children tremendously rewarding. Obviously, from the level of support
WTC receives, the community finds it rewarding and
worthwhile as well.
Maria Lorensen, Editor
The Journal
Martinsburg, WV
(304) 263-8931
mlorensen@journal-news.net
The
Republican, Oakland MD
Warm the Children was brought to our attention about 10 years ago by
Mack Stewart, a retired newspaper publisher who had the
drive to help folks
in need. He explained the simple program, in which we just
ask our readers
to send in money, and then we spend it -- every cent of it
-- on kids who
need warm clothes and footwear to brave our cold and snowy
winters here in
the mountainous Garrett County, Maryland.
It's such a perfect set-up, because donors know that every
penny goes to the kids.
Volunteers who shop with the families
have story after story of how good it feels to help out
friends in need, and our recipients, desperate to clothe
their kids, tell us
that there must be angels in this world after all. The whole
program is
discreet for all involved, and it is nearly foolproof as far
as the very few
who might be tempted to take advantage of it. The best part
is seeing a
little kid, thrilled to hug a new coat to herself, beaming
up at us; or a
teen, who shyly picks out some warm PJs or sweaters, and at
last surprise us
with a smile, despite being 15. It's a good thing to help
one another in
this harsh world. Warm the Children lets us do that.
Mary McEwen
The Republican
Oakland, MD
(301) 334-3963
marym@therepublicannews.com
Old Saybrook (CT) Pictorial
Gazette
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The Pictorial
Gazette Warm The
Children Program was first offered to
valley-shore residents in 1993 and has been
repeated every year since. Within our
seven-town circulation, the Pictorial Gazette
program has helped hundreds of families in need
purchase essential warm winter clothing for
their children. Critical to the success of the
program is the generosity of volunteer shoppers,
who donate their time to accompany families on
shopping trips, the financial contributions of
our readers, the participation of our local
Wal-Mart Store, and the time volunteered by two
members of the newspaper's staff to administer
the program.
Warm The Children is truly a community effort, enthusiastically
endorsed by our community newspaper, to assist
our neighbors in need.
Joyce
Mletschnig
The Pictorial Gazette
Old Saybrook, Connecticut
203) 458-5682
E Mail: jmletschnig@ctcentral.com
Web site: www.pictorialgazette.com
The Leader-Telegram, Eau Claire WI
The Leader-Telegram (30,000 daily, 40,000 Sun.
circulation) has been an active participant in
the Warm the
Children program since 1994. In that
time we have been fortunate to have raised and
spent more than $460,000, serving 4600 children
in our communities.
The Leader-Telegram Warm the Children program quickly became recognized as a charity
fund that makes a significant impact on the
Chippewa Valley.
Area agencies have embraced the program and
regularly include it when arranging help for
their clients.
We have had nothing but positive response from
our partner stores and have even gotten requests
to join the program.
We quickly outgrew the ability to shop using
only volunteers from the newspaper staff and now
have a corps of volunteer shoppers around the
community who look forward to the chance to
help.
Donations from readers continue to remain strong
and growing each year. The guarantee of 100%
usage with no administrative fees is the real
selling point there. All of which enhances our
"corporate citizen" community image.
The Leader-Telegram is proud to work with Mack
Stewart and the Warm the Children program.
Mike Carlson
Leader-Telegram
800-236-8808, ext. 3885
E Mail: mike.carlson@ecpc.com
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Web Site: www.leadertelegram.com
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The Citizen-Patriot, Jackson MI
Warm the Children has been a great program for us. The community
embraced it right from the start, and has been
extremely generous in donating money to provide
warm clothing for needy children.
Also, Warm the
Children has been a good way to
emphasize to the community that the newspaper is
involved and caring. There are a lot of "warm
fuzzies" associated with operating this program.
Warm the Children
Inc. was very helpful in providing a
"turn-key" operation so that we weren't
re-inventing the wheel when we started.
It was very helpful to see the way others had
done it, and to learn from the newspapers that
went before us.
Sandra Petykiewicz, Publisher
The Citizen Patriot
Jackson,
Michigan
517-787-2312
E Mail: publisher@citpat.com
Web Site: www.citpat.com
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The Kentucky New-Era, Hopkinsville KY
"Demonstrating
the true Spirit of Christmas" is how many have
described our Warm the Children program over the
years. Hundreds of needy children in our
community have benefited from one of the most
worthwhile projects we have ever undertaken.
From project coordinators here at the newspaper,
to our fleet of newspaper carriers who pick up
donations from our subscribers, to the local
Salvation Army who identifies needy children in
our area, to the Hopkinsville Kiwanis Club
members who volunteer as shoppers. We are all
gratified to be part of such a worthy project,
as are those whose contributions make the
project possible. Thanks Mack for your ongoing
support.
Nancy A. Reece
Kentucky New Era, Inc.
270-886-4444
Hopkinsville, Kentucky
E Mail: nreece@hopkinsville.net
Web site: www.kentuckynewera.com
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Monroe County Beacon, Woodsfield OH
Warm the Children allows needy
children in the Switzerland of Ohio School
District, who would otherwise be clad in less
than
cozy clothing, to dress in nice, warm winter
wear. They can jump up on cold mornings and don
insulated underwear, heavy socks,
shirts and boots. They can pull on warm winter
coats ... and new attitudes. They can be happy
about going off to school dressed in
the comfort afforded most other students.
At the same time:
The Beacon is recognized as filling a void in
the community.
Avoid that has for too long seen children fall
between the cracks of want' and 'welfare.' The
family income is too low, and at the same
time, too high to be eligible for help through a
government agency.
Volunteer shoppers return to the program each
year. They love the happy faces and gratitude
shown by the children.
Beacon readers are behind the program and show
their support by reaching into hip pockets and
checkbooks to donate to Warm the Children.
The Beacon's Warm
the Children co-coordinators
appreciate the support given by Mack Stewart,
the author of Warm the children.
When we have a question, we call Mack. There are
rules to follow, not many, but none the less,
rules. When we're puzzled ... we call Mack to
put the pieces together.
Arlean Selvy, Publisher
Monroe County Beacon
Woodsfield, Ohio
740-472-0734
E Mail: beacon43793@1st.net
Web site:
www.monroecountybeacon.net
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West Seneca (NY) Bee
Warm the Children offers the citizens of West Seneca, a community
outside of Buffalo, NY, an opportunity to
provide clothing
for needy children in and through their own
community. Unlike
many charities, the organizers live or work in
town, volunteer
shoppers patronize local businesses and
recipients benefit from their neighbors
largesse.
The campaign has given our community newspaper a
chance to help those less fortunate and to
publish the positive news in the community. It
gives us all a "warm" feeling to help!
Beth
Hutchinson, Editor
Trey Measer, Publisher
West Seneca Bee
716-632-4700
E Mail: Read@BeeNews.com
Web Site: www.BeeNews.com
Dearborn (IN) County Register
There is no
question that Warm The Children provides a
necessary service to Dearborn County in
Southeastern Indiana. This is a community of
contrasts. There is much municipal wealth
created from our riverboat casinos, but many
families here remain below the poverty line. Job
opportunities in our county our slim outside of
the casino industry, and many people employed by
the boat are professionals, who have specific
gaming skills. We raise about $60,000 a year to
clothe 600 kids who need our help. The program
is among the most well accepted in the county.
Folks here know that our mission is simple,
honest and direct. It is one way that we give
back to the community.
Joe Awad.
Publisher, The Dearborn County Register
Lawrenceburg, IN
(812) 537-0063
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The Parsons (WV) Advocate
When Kelly and I
took over The Parsons Advocate three years ago,
former owners George and Mariwyn Smith had one
request: please continue the Warm the Children program. We knew little about it at the time,
but we've quickly come to understand just how
valuable it is in our community and how easy it
is to operate thanks to the administrative help
from Mack Stewart. The generosity of donors and
appreciation of recipients is a blessing each
holiday season.
Chris Stadelman, Publisher
The Parsons Advocate
Parsons, West Virginia
(304) 478-3533
chris@parsonsadvocate.com
Middletown (CT) Press & The
Herald, New Britain CT
As Publisher of The
Herald (New Britain CT) and The Middletown (CT)
Press, I am involved with two Warm The Children programs. The Heralds is one that I helped
start with two wonderful local volunteers 2 1/2
years ago. Through the generosity of our readers
and community volunteers who have served as
volunteer shoppers, we have clothed almost 1,500
children with warm winter clothing during the
past three holiday seasons. Warm The Children's national founder and organizer, Mack Stewart,
has provided tremendous support in educating us
about the program and its procedures. I can
honestly say this effort has made a difference
in my life because I see the good it does in a
poverty-stricken community.
The second program in Middletown is what
introduced me to Warm
The Children. Sponsored jointly by
The Middletown Press and the local Kiwanis Club
(of which I am a member), and much more
established than the New Britain program, weve
consistently generated substantial funding and
recruited volunteer shoppers from our Kiwanis
Club, as well as throughout the community
including a sizeable number of shoppers from the
local Rotary Club. Over the past thirteen years,
The Middletown Press/Kiwanis Club
Warm The Children program has raised and spent $310
thousand +, and served four thousand children.
Based on my experience, I truly believe that
every town needs a Warm The Children program.
Marc B. Romanow, Publisher
The Herald
The Middletown Press
The Leader-Herald, Gloversville NY
Warm the Children has been an asset to our community and this
newspaper in many ways. The most obvious and
most important, of course, is providing warm
winter clothing for so many underprivileged
children.
Along with that, the volunteer shoppers all feel
a sense of connectivity with their community
and a real joy at knowing they have, at the very
least, helped clothe a neighborhood child for
the winter, and could, quite possibly have
positively impacted the life of a child forever.
Thank you for this opportunity.
Doug Hill,
Advertising Director
The Leader-Herald
Gloversville, NY 12078
518-725-8616
E Mail: adman@leaderherald.com
Web site: www.leaderherald.com
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Warm
The Children is a newspapers
perfect community relations program.
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Charles See, Editor
The Hampshire Review
304-822-3871
Romney, West Virginia
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The
most fulfilling community program we
have ever attempted.
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Robert C. Carter, President & Publisher
The Kentucky New Era
Hopkinsville, Kentucky
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Any
newspaper not using the Warm The
Children program is missing a
golden opportunity to help their
community, their readers, and
themselves.
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Paul
E. London, Publisher & General Manager
West Central Tribune
Willmar, Minnesota
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There
are lots ways to help needy people, and
lots of people who need the help. Warm The
Children is the perfect
program for a newspaper and for kids
in its community.
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Chris
Braithwaite, Editor
The Chronicle
Barton, Vermont
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Warm
The Children really
helps our newspaper maintain a caring
and trusting relationship with our
readers. With the program our readers
know and trust that 100% of their
donation is being used properly.
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Charles Graaskamp, Publisher
Leader-Telegram
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
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Warm
The Children gives a newspaper the chance to make its
community a little better place in which
to live.
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Judy
Layman
Mineral Daily News-Tribune
Keyser, West Virginia
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Warm The
Children
166 Skunk Misery Road
Higganum, CT 06441
860-345-4873
E-mail:
mack@warmthechildren.org
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