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This is NOT my weekly column from the local newspaper. I know you’ve come to expect my columns here on Mondays, but this isn’t one. Instead, I give you the column that I submitted to go in the paper. I’m sure you sleuths will see why they’re running a rerun of mine in its place.
I’d never been to the Red and White Ball before, the annual gala event that helps raise money and support for the American Red Cross. Saturday night, however, I got my chance, thanks to some very unlucky circumstances. My friends, Greg and Tracy Smith, both had medical emergencies in the past couple of weeks, and both required surgery. Thankfully, they’re doing just fine, but they still weren’t able to make it to the Red and White Ball. When their tickets were up for grabs, my mother and I were given the tickets to go.
Naturally, I don’t have a tuxedo, but I do have a suit, believe it or not. That’s right, I don’t always (necessarily) wear shorts and a tee-shirt. I got all dolled up - I even showered and shaved - and so did Mom and we headed out to Highlands Ridge for the ball. I had a great time and deliberately left my camera at home. I figured there would be several photographers there from the local newspapers. I always see those “Around the Town” photos in the paper the day after a big event. But no, there weren’t any photographers, except for the professional who was there, snapping portraits of couples.
My mother outed me. When Vicki (another friend and one of the organizers of the Red and White Ball) was wondering why no one showed up to report the event, Mom pointed at me and said, “You’ve got a newspaper person right here ” Vicki squealed with delight and dragged me over to meet Phil Attinger, the Public Relations Director of Highlands County’s (and Polk County’s) chapter of the Red Cross. While I always have a pen in my pocket, I didn’t bring any notepads with me, since I wasn’t expecting to WORK during the ball.
I talked to Phil for a while and he told me a great deal about our local Red Cross. Most people, he said, think they’re safe right now since we haven’t had a hurricane since our trifecta a few years back. And let’s face it, when you think Red Cross, what do you think of? Hurricanes, floods, blood drives, and CPR training. And yes, the Red Cross is there for all of those things, and much more.
Did you know that in the last nine months, the local Red Cross has been helping a great deal on 35 separate house fire incidents in Highlands County? Some of those are multiple family fires, some are apartments, some are houses. All of the people involved need help, whether it be need of shelter, clothes, groceries, rental vehicles, and the list goes on.
“There’s no crystal ball to tell us when a disaster is going to happen,” Phil told me. That’s why the Red Cross is always in need of donations. You can’t predict a tornado or a house fire. They just happen. Of course, people should have disaster preparedness plans, storm kits they can grab and run, a support group they can count on for contingencies. But the Red Cross is there for all of those unexpected events, just in case.
“We always have volunteer positions available,” Phil said. “We’re in need of caseworkers to work on Disaster Action Teams, always need help with clerical work, trainers to teach CPR and first aid, and many other positions.”
To see the Polk and Highlands County Red Cross web site, go to polkcountyFL.redcross.org and maybe you can give a little something. In the meantime, I’m celebrating my win of six items in the silent auction. Sea World, anyone?
Darrel in the NewsWho? Me?I Suppose You Think You’re Funny Filed under Column |22 Responses to “The Column That Will Not Appear in Today’s Paper”
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Okay, so I’m stupid.
Why wouldn’t they run this?
adena’s last blog post..Drawing
I second that. Do they have something against Sea World?
I believe my local newspaper would have covered this. When my eight year old daughter was five she made up her own fund raiser for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, except it took us two hours to find out what she was up too. She started charging “admission” for us to get into her bedroom by collecting pennies. I taught my daughter about the Red Cross and told her that’s who we would send her pennies to. When I told the story to a co-worker it just spread and people started collecting pennies for her. It snowballed and before we knew it, Teenie had over 1,000 pennies.
Of course we cashed them in and sent a check. Every year they send her a Christmas card and we send a donation. She’s learned a valuable lesson about charitable giving at a very young age.
The Red Cross is an excellent organization to give to and to volunteer for.
Lisa’s last blog post..Bionic Biopsy
Yeah, I think that’s kinda stupid…. They SHOULD have run it as a front page thing instead.
Kyra’s last blog post..Show and Tell
Editors and Publishers. I miss them not.
Nat’s last blog post..The birds do it…
Whew! Glad you explained in the comments, because it seemed totally acceptable to me!
Simply Jane’s last blog post..Proud to be a cocksucker
It was a great article. Shame on them for not covering the event or running your column. Buttwipes.
Winter’s last blog post..Marcus Monday - After the Duets Are Done
Nat - I really like my editor, actually. She e-mailed me yesterday afternoon and said she’d have to show the column to HER boss, the editor in chief. This morning, sure enough…an old column ran instead.
Simply Jane - Yeah, me too. Guess they didn’t want to look bad to the readership. I don’t know, very poor judgment if you ask me, not sending even a photographer.
Winter - thanks, I liked it. I get paid either way, and I at least have a forum here where I can publish even the unpublished columns.
Is the an ombudsman at the paper to which the Red Cross folks can talk? I mean, this isn’t some obscure organization we’re talking about. They’re kind of a big deal. I’m wondering if there’s another reason why the local papers (since you used the plural) declined to cover the event…
Shiny’s last blog post..Coming out of the closet…
What did you win in the silent auction?
Avitable’s last blog post..Vaginas abound
- Sea World tickets for 4
- Busch Gardens tickets for 4
- Jamaican foods and coffee basket
- a basket with free movie tickets and free movie rentals from Blockbuster (along with movie stuff like popcorn and Goobers and free ice cream sundaes at the local ice cream parlor). Um, that’s four.
- Oh, a really nice painting (print, really).
- And $65 worth of acupuncture treatments. Never had that done.
That’s pretty awesome!
Avitable’s last blog post..Vaginas abound
It’s sure seems like a cover-up to me. I scream CONSPIRACY THEORY!
Ahem, way too much coffee at work today
Hilly’s last blog post..Returning To Blog Life, Peace by Peace….
I think it’s ridiculous they wouldn’t run it. Why wouldn’t they? You were there; you covered it and you gave much needed attention to an important organization. I think that’s pathetic.
Black Belt Mama’s last blog post..Designed to Hurt
Hilly, it IS a conspiracy!
BBM, yeah, I agree. Not my call, though. Let’s just sweep it under the carpet, rather than acknowledge our goof.
It was great to talk with Karl at the Red and White Ball and I can’t thank him enough for writing up a column about our event. Before I took the job with the American Red Cross, I covered the event each year for the News-Sun. Even though I was still shooting photos for this event this year, it was great to have someone else writing it up.
Now, to be fair to all local papers, I checked with them the day before the event, and they were not able to send any editorial staff because of tight schedules and skeleton staff. I always plan on writing these events up since I have that background.
I spent Monday editing my photos, composing a press release, and sending both to the papers. Given the varied production schedules, the first opportunity for any of them to publish the photos will probably be Wednesday, April 9.
Local papers did represent themselves well at the event with several advertising staff and associates on hand, and we are always thankful for their support, much of which comes from donations of advertising for the event itself.
Would I have liked to leave the camera at home? Sure, but I couldn’t have. I need photos for our web site and newsletters. I only wish I hadn’t dropped the camera on its lens in the middle of the dance floor. What you’ll see is what I got before that happened.
Oh, and just a clarification — we don’t actually get rental cars for our clients. There is a mechanism in place to assist them with getting into a new apartment when a disaster displaces them.
As for rental cars, when a local chapter brings in volunteers from out of the area to help with a big disaster, the Red Cross has agreements to get rental cars from local agencies to help volunteers get to the clients. On smaller local disasters, the Red Cross office uses its own vehicle(s).
Since we have had a lot of home fires lately, we’ve been using the office vehicle a lot.
Oh, and like Karl, I used to grab a lot of silent auction items when I worked as a reporter. I’m married now and we have a budget, so I tend to get outbid more often. That, and the fact that Ramen noodles don’t make as good of a romantic dinner as they used to,… for some reason.
I should also add that the American Red Cross is very thankful for the partnerships we’ve been able to build with local media in Highlands County, not just the newspapers, but including Cohan Radio Group and WFHT Radio, both of which were sponsors of the event and were represented there Saturday night.
These partnerships help us to get out vital preparedness information to the public, especially in those crucial few weeks before a disaster strikes.
Hurricanes and approaching storm fronts are about the only disasters for which we have a warning. Tornadoes, floods, fires, earthquakes, tsunamis and other disasters don’t give much of a warning. Being prepared ahead of time makes all the difference, not just in being physically prepared, but also mentally and emotionally prepared for what may happen.
If you need more perparedness information, contact the Highlands Red Cross office at (863) 386-4440 or via e-mail at hcarc@vistanet.net.
Thanks again for supporting your local American Red Cross.
Yeah, I don’t get it. Really. And MY state daily is one of the freakiest of all ego-driven, right-wing, editorially facist publications out there. You want we should carpet-bomb them with emails?
Belinda - I’m trying not to have any hard feelings about it, and I pretty much don’t. I’m more surprised than anything.