We received a letter yesterday from the Friends of the New Orleans Times-Picayune thanking the members of the Florida Press Club for their $4,000 contribution to the employees of the newspaper who were devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
Hand-written by Susan Feeney, a former staffer and organizer of the fund, was this:
“How can we thank you for your amazing generosity? We are truly touched and so is the Picayune staff.”
The only thank you we can imagine, Susan, is for you and the other organizers, Nan Powers Varoga, Bridget O’Brian, and Wendi Schneider, to keep up the good work. And think kindly of us next year when it is our turn on the hurricane victims list yet again.
Here is the letter.
Dear Friends at the Florida Press Club,
Thank you for your generous contribution to Friends of the Times-Picayune, the relief fund for the Times-Picayune employees who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina. They have suffered devastating losses – their homes, schools, cars, their beloved city – so much has been destroyed. Parts of the city are desolate. There is little progress and few plans. Many are homeless, families have been separated geographically to find jobs and schools for the children. It is inconceivable. Your thoughtfullness has touched their hearts and helped restore their hope and spirits.
Please know that every cent of your donation will go to help the more than 150 workers who registered with us for assistance…(boring tax information)
On behalf of the employees, we are very grateful.
So, this seems to be the appropriate time to make the following announcement.
Fellow members,
With apologies to all of you who deserve recognition for your outstanding efforts and after serious consideration, the officers of the club have decided not to pursue a call from some members at the club’s banquet in Orlando for a contest re-do on the categories lost to Hurricane Katrina for the following reasons:
First, previous attempts to re-do a call for entries and judging of lost categories have not worked well. In all cases, the number of entries resubmitted was scant and the club gives awards only where there are enough entries to have a valid competition.
Second, the effort required to re-do virtually half of the 2005 competition is too great in light of the challenges we face in the coming year. We have announced an expanded slate of incoming officers (see the officers page) who must be organized and trained. We will be revamping the contest, not only to improve it, but to attempt to make it less vulnerable. We also will be increasing the number of seminars to provide more training opportunities for our members.
Third, the decision to abandon the categories lost in Hurricane Katrina was made several months before the convention. We believe the consensus of the club was expressed by those who emailed us at that time. Those emails, which were published on this web site, overwhelmingly supported the club’s decision.
We are now six months away from our 2006 contest. It is time to look forward, to spend our energies improving the club and the contest.
We hope next year will be a better year for the club and for us all.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Slater
FPC President