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Light Drizzle Fog Newspapers’ employees to work for a good cause
REACT committee chooses Sunrise Day Camp as Richner’s first beneficiary
Covering charitable organizations doing extraordinary work is old news at the newspapers owned by Richner Communications. Now Richner employees have decided to pool their talents and the company’s resources to do more for deserving organizations that could benefit from their expertise. The effort is spearheaded by a committee, called REACT, which stands for Richner Employees Assisting Communities Together.
REACT’s first task was choosing an organization to work with. The committee’s extensive search for a charitable organization began in early 2010, and eventually led it to select Sunrise Day Camp — the only day camp in the nation for children with cancer — as its choice for 2011.
“The selection process was a wonderful experience, bringing together employees from various departments to work for a common goal,” said committee Chairwoman Christine Remsen, Richner’s marketing director. The goal, according to Remsen, was to select a reputable local charitable organization that could benefit from REACT’s attention. This year Richner will provide media coverage and help build awareness of Sunrise Day Camp through stories, interviews, photos and coverage of events.
“This REACT committee gives the company’s staff an opportunity to use their skills and facilities to do good,” said John O’Connell, executive editor of the Herald Community Newspapers, published by Richner. “We can help the community know about the important work Sunrise does.”
A special camp
Sunrise Day camp is the nation’s only day camp exclusively for children with cancer and their siblings. It is designed to meet the emotional, social, recreational and physical needs of these children while allowing them to enjoy the comfort and safety of their own homes at night.
“Sunrise Day Camp can only exist through the generosity of individuals and companies like Richner Communications,” said the camp’s president and CEO, Arnie Preminger. “The camp is offered totally free to children who are going through chronic illnesses, and people don’t realize how much of an impact this can have on the family financially. By allowing us to tell our story, it will bring more donations to the table. To us this is a godsend.”
