dashTHIRTYdash to Distribute Grants to 75 Laid-Off Times-Picayune ...

Seventy-five laid-off Times-Picayune employees, who worked for the newspaper for a combined total of almost 1,568 years, will receive direct cash grants from dashTHIRTYdash in the charity?s first of two planned distributions.

dashTHIRTYdash, a non-profit created by newspaper alumni and civic activists to raise money for the hundreds of Times Picayune employees and contractors who lost their jobs Oct. 1, has raised approximately $60,000 to-date. The money came from individual donations, benefits held by New Orleans restaurants and businesses, an online auction that attracted donations from some of the country?s biggest names in news and talk, and a Sept. 29 New Orleans fundraiser underwritten largely by the community.

The layoffs, which the newspaper reported in June reduced its total staff by one-third and its newsroom by almost one-half, came as the 175-year-old Times-Picayune ended daily publication in favor of a thrice-weekly edition and decided to focus on its website. NOLA Media Group, the newspaper?s new parent company, has since hired some new, primarily younger and less-experienced employees.

The grant applicants? average tenure with the newspaper was 20.6 years.

?It?s clear that members of this group were among the most experienced working at the newspaper,? said dashTHIRTYdash founder and former Times-Picayune reporter Rebecca Theim. ?Because of the stage many of these people are in their careers, they may face considerable challenges securing new employment, particularly if they want to remain in New Orleans.?

The odds may be even more formidable if they hope to continue their careers in the newspaper business: in the past five years, U.S. newspapers have eliminated almost 40,000 jobs, or more than 11% of total industry employment, according to?Paper Cuts, the recognized industry source on newspaper layoffs and consolidations.

?We realize the assistance dashTHIRTYdash is able to provide each individual is nominal, but we hope it will help make a mortgage or rent payment, go toward equipment or training needed for a new job or business, or help meet some other important need,? Theim added. ?More than anything, we want the former employees and contractors to know their work at the daily newspaper was deeply appreciated.?

Of those applying for assistance, 41% came from the newspaper?s pressroom and packaging operations, while 28% came from editorial (including the newsroom, and photography and graphics/art/design staffs). Those departments were the hardest-hit by the layoffs, according to figures in a?June 12?Times-Picayune?article.

The size of grants each applicant will receive depends on whether he or she was full-time, or a part-time employee or contractor. Eleven were part-time, and 64 worked full-time. More information about how the money is being allocated is available at http://dashthirtydash.org/2012/08/23/formula/.

The fund anticipates making at least one additional disbursement. The deadline for applying to receive money in that second distribution is Dec. 1. Any former employee or contractor who applied for a grant in the first disbursement will be contacted regarding his or her desire to be included in the second. Any laid-off T-P employee or contractor who did not apply for the first distribution may apply for the second distribution by completing the form at http://dashthirtydash.org/dashthirtydash-grant-application/ and submitting it as directed.

Individuals, companies or organizations are encouraged to continue to donate to dashTHIRTYdash, which will include additional contributions in its second distribution. Donations may be made securely by credit card at https://donationpay.org/dashthirtydash. Alternatively, contributions by check should be made payable to the ?Contemporary Arts Center of New Orleans? ? with ?dash30dash? written in the memo line ? and mailed to CAC, c/o Glenn W. Gruber, Associate Director/CFO, 900 Camp St., New Orleans, LA 70130-3908. (The CAC is serving as the fund?s fiscal agent, making dashTHIRTYdash contributions tax-deductible.) More information is at http://www.dashTHIRTYdash.org.

Major Contributors To-Date

Contributions have come from a wide cross-section of the community. The largest contributions to-date are:

• Anonymous gift via the Greater New Orleans Foundation, Inc.: $4,000
• Former Times-Picayune Managing Editor Dan Shea, and Stephanie Stokes, the newspaper?s ?Inside Out? editor: $3,625 (including $1,625 in auction proceeds)
• New Orleans jeweler Mignon Faget, who is donating 10% of the sales of her Times-Picayune-themed pins and double old fashioned glasses: $3,266
• Times-Picayune ?Social Scene? columnist Nell Nolan, former Times-Picayune political cartoonist Steve Kelley, local actress Ashley Nolan and Mid-City Theatre, which donated proceeds from a September stage production in which the trio starred. The donation was made in memory of communications strategist and civic activist Diana Pinckley, the late wife of longtime Times-Picayune reporter John Pope: $3,528
• Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group (Red Fish Grill, Jazz Kitchen?, Ralph?s on the Park, caf? b, caf? NOMA and Heritage Grill), which donated 100% of the proceeds from its ?Save the Picayune? signature cocktails created shortly after the news of the paper?s coming changes broke in late May: $3,344
• The Avenue Pub, which donated 100% of its June 28 bar proceeds, and included beer donated by?NOLA Brewing Co. and Crescent Crown Distributing: $2,812
• Former Times-Picayune Outdoors Editor Bob Marshall, whose Lake Pontchartrain fishing expedition proved so popular in the fund?s online auction that he agreed to provide two additional ones to requesting runner-up bidders: $2,550
• The New Orleans law firm of Smith Stagg LLC, which was a sponsor of the Sept. 29 fundraiser: $2,500
• LaPetite Grocery Restaurant and Bar, which donated 30% of its sales from a special June 26 benefit dinner: $2,451
• Slim Goodies Diner, which donated 20% of its July 1 receipts, and also collected about three dozen direct donations solicited from customers: $1,340

?We?re deeply grateful to the businesses, organizations and individuals who not only donated to this important cause, but also often provided a way for people in the community to also rally behind those who were losing their jobs,? Theim said.

Sept. 29 Fundraiser Largely Underwritten by Community

The Sept. 29 fundraiser and accompanying auction raised the most money for the charity. It was also billed as a send-off to the daily Times-Picayune and occurred on the newspaper?s final Saturday of daily publication. All laid-off employees and contractors were invited to attend for free. The Howlin? Wolf donated its Warehouse District facility for the event, which drew more than 300, including Times-Picayune staffers and alumni from seven decades and about 10 U.S. states, spanning from Hawaii to New York.

Restaurants and eateries that donated cuisine to the Sept. 29 fundraiser included: a Mano; Cafe Atchafalaya; Galatoire?s; Ralph?s on the Park; Rio Mar Seafood; Liberty?s Kitchen; Martin Wine Cellar Catering; and Whole Foods Market Arabella Station.

Musicians who organized or donated entertainment included: Jason Patterson, of Snug Harbor and the New Orleans Jazz Celebration; keyboardist and WWOZ host David Torkanowsky; longtime former Radiators guitarist Camile Baudoin; jazz pianist and vocalist Matt Lemmler; the Charmaine Neville Band; swing harmony group The Pfister Sisters; jazz saxophonist and bandleader Martin Krusche; and singer and guitarist John Rankin.

Celebrities who contributed experiences or items for the online auction included: Anderson Cooper; The Ellen Show; TODAY Show; ?Meet the Press;? CNN anchor, special correspondent and New Orleans native Soledad O?Brien; ?Good Morning America;? ABC-TV and NPR veteran political analyst and New Orleans native Cokie Roberts; and notedauthor, New Orleans native and States-Item alum Walter Isaacson. The auction also featured art work, photography and other items donated or created by Times-Picayune employees and alumni and New Orleanians.

In addition, Rock ?n? Bowl donated its facility for a Sept. 28 reunion that attracted almost 200.

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Source: http://dashthirtydash.org/2012/10/16/1568-years/

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