THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 20, 1995 TAG: 9512200002
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A18 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 49 lines
More than a million underprivileged South Hampton Roads children have had merrier Christmases than they otherwise would have thanks to the Joy Fund sponsored by The Virginian-Pilot. This season the 61st Joy Fund will again provide poor parents with vouchers good for Christmas presents at discount prices for their offspring - roughly 30,000 youngsters.
The Joy Fund debuted in 1934. The Great Depression was upon the world. Joblessness was widespread in Hampton Roads and elsewhere across the United States and abroad. Pay cuts for those with jobs were common. The pay of employees of The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Dispatch, an immediate predecessor of the recently deceased Ledger-Star, had been cut.
The late Tom Hanes, then managing editor of The Ledger-Dispatch, learned that many schoolchildren were about to have a bleak Christmas because their parents were too poor to buy them anything. Distressed by that cold prospect, he proposed that the newspaper be allowed to appeal for money to buy gifts for poor children. His bosses blessed the proposal. They also agreed to have the newspaper company bear all administrative expenses so that every penny donated to the Joy Fund would be spent on the children.
That arrangement prevails. Community volunteers work in the Joy Fund office. Needy families identified by churches and social-service agencies are enrolled on a master list to receive vouchers.
The Joy Fund goal this season is $350,000. A tad more than $111,000 is in hand. Contributions are lagging behind last year - a reflection perhaps of the financial bind in which many middle-income families find themselves. Reaching the 1995 Joy Fund goal will require extra exertions and more dollars from many people.
Fund-raising events are a popular way to collect money for the Joy Fund. Anyone wishing to sponsor an event may telephone the Joy Fund coordinator at 446-2595. Donations from individuals, businesses, firms and military units and other groups may be mailed to The Virginian-Pilot Joy Fund, P.O. Box 2136, Norfolk, Va. 23501. The need is urgent.
Every community has its Christmas traditions. The Joy Fund is one of South Hampton Roads'. The more who honor it by contributing, the greater the number of poor children who will have something to smile about Christmas Day. Time is short. The need is big. by CNB