OT: Letter to the Editor

Were there corporate sponsors for the Games? If so, contact
them or their local reps and suggest that they contact the
media and ask why something so valuable and positive for
your community didn't get covered.

If you contact the newspaper, don't write to the editor,
write to the CEO of the corporation. State in your letter
that it is not for publication. "Never argue in print with a
man who buys ink by the barrel."

Ask for some local advertisers to protest. Have them point
out that stories like this are important to a large
demographic which they wish to reach with their ad dollars,
and that if Newsday is unwilling to try to reach that group,
they will have to reconsider their advertising strategy.

Jim Wayne

"Jim Not-From-Here" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Were there corporate sponsors for the Games? If so,
contact them or their local reps and suggest that they
contact the media and ask why something

so

Quoted message said:

valuable and positive for your community didn't get
covered.

The main sponsors were the Long Island Power Authority, NY
State Parks, a supermarket chain, Hofstra University
(provided dorm space) and a few smaller ones. Thee used to
be a dozen large sponsors under th edemocrats who founded
the games.

Quoted message said:

If you contact the newspaper, don't write to the editor,
write to the CEO

of

Quoted message said:

the corporation. State in your letter that it is not for
publication. "Never argue in print with a man who buys ink
by the barrel."

I wrote to every media outlet, and, even contacted a HS
classmate who is very well known locally, and fairly well
known nationally. He told me that the horse was going to get
the coverage no matter what.

Quoted message said:

Ask for some local advertisers to protest. Have them point
out that

stories

Quoted message said:

like this are important to a large demographic which they
wish to reach

with

Quoted message said:

their ad dollars, and that if Newsday is unwilling to try
to reach that group, they will have to reconsider their
advertising strategy.

It was not just Newsday. I contacted the local afilates
of ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox and every newspaper and sports
radio show.

The *real* problem is that the Games staff is not promoting
the Games. They did not send out a single press release that
anyone can find. This is have taken up with an Assemblyman
who is a friend of mine. It i snot his committee, but, he
does carry major seniority.

"M.a.r.k P.r.o.b.e.r.t-June 11, 2004" <M.a.r.k P.r.o.b.e.r.t
[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

SNIP

Quoted message said:

The *real* problem is that the Games staff is not
promoting the Games.

They

Quoted message said:

did not send out a single press release that anyone can
find. This is have taken up with an Assemblyman who is a
friend of mine. It i snot his committee, but, he does
carry major seniority.

You hit the nail on the head! If the group setting up this
event didn't even send out press releases, it is not
surprising that the media didn't cover it.

What you can do now is get a bunch of the parents who were
involved to sent "Thank you letters" to the community via
the letter to the editors column. You know the kind I mean--
"My child really had fun at this event, and we are so
grateful to Hofstra for sponsoring it."

If you are really involved in this program, perhaps you
could volunteer to send out some press releases next year.
They aren't hard to write. There is no guarantee that they
will cover it even if there is a release, but at least they
will know about it.

Jim Wayne

"Jim Not-From-Here" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"M.a.r.k P.r.o.b.e.r.t-June 11, 2004" <M.a.r.k
P.r.o.b.e.r.t [email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

SNIP

Quoted message said:

The *real* problem is that the Games staff is not
promoting the Games.

They

Quoted message said:

did not send out a single press release that anyone can
find. This is

have

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

taken up with an Assemblyman who is a friend of mine. It
i snot his committee, but, he does carry major
seniority.

You hit the nail on the head! If the group setting up this
event didn't even send out press releases, it is not
surprising that the media didn't cover it.

What you can do now is get a bunch of the parents who were
involved to

sent

Quoted message said:

"Thank you letters" to the community via the letter to the
editors column. You know the kind I mean--"My child really
had fun at this event, and we

are

Quoted message said:

so grateful to Hofstra for sponsoring it."

If you are really involved in this program, perhaps you
could volunteer to send out some press releases next year.
They aren't hard to write. There is no guarantee that they
will cover it even if there is a release, but at least
they will know about it.

We discussed these ideas at the Games with several of the
long time parents (11 years for us) and volunteers (a couple
of 20 people) and we are putting together a group to do just
this. The Games are suffering from a severe case of benign
neglect, with the State no longer taking an active roll in
promoting them.

Years ago, under Cuomo, a Democrat, the Games came into
being. He would come down on Friday and Saturday and hang
out with the kids. I have video tape of him helping several
blind athletes run the 100m race, and his wife helping a
young girl running the 40m with her walker. He spent hours
at the Games and enjoyed himself.

With the Republicans in office...well benign neglect is the
best term. Pataki has never shown up.

We may even make up a website with pictures.

"M.a.r.k P.r.o.b.e.r.t-June 11, 2004" <M.a.r.k P.r.o.b.e.r.t
06-11- (...)

Quoted message said:

The *real* problem is that the Games staff is not
promoting the Games.

Actually, the real problems are that the games need to be
promoted to the people who are eligible to play in them and
that there are adequate staff to make sure that everyone has
a good and safe time at the game.

As far as other people outside the target community: That is
not the goal of the games. Of course, I am not suggesting
that adequate publicity for the proper people was made, only
that they are the ones who need to know about
it.

Jeff

"Jeff" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"M.a.r.k P.r.o.b.e.r.t-June 11, 2004" <M.a.r.k
P.r.o.b.e.r.t 06-11- (...)

Quoted message said:

The *real* problem is that the Games staff is not
promoting the Games.

Actually, the real problems are that the games need to be
promoted to the people who are eligible to play in them
and that there are adequate staff

to

Quoted message said:

make sure that everyone has a good and safe time at
the game.

Staffing is excellent, with a copious amount of volunteers
returning year after year.

Quoted message said:

As far as other people outside the target community: That
is not the goal of the games. Of course, I am not
suggesting that adequate publicity for

the

Quoted message said:

proper people was made, only that they are the ones who
need to know about
it.

Nope.

One of the many benefits of the Games is that it creates an
atmosphere of accomplishment for all to savor and enjoy.
There is still a lot of narrowmindedness about the
physically disabled being able to integrate into the rest of
the world and the Games can help dispel this attitude.