Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Observer Editor

WOW! That’s the first thought I had when I learned of the tremendous success of Wednesday’s sale of the special “Laurel Run” edition of the Observer.

When we decided to take on this endeavor, we didn’t know what to expect. The sale of the special edition of the billy mead run had always done so well, we didn’t know whether a Laurel Run paper would be able to approach that level of success. The Northern Chautauqua County community really rallied behind Billy Mead and his family to make those newspaper sales so successful, and we weren’t sure a similar sale to support Laurel Run would be something that would resonate with the public.

We needn’t have worried.

Wednesday’s newspaper sale was incredible. In Westfield, Brocton, Fredonia, Dunkirk, Sheridan, Silver Creek, Irving, Gowanda, Forestville and Cassadaga, volunteers were out in the community as early as 6:30 a.m., selling papers to motorists. The papers carried special coverage of Laurel Run, an event created by Wayne and Elaine Hotelling in honor of their oldest daughter, who has Down syndrome.

The newspaper sales were predictably strong in the Hotellings’ home base of Irving and Silver Creek. But we were pleasantly surprised by the outpouring of support the papers received in other areas. Virtually all of the sales locations in Dunkirk and Fredonia sold out of their papers at least, and organizers scrambled to deliver additional papers to those sites to keep the momentum going. In Brocton, sales were lagging until a shift change at the Lakeview Shock Incarceration Facility, and then many prison employees on their way to or from work stopped to buy a paper.

When all was said and done Wednesday, we had sold about 95 percent of the papers that had been published for the special edition, and some people went to the Observer’s offices after the sale ended and bought a copy.

There are too many people to single out for their involvement in making the Laurel Run edition a success, but I do want to recognize some of them. First, we wish to thank the various local governments for allowing us to sell the papers. We also want to thank those businesses that allowed us to sell papers at their locations: Brooks Hospital, TLC, SUNY-Fredonia, Tim Hortons in Gowanda and Irving, Wal-Mart in Fredonia, McDonald’s in Westfield and Cave’s in Forestville.

And of course, there were our volunteer newspaper hawkers themselves. A number of our employees helped sell papers, but so too did several individuals with disabilities who receive services from The Resource Center and who took great pride in being part of the newspaper sales. We were particularly buoyed by the willingness of people from the community to wake up early to come out and sell papers. A number of the Hotellings’ friends helped out, and everyone did a terrific job – especially the group of Fredonia High School students who collectively raised $477.

We extend our deep and sincere appreciation to Publisher John D’Agostino and his staff at the Observer for their willingness to undertake this project and their determination to see it be successful. An endeavor of this magnitude means asking a lot of people to make an additional effort beyond their regular job duties, and the staff of the Observer responded. We also thank the Observer and WDOE/WBKX for promoting the newspaper sale and spreading the word to the community.

But most of all, we thank everyone who purchased a Laurel Run edition. The paper cost $1, but many people gave more than that (one gentleman gave a $50 bill and told us to keep the change!). Even when we had sold out of papers in some locations, people would stop to make a donation. The main goal of Laurel Run is to raise public awareness about people with disabilities, and the response from people to our newspaper sale shows that many people already possess an appreciation for people with disabilities and The Resource Center’s mission. And that is truly heartwarming.

Money raised through Laurel Run stays in Chautauqua County, going to TRC Foundation to support disability awareness and prevention efforts. Many parents are unaware of what signs to look for that could indicate their child may have a disability or a developmental delay. The Resource Center can help identify developmental delays and then assist parents in obtaining the services their children need.

Laurel Run proceeds also are used to enhance employment and work training opportunities for adults with disabilities at The Resource Center’s Work Centers. Thanks to TRC, hundreds of people with disabilities each year can know the satisfaction and self-esteem that come from earning a paycheck.

Again, “THANK YOU” to everyone who supported Laurel Run. And we hope you will attend next weekend’s Laurel Run events as we continue to celebrate the achievements of people with disabilities.

Paul Cesana

Executive Director, The Resource Center

President, TRC Foundation