Why We Do What We Do and How You Can Help -- Last Chance!

Hi Everyone,

This is the final day of our annual fundraising appeal.

If you're like us newspaper people who need a good deadline to get the job done ... well, now would be the time to get out those credit cards and checkbooks!

As you know, we set an ambitious goal of raising $10,000 from readers. At last count, we've raised $3,513.

We are extremely grateful to the generous readers who have donated so far, but we know there are hundreds more of you out there who care about what we do. A donation from each of you for whatever you can afford right now will bring us much closer to our goal, and hopefully, over the finish line. Every dollar counts!

We've already told you and showed you in a number of ways why we're doing this, but I thought I'd add a little bit of a personal note about why we do what we do here at the Bronx News Network and why I've enjoyed coming to work every day for the last 16 and a half years when I started as the first full-time editor of the Norwood News.

If there's one story I'll always remember covering it's one that I began writing about when I was just a free-lancer for the then-monthly Norwood News. The construction of a badly needed school, PS 20 on Webster Avenue, in perenially overcrowded District 10 was way behind schedule. Meanwhile, the kids at PS 8, just a few blocks away in Bedford Park, were going to school on an abbreviated split schedule. The School Construction Authority, which was then independent of the Department of Education, could not explain to the community what the heck was wrong. So, we filed a Freedom of Information Law request with the agency, and went down there to look through the project status reports.

We discovered that piles were installed incorrectly and other ways the project was mismanaged. We started a PS 20 countdown clock on the front page, covered every meeting related to the school, and just generally held the agency's feet to the fire. To make a long story short, our coverage and the community's ensuing activism resulted in PS 20, and another school on Andrews Avenue, PS 15, being finished on time. The SCA also changed its management practices and other new local schools were finished on time after that.

There have been many other stories like this -- about issues that are critical to the community that we return to over and over again until they get the attention they deserve and are resolved.

And then there are all the stories that might not seem monumental but matter just as much because they're about live in your community -- stories about local children cleaning up a park or doing an interesting school project, profiles of a local artists and businesspeople and everyone else who makes the neighborhood what it is.

Simply put, no one else would be in the room with a pad, pen and camera if we weren't here to do it anymore. Covering hyper-local news in underserved neighborhoods is obviously not attractive to publishing companies looking only at the bottom line. If it were, someone else would already be doing it.

This is or last plea but it is a heartfelt and serious one. Your support -- at whatever level you can manage -- matters. We know there are other worthy organizations competing for your attention, but we also know that you care deeply about the Bronx and your community. And that's what we're all about -- building community and giving Bronx neighborhoods a voice.

We'll be back with the news next week and hopefully, with your support, we'll be hitting the ground running on a strong foundation of grassroots community support.

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!


-Jordan Moss

Support Our Youth Programs!

In honor of our internship and our youth journalism programs, here are a few videos to watch, straight from our students. Support the Bronx News Network and help us train the next generation of journalists!

Geovanna Borden for BxNN from Bronx News Network on Vimeo.

Andrew Boryga for BxNN from Bronx News Network on Vimeo.

Alina Rodriguez for BxNN from Bronx News Network on Vimeo.

John Kelly for BxNN from Bronx News Network on Vimeo.

There's only three days left until our fundraising campaign ends. Donate today!

Three Days Left to Donate to our Campaign

There's just three more days left to give to our annual campaign, and so far we've raised $3,338. Over the last couple of days many of you have donated to our campaign and we're really grateful for your support.

But we know there are more of you who read the BxNN blog every day. We know you appreciate having a place to visit on the web that has all the best Bronx news and information in one place. If all of our readers gave just $2 each, we would be well over 50% percent of our goal. If everyone gave $4, we would end our campaign today.

The money that we raise will help us pay for crucial resources, like stipends for our writers, who are often college students and want to be working as journalists after they graduate. The Bronx News Network often gives them their first shot at being a reporter, and we take that responsibility very seriously.

Your support will also help us fund our youth journalism program and help us pay for things like notebooks, pens, and digital cameras so that our students can practice their journalism skills.

So please, donate to the Bronx News Network and support our programs in 2011!

Show Your Support For the Blog (and Non-Profit Organization) You Love

We hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day yesterday and that you spent the day with someone special. Now how about showing some love to your favorite Bronx blog?

Our campaign ends this Friday, and we're reaching out to you, our dedicated readers, who visit the BxNN blog every day. We know our goal to raise $10,000 is ambitious, but we also know how much it will help our programs in 2011.

Some of you may read the blog as part of your job, and some of you read us because you love living and working in the Bronx, and you like having a place to visit on the web that gathers great information and high-quality news about the Bronx.

You may have noticed by now, there is no other organization that does what we do. And we don't just run this blog. We have a great youth journalism program and we publish two bilingual community newspapers, covering local news that gets overlooked by other media organizations.

We have big plans for the future, but we can't do it alone. We need your support. So, please, donate to the Bronx News Network and keep our programs thriving, including this blog, in 2011.

Last Week--Donate to BxNN and Support our Programs in 2011

We’re in the last week of our annual fundraising appeal and our focus on the blog all week is going to be on getting as much support as we can for our campaign, which ends Friday.

When we launched our campaign in January, we knew our goal (to raise $10,000) was ambitious. And we're really grateful to all of our donors who have given so far. But we know there are many more of you, our dedicated readers, who read BxNN every day.

$10,000 may not seem like a lot of money for a news organization, but it’s a key part of our bare-bones budget that will allow us to continue doing what we do and build a strong foundation to bring you even more news and information about Bronx neighborhoods.

I have a feeling that some of you reading this don’t consider contributing because you’re reading it as part of your job. You work for a politician or a city agency or a newspaper, TV station or website. So why should you pay for news that helps you do your job?

Well, because it helps you do your job.

And we offer exclusively local Bronx news, unlike the newspaper you buy on your way into work … or the cable station you pay every month to get NY1, CNN, etc.

So, please, donate to the Bronx News Network and keep the news coming your way.

We Need Your Support for 2011!

We have exactly one week left of our campaign and we're really hoping that all of our readers will donate. The Bronx News Network depends on the support of our donors, and we would not exist without your crucial support. But don't just take our word for it. Here's Alina Rodriguez, a recent graduate of SUNY Purchase, a former BxNN intern, and an aspiring journalist.


Alina Rodriguez for BxNN from Bronx News Network on Vimeo.


And here's Andrew Boryga, a graduate of our Bronx Youth Journalism Initiative, a sophomore at Cornell University, and writer for The New York Times.


Andrew Boryga for BxNN from Bronx News Network on Vimeo.

Click on the donate button at the top right corner and help us continue our programs in 2011!

What's Bronx News Network Worth to You? (Updated)

We have two weeks left in our annual appeal, and while we are glad to have reached a quarter of our goal, which is $10,000, we're a long way from the finish line.

To be honest, we haven't seen enough support from readers and fans of this blog.

There are about 700 unique visitors to this site very day (that number is steadily growing). But only a tiny fraction have contributed.

If each unique visitor to this site kicked in $10 we'd be all done with our appeal.

Why do we need this money? For two important reasons. While advertising sales is critical and we're doing our best to sell more ads, that revenue stream alone is not sufficient to sustain what we do.  If we could put out community newspapers like the Tremont Tribune and the Mount Hope Monitor solely based on advertising revenue, not to mention run this blog and a youth journalism program, someone else would have done it a long time ago.

Second, building a strong base of grassroots support from our readers will help Bronx News Network become sustainable over the long haul. And it will send a message to private foundations that fund nonprofit media that our readers value what we do enough to contribute financially.

Think about how much you spend every week on a daily newspaper, a cup of coffee, or a bottle of water. Is what we do here worth at least that much to you? If you buy the Daily News or some other paper every week day, that's at least $100 a year. Isn't the local, relevant news we bring you here and in our papers worth at least $10 or $25 or $50? 

Think about it. You care because you're reading this. But to make sure the Bronx news you love keeps coming, we need you to contribute, too. Just click on the button at the top right of this page! It will feel good!

Thanks!

UPDATE: We now have about 10 days left in this campaign. Since this post, two readers of this site have become new donors. We appreciate your support! But we need the rest of you who value this site and come to it every day to pitch in. Can you contribute today? Just click on the Paypal button at the top right of this screen. Thanks!

2011 Annual Appeal Update: Help us Reach $3,000

We've officially reached 25% of our $10,000 goal, and we've now raised $2,596. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far. And a special thank you goes to Gregory Lobo-Jost, whose donation officially tipped the scales.

We only need $404 to make it to $3,000. Please donate today and help us fund our programs in 2011.

In case you missed this week's videos, here they are again:

Donate to BxNN to help the next class of students, like Geovanna Borden, in the Bronx Youth Journalism Initiative. The spring session began yesterday at Hostos Community College.


Geovanna Borden for BxNN from Bronx News Network on Vimeo.


Listen to why Nick Napolitano, Norwood resident and Community Board 7 member, supports BxNN.


Nick Napolitano for BxNN from Bronx News Network on Vimeo.

2011 Annual Appeal Update: We've Reached 25%

We've officially reached 25% of our goal and we've now raised $2,571. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far. We'd especially like to thank Gregory Lobo-Jost whose donation officially tipped the scales. The Lobo-Jost family has supported BxNN for several years, and we really appreciate their dedication to our programs.

We only need $429 to make it to $3,000. Please donate today and help us fund our programs in 2011.

In case you missed this week's videos, here they are again:

Donate to BxNN to help the next class of students, like Geovanna Borden, in the Bronx Youth Journalism Initiative. The spring session began yesterday at Hostos Community College.

Geovanna Borden for BxNN from Bronx News Network on Vimeo.

Listen to why Nick Napolitano, Norwood resident and Community Board 7 member, supports BxNN.

Nick Napolitano for BxNN from Bronx News Network on Vimeo.

2011 Annual Appeal Update: Helps us Raise $10,000

A reminder that our campaign is still going on and that we've raised $2,471--almost 25% of our $10,000 goal. We just need $29 dollars to make it to 25% of our goal.

Please donate today and help us reach our goal of raising $10,000 by February 18th. To learn more about our programs, visit our About Us page.

Today we also kick off a new semester of the Bronx Youth Journalism Initiative, which meets after school at Hostos Community College, and provides free journalism training to Bronx high school students. Check out this video from one of our former students, Geovanna Borden, and why she loves the Bronx News Network.

Geovanna Borden for BxNN from Bronx News Network on Vimeo.

2011 Annual Appeal: Just 3 Weeks Left To Donate to Our Campaign

We're officially at the midpoint of our 2011 annual appeal and so far we've raised $2,471. We've only got three weeks left to reach our goal of raising $10,000 for our programs in 2011, and we're asking for your help. If you have not donated, please donate today! To learn more about our programs, visit our About Us page.

And here's a word from Nick Napolitano, active member of Community Board 7, Norwood resident, and BxNN donor! Both Nick and his wife are dedicated fans of the Bronx News Network and we really appreciate their support.

Nick Napolitano for BxNN from Bronx News Network on Vimeo.

BxNN Annual Appeal: Donate Today!

We'd like to remind everyone that we are in the middle of our annual fundraising appeal. If you value the news and information that you get on this blog, please donate to our campaign today!

If you'd like to go straight into PayPal, click here. If you have any questions about how your donation will be used, feel free to email me, BxNN's Development Associate, at isalazar@mpcbronx.org.

Even small donations will add up to make a big difference for our programs.

And check out videos from some of our fans, Rosemary Ordonez-Jenkins of Phipps Community Development Corporation and Councilman Fernando Cabrera. We'll have more videos on Monday, so stay tuned. In case you missed this week's video, here's Andrew Boryga, a graduate of our Bronx youth journalism program. After completing our program, Andrew went on to intern and write for The New York Times. Currently, Andrew is a sophomore at Cornell University.

Andrew Boryga for BxNN from Bronx News Network on Vimeo.

Update on Fundraising & How You Can Support Our Youth Journalism Program

As you may know, we're in the middle of our 2011 fundraising campaign, and so far we've been able to raise $1,920. If you have not sent your contribution yet, please consider donating today and help us raise $10,000 by February 18th.

Your support will help us continue our programs this year, which include publishing our newspapers, producing our blog, and running our youth journalism program.

Our youth program, the Bronx Youth Journalism Initiative, is now in its fourth year. Under the guidance of experienced editors and BxNN staff members, students learn the basics of reporting and writing articles. As few Bronx high schools have student newspapers or journalism classes, our program provides an important resource to high school students in the Bronx. Take a look at this clip from one of our first students, Andrew Boryga, a sophomore at Cornell University, who after completing our program went on to intern and write for the New York Times.

Andrew Boryga for BxNN from Bronx News Network on Vimeo.

The spring session starts next week. Click here for more information. Your donation will really make a difference. Please donate today!

Update on Our 2011 Annual Appeal

We’d like to update you on our annual appeal, which we’ve been running for about two weeks. So far we’ve raised $1,495, and we’re really thankful for all of our supporters. If you haven’t made your contribution yet, please take some time to donate today. Our goal is to raise $10,000 by February 18 th so that we can continue to run our programs in 2011!

The Bronx News Network is a non-profit organization. The information we provide here, and in our print publications, is free to anyone who wants it, but it costs us a lot of money to produce. We need the support of our readers to make it all work and to grow BxNN so that we can provide more news to more Bronxites.

Your support will help us publish our two bi-lingual monthlies -- the Mount Hope Monitor and the Tremont Tribune -- and run a youth journalism program for high school students.

We also publish the BxNN blog and we want it to be a “home page” for the Bronx and a place for dialogue that leads to community improvement. Our blog is read by many important leaders and decision makers, as well as Bronx residents. Here’s one of our fans, Councilman Fernando Cabrera on why he reads our blog every day.

Fernando Cabrera for BxNN from Bronx News Network on Vimeo.

Donate today! Just click on the “Donate” button at the top right.

Thank you!

Update on Our 2011 Annual Appeal

We wanted to update you on our 2011 Annual Appeal that we launched on Monday. So far we have raised $1,121. Thank you to everyone who has donated to our campaign. We really appreciate it.

We want our blog to be the “home page” for the Bronx and a place for dialogue that leads to community improvement. The information we provide here, and in our print publications, is free to anyone who wants it, but it costs us a lot of money to produce. If you haven’t donated, please consider making a donation. Even small donations are appreciated.

And don’t forget to check out this video of loyal Tremont Tribune reader Rosemary Ordenez-Jenkins of Phipps Houses. We'll have more video announcements from other BxNN fans and supporters in the coming weeks.


Rosemary Ordonez-Jenkins for BxNN from Bronx News Network on Vimeo.

Click here to donate via credit card. Or you can send a check (made out to Bronx News Network) and mail it to 3400 Reservoir Oval East, Bronx, NY 10467.

Thanks for reading this blog and our newspapers -- and for caring about your neighborhood and your borough.

BxNN's Annual Appeal Launches: Support Quality Local Journalism Today!

Rosemary Ordonez-Jenkins for BxNN from Bronx News Network on Vimeo.

Dear BxNN Readers,

As Rosemary says in the video above, we need your help.

The information we provide here, and in our print publications, is free to anyone who wants it, but it costs us a lot of money to produce. We need the support of our readers to make it all work and to grow BxNN so that we can provide more news to more Bronxites.

This marks the beginning of our annual appeal campaign. During the next six weeks you’ll be hearing from a number of Bronxites like Rosemary who have come to rely on BxNN. We hope you’ll join them and become a supporter.  Our goal is to raise at least $10,000.

Some of you may only be familiar with this website, but there’s a lot more to BxNN. Here’s what we're all about:

BxNN is a nonprofit organization. Our mission is to bring high-quality local news and information to neighborhoods where no one else does. We engage, inform and empower residents so they can hold decision makers accountable and build strong communities.

In addition to this site, we publish two bi-lingual monthlies -- the Mount Hope Monitor and the Tremont Tribune -- and run a youth journalism program for high school students. (The Norwood News, a Network founder and participant, is still published by Mosholu Preservation Corporation). We also work closely with other nonprofit media in the borough like the Hunts Point Express, the Mott Haven Herald and BronxTalk.

This site brings it all together. We see it as a “home page” for the Bronx and a place for dialogue that leads to community improvement. If you're a regular reader, you've probably noticed recent additions to the site -- a community forum and calendar, resource pages on housing, crime and education (there are more to come) and SeeClickFix, which allows you to report and map problems in your neighborhood. In the coming weeks, we will be adding more features, and including more video reports.

There's simply no other place to consistently get this kind of information about your community.

How much is that worth to you? If you spend $2.50 a week for a daily newspaper on your way into work that's at least $120 a year. Isn’t local news that about your community worthy of your support, too?

Any amount that you can afford will help BxNN thrive.

It's easy to contribute. Just click the donate button on the top right side of this page. Or, if you'd prefer to send a check, just make it out to Bronx News Network and mail to: 3400 Reservoir Oval East, Bronx, NY 10467.

Thanks for reading this blog and our newspapers -- and for caring about your neighborhood and your borough.

All of us at BxNN wish you the best in 2011. And please let us know if you have any questions or suggestions. 

Jordan Moss

Executive Editor and Publisher