Event to honor Herald-Standard
The Herald-Standard and its employees will be honored at this year’s Heart Gala for the newspaper’s continued support of the American Heart Association. Charmaine Sampson, the event’s sponsorship chairperson, said the Herald-Standard was selected as this year’s honoree because of its outstanding commitment to promoting awareness of the American Heart Association’s life-saving mission.
“Over the years, the Herald-Standard has devoted countless resources to promoting awareness of health and community issues that concern the residents of Fayette County,” Sampson said.
Sheila Mechling, who will co-chair this year’s event with Leda Gismondi, said the Herald-Standard has an ongoing tradition of providing news coverage for the association’s events.
“We appreciate everything that the newspaper has done to help us with news coverage and advertising,” Mechling said. “We felt that after all of the years that the newspaper has given to heart, we had to do something for newspaper employees.”
For more than a decade, Herald-Standard employees have participated in the Heart Walk, which is held every year as a fund-raising event for the American Heart Association.
Mechling explained that gala committee members make the decision each year to honor an individual or a business.
“In the past, the honor has always been given to individuals, but we felt this year that the Herald-Standard was very deserving of the honor,” she said. “Each year, we try to honor someone who is always active with issues concerning the heart association.”
Herald-Standard Publisher Val J. Laub said he is very proud that the newspaper was selected to receive “this honorable recognition from the American Heart Association.”
“I was very surprised and humbled when Leda Gismondi, Jes Hutson and Sheila Mechling presented this honor to the newspaper,” Laub said.
More than a decade ago, Laub, who was then working as the newspaper’s circulation director, recruited employees and organized a team to participate in the Heart Walk.
“The Herald-Standard employees have been involved in the heart association organization for many years,” he said. “The local heart association employees and directors do an outstanding job serving our community and helping our family members, friends and neighbors who are afflicted with heart problems. We have participated in the Heart Walk every year since its inception.
“Actually, it’s the Herald-Standard employees who are receiving the honor,” he added. “They are the ones who have volunteered their time to help the heart association. They recognize the value of their efforts.”
Laub said Linda Toth, the Herald-Standard’s circulation director, has actively served on the association’s board of directors and has coordinated efforts between the newspaper and the organization.
Toth and Phil Sperry, who works as the newspaper’s controller, are expected to attend this year’s gala to represent the newspaper.
“The Herald-Standard has been very involved in the community,” Laub said.
“We are the community newspaper,” he added. “We have more than 260 employees who are part of the community and the vast majority of them actively volunteer many hours supporting many community events.
“The mission of our company is to provide news, information and services to enable our communities to prosper,” he added.
Some of the community organizations that the Herald-Standard supports include the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, Walk America that benefits the March of Dimes, the United Way, the Junior Achievement Bowl-A-Thon and Light the Night, which raises money for the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society.