No rewards for helping prisoners

Call it vanity if you wish, but when I was a young, aggressive broadcast journalist I coveted the title “award-winning” for my news department. 

As a teenager I aspired to become a good radio news reporter. I had no formal training in the field, so it was up to me to establish and follow my own curriculum. I worked hard at it, and eventually became a respectable and respected newsman. Over time my small-market radio news department became incredibly good and nationally recognized. But, I wanted awards. We never got them. 

Some radio news departments that were receiving honors were so large they actually had staff members preparing materials for annual award entries. Others had large enough departments to assign team-members to prepare documentaries and investigative features hoping for awards. 

But, here’s what I’m finally getting. 

While these award-seekers did their best to get recognition every year, my little team and I were doing our darndest to serve our community! With a staff of 2 people along with a part-timer, we had no time to work on award entries, documentaries and exposes. Our listeners counted on us every day not only for hard news information, like fires and accidents, but also for accurate reporting on local governments, local school districts, local elections, local weather alerts. 

Small-town newspapers hit the street by noon every weekday, and did not publish on Sunday. That left a huge space to be covered by radio: afternoons, evenings, weekends. 

We didn’t get awards, but we were rewarded by listener comments and listener loyalty, and a ton of satisfaction! 

All of this leads me to the work of HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS. 

I see that many non-profits are recognized state-wide, some even receiving state money. I see many non-profit organizations garnering major news coverage and receiving substantial financial grants. 

That doesn’t happen when you choose to help the sad, lonely and often forgotten men and women who are locked up in our prisons. 

Just as in my little news department, there’s little recognition for the HFP team. All the while, behind the scenes, we’re responding to as many as 1,000 pleas for help from people incarcerated in Michigan state facilities each month We’re adding about 17 new clients to our workload every week! Our client list now exceeds 11,000, which means that in our brief 24 years of existence we have already touched the lives of more than one-third of all Michigan prisoners! 

Award winning? You bet! 

Be assured: This will always be an award-winning organization, manned by an award-winning staff, assisted by award-winning volunteers, guided by an award-winning board, and funded by award-winning supporters! 

Man gives you the award but God gives you the reward

-Denzel Washington

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