BANNERS SUPPORT LOCAL LITERACY

What started out as a limited-time offer has turned into a fabulous fund-raising effort for the YELL Foundation.

Nearly $10,000 was raised last year for the YELL Foundation through weekly front-page banners published in the Southeast Missourian.

The banner, which feature employees of a business or members of an organization holding a large banner that says "Southeast Missourian," is used as the newspaper's front-page banner on Saturday mornings.

The banners were originally scheduled to run for just one year, but the program has been such a success that it will continue.

"It's a wonderful opportunity for the businesses in town to make a statement in support of local literacy," said Pat Zellmer, advertising director at the Southeast Missourian.

YELL is an acronym for Youth, Education, Literacy, Learning. The program helps promote literacy efforts in Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Scott City.

Each September, civic groups and other volunteers stand on city streets hawking special YELL editions of the Southeast Missourian newspaper. Money raised from the paper sales helps fund the Newspaper in Education program and grants awarded to literacy programs.

Until two years ago, the YELL campaign operated under the sponsorship of the Area Wide United Way. Businesses and corporations that made donations to YELL could consider them as a business expense but not a charitable contribution. But by establishing the YELL Foundation, business contributions can now be considered as charitable donations, and the tax-exempt status allows the YELL Foundation to conduct other fund raising activities.

The front-page banners have been added as a fund-raising activity for the YELL Foundation. All the money raised from the banners goes to the YELL program, Zellmer said. The cost of an individual banner ad is $200.

Zellmer first saw similar banners running in a sister publication and thought the idea was wonderful. "People love to see pictures of their friends and neighbors in the newspaper," she said.

And they can each Saturday when the banners run on the front page of the Southeast Missourian. The groups pictured are identified on Page 2 of the newspaper.

Businesses with as few as three employees have made banner contributions in support of YELL, while others have featured dozens of people. Still other companies use the banners as a way of promoting special events or giving recognition to departments in a company, Zellmer said.

Often the groups choose the date for the banner based on a company anniversary or corporate event, she added.

Businesses or groups interested in donating to YELL through a front-page banners may contact an advertising representative at the Southeast Missourian at 335-6611 for details.

Not only do the banners support literacy efforts, "It's fun too," Zellmer said. "How many times do you get to go out and do something that not only helps a child learn how to read and gets a picture in the paper?"

The people who benefit most from the banners are the children. "I shudder to think what would happen if the community and businesses didn't support YELL," Zellmer said.