Report to Readers by Susan LoTempio

Buffalo, the college town

We may not be Boston, but this time of year thousands of college students flock to Buffalo to attend one of our local colleges or universities. And for at least nine months of the year, Buffalo is a thriving college town.

Many of these students come from downstate; others from around the country, Canada and beyond. And though they quickly learn about life on campus, they know little about Buffalo, other than jokes about snowfall.

To help orient them to their new "hometown," The News has published a guide called Buffalo 101, which is being distributed on campuses, in book stores and coffee shops around the area.

The guide was written, designed and photographed by the Editorial Department's summer interns. This year's group was a talented bunch that knew instinctively what information college students new to Buffalo would want to know.

To read their reports, go to this link.

Community partners

Newspapers do more than deliver the news - they are also active parts of their communities. That's why The News devotes staff time and space in the paper to support two important local charitable causes.

  In late fall/early winter, it's The News Neediest fund, which raises thousands of dollars and collects a warehouse full of toys to distribute to local families in need during the holidays. We are a community that cares about those who have fallen on tough economic times, and The News Neediest fund ensures that they, too, will have happy holidays.

You may not know, however, that The News has supported Cradle Beach since the late 1940s, and this is the time of year when its fund drive takes place on the pages of our newspaper.

Cradle Beach offers a summer camp program for children with disabilities and children who come from low-income families. The five sessions at its campus on the shores of Lake Erie in Angola, offer these kids the opportunity to leave their dangerous neighborhoods for 10 days of sun and fun and learning. The camp is completely wheelchair accessible, so campers with disabilities can take advantage of recreational opportunities that they don't find anywhere else - such as an amazing wheelchair-accessible tree house.

Reporters on The News' staff visit with the staff and campers at Cradle Beach throughout the summer, and report on the important work being done there. Their stories can be found in the City & Region section along with information on how the community can support this special place.

Fireworks for the Fourth

Never let it be said that all news is bad news. This time of year, much of the news seems to be centered around happy things like parades, picnics, fireworks and outdoor concerts with patriotic overtones.

  And in case you missed the published version of the comprehensive list of local events to celebrate the Fourth of July, go to this link to see what's planned in your community.

Especially check the rain dates. Some firework displays might be rained out on the 4th with thunderstorms in the forecast.

Kids Day

  Close to 4,000 people got up really early this morning to sell the special Kids Day edition of The News. They do it year after year in rain, sunshine or snow, because they believe in helping the kids with special needs cared for at Women's and Children's Hospital and other local agencies.

For commuters and volunteers, Kids Day is a one-day (actually, one-morning) event. For The News, it's a labor of love that's worked on - literally - for months.

If it takes a village to raise a child, then it takes a whole newspaper company (along with the Variety Club) to help thousands of kids. All departments - from editorial, which produces the Kids Day section, to promotions and marketing, circulation, advertising and production are involved in Kids Day.

In January, two employees take a "leave" from their usual jobs at the paper and concentrate full time on making Kids Day run smoothly. On Kids Day itself, many News staffers volunteer to drive the trucks, work in the zone offices and the mailroom, and sell some of the 150,000 special editions that come off our presses in the early morning hours.

This year we're celebrating the 25th anniversary of The News' involvement in Kids Day, an event we took on after the Courier-Express closed its doors.

Cindy Sterner, our promotions and public affairs manager who oversees Kids Day, worked until 8 Monday night, then came back at midnight to oversee the operation. She was particularly happy with the good weather that greeted volunteers, which will help us meet the $135,000 goal. (For those who didn't pick up the special edition today, Cindy said there will be a special donation mailer in Thursday's paper. Online readers will also be given a way to donate.)

It seems that each year, Kids Day generates goodwill around the community. This morning, for instance, those who bought the Kids Day edition near Salvatore's Italian Garden also received  cannolis from the restaurant. Buyers along Abbott Road were greeted by clowns.

It's amazing how kids can bring out the best in all of us.