Food for Families
 Please help support our 13 Food for Families project June 9-16th! All you have to do is go to any participating Spartan Store and donate non-perishable food items and place them in the grocery carts located at the front door. You can also drop off your donations at the WZZM 13 studios, where we will have a Spartan truck parked in our front lot, waiting for you to help fill it up!
The first year of the campaign, over 150,000 pounds of food were collected and distributed. In 2007 the goal of 200,000 pounds was reached and this year we're hoping to again collect 200,000 pounds of food. Our community has shown a strong commitment to helping each other in times of need; let's continue that spirit in 2008! Watch WZZM 13 for more details in the coming months and for a complete list of drop-off locations go to www.wzzm13.com.
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Toys for Tots:
WZZM 13 and the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve believe that no child should go without this holiday season. That is why we have teamed together on Toys for Tots.
The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve created Toys for Tots as a nationwide community service program in 1947. This program collects and distributes new, unwrapped toys. Today, the national program has some 300 cities participating, collecting and distributing over 10 million toys annually. Presently, Major Mark Kustra coordinates toy collection efforts, along with the Toys for Tots Community Committee. The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve is committed to ensuring that all funds collected in a specific community are used to purchase toys from local vendors and all toys that are purchased/donated are then distributed to the needy children in the local community.
To receive toys, a parent or guardian must pre-register at their nearest key food pantry beginning in October, or call First Call for Help at 616-459-2625 to find out where to register. You must show proof of income and how many children you have.
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13 Friends for Life:
One in every eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in our lifetime. Whether you survive or not depends in large part on your own watchfulness. When breast cancer is caught in the early stages, it is almost always curable. Left alone, a tiny speck of cancer will grow and eventually infect the entire body.
Friends for Life is a program designed to help you and a friend protect yourselves. Here are three simple things you can do to maintain your own breast health:
- Choose your Friend for Life. It can be your mother, daughter, sister or a friend. On the 13th of each month, call your Friend for Life and remind her to do a breast self-exam.
- Share your personal and family history with your doctor and ask how often you should have professional check ups.
- Regular mammograms are so important because 70% of women who develop breast cancer have none of the risk factors.
Caring for your health is not difficult or expensive. Self-exams take only a few minutes a month and a mammogram takes less than an hour. We urge you to watch WZZM 13 and follow our Friends for Life campaign. We hope our news stories on breast cancer will keep you informed as well as answer your questions with quarterly phone banks.
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Susan G. Komen Grand Rapids Race for the Cure:
Race for the Cure is a 5K run/walk for women, men and children. The premise is to raise money for the fight against breast cancer. WZZM 13 was a proud partner of the 2007 Race for the Cure. For more information on the 2008 race, call 616-560-CURE or visit the Race for the Cure website.
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13 Cares:
This program involves WZZM 13 setting up question/answer session’s with members of specific communities and employees of the station. Lee Van Ameyde and Juliet Dragos emcee this forum with the general manager, department heads and news staff on hand to assist with questions.
WZZM 13 conduct’s quarterly 13 Cares forums in the communities we serve to learn about complex issues that are important to our viewers. All of these are conducted for the purpose of learning more about our viewers, what their concerns are, and how we as West Michigan’s news station can do a better job of serving the community and our viewers. If your organization is interested in learning more about 13 Cares, please call our community relations department at 616-785-1313.
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Relay for Life
Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature activity. It offers everyone in a community an opportunity to participate in the fight against cancer. Teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Relays are an overnight event, up to 24 hours in length.
Teams of people from all walks of life have fun while raising much-needed funds to fight cancer and raise awareness of cancer prevention and treatment.
No matter who you are, there’s a place for you at Relay. To participate, form a team, or dedicate a luminaria at your local American Cancer Society Relay For Life, please call 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit http://www.cancer.org/.
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Gannett Foundation Grants:
WZZM 13 is owned and operated by Gannett Inc., which has a separate non-profit entity, The Gannett Foundation. Through this Foundation, non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations are encouraged to apply for grants throughout the year whose mission exemplifies children, families and education. To apply, call our Community Relations Department at (616) 785-1313.
Gannett Foundation grant application deadline: August 15, 2008. Contact Beth Wilson (616-559-1482) for more information.
What the Gannett Foundation does not fund.
Like many donors, the Gannett Foundation receives many more requests than they can fund. As a result,
contributions will not be considered for the following purposes:
- individuals
- organizations not determined by the IRS to be
tax-exempt under §501(c)(3)
- national or regional organizations unless
their programs address specific local community needs
- programs or initiatives where the primary
purpose is the promotion of religious doctrine or tenets
- elementary or secondary schools (except to
provide special initiatives or programs not provided by regular school
budgets)
- political action or legislative advocacy
groups
- endowment funds
- multiple-year pledge campaigns
- medical or research organizations
- organizations located in or benefiting nations
other than the US and its territories
- fraternal groups, athletic teams, bands, veteran's organizations, volunteer firefighters or similar groups
Click here to print a copy of the
Gannett Foundation Grant Application
Mail your grant application to:
WZZM 13 / Gannett Foundation Grants
Attention: Beth Wilson
Box Z - Grand Rapids, Michigan 49501
Click here to review a list of past West Michigan recipients of Gannett Foundation Grants.
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Anchor Speaking Engagements:
Our anchors and reporters are happy to visit schools and organizations to give speeches, emcee events or read to students. All requests should be sent at least three weeks in advance or you can call WZZM 13's Promotion Coordinator to schedule an anchor speaking engagement at 616-785-1313.
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Station Tours:
We conduct station tours for schools or organizations such as the boy/girl scouts who are learning about weather. Tours are done at 10AM or 1PM and last about 45 minutes. All requests should be sent at least three weeks in advance. Please call 785-1313 ext 444 for times and scheduling details.
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Community Calendar:
If your organizations is working to Make a Difference in our community, send your information including event, date, time and a phone number for people to call to WZZM 13, attention Community Calendar at least three weeks in advance. Or fax your request to 616-785-1301.
Click here for our online Community Calendar
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