I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.
June 30, 1996
By Devlyn Brooks
Staff Writer
With the 52nd Water Carnival approaching, the Bemidji Jaycees are working on those final few contributions that will go to the carnival. However, Jaycees President Laurie Sanders said she believes some Bemidji businesses have misunderstood the reasoning behind the Jaycees fund drive.
She said some businesses that have been asked to donate have asked members of the Jaycees what they get back from their donations.
During the current fund drive for the Water Carnival, one person asked to contribute to the Water Carnival even asked how an Enhanced 911 system would benefit them because they live in a secluded area. "I don't think people understand what 911 is," she said.
Sanders said she thinks some people do not understand that any proceeds made from Jaycees events go directly back to the community. Normally, she said the Jaycees will donate the money to non-profit organizations or even to people who have suffered tragedies.
For instance, the money made from this year's Water Carnival are being donated to the E911 fund and to future waterfront projects. Sanders said her organization contributes 90 percent of all its proceeds back to the community, and the other 10 percent is used for administrative expenses such as insurance and accountants.
None of the money goes to the people in the organization, she said. They are all volunteers. The stereotype of "All the Jaycees do is drink beer" is incorrect, she said. "They're not seeing what we do."
Sanders said a lot of the people who join are self-employed business people who are looking to gain leadership experience from being in the Jaycees. "I hope businesses realize the Jaycees are made up of business people," she said. "We are them."
"We're just volunteers," she said. "The Jaycees themselves don't get anything (monetarily) out of it." She said it is the self-satisfaction the members receive by being involved that keep them motivated.
Some Jaycees will only work on one project that is of interest to them, but she that is fine. "We need the manpower, and that's fine."
Businesses that do not understand what they receive from donating to the Jaycees, she said, must remember all of the projects are done in this area. "This is all going to something that is going to stay in their community," she said.
"I hope they remember that being they donated money to the fireworks and the carnival, it will pull people up here," she said. "Tourists help everybody's business."
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