The clock is ticking toward the annual Access Press Charlie Smith Award Banquet, Friday, November 4 at DoubleTree by Hilton, 7800 Normandale Blvd, Bloomington. Join Minnesota’s disability news source at a new venue as we honor the 2016 Charlie Smith Award winner and enjoy an evening of good food and fellowship.
This year’s event starts at 5:30 p.m. with the silent auction/raffle and social hour. The dinner and award winner honors start at 7 p.m. It is always a fun evening and a chance for everyone in Minnesota’s disability community to celebrate accomplishments.
Like any good newspaper, Access Press sets deadlines. Important deadlines are coming up for community members wishing to be banquet sponsors or silent auction/pick a prize raffle donors. The deadline for requests for American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation is coming up, too.
Contact Access Press Business Manager Dawn at 651-644-2133 or dawn@testing.accesspress.org to be a banquet sponsor, silent auction/raffle donor or for ASL accommodations. Following the deadlines helps our event run more smoothly. Here are 2016 deadlines: Saturday, October 1 is the deadline to be a banquet sponsor.
Sponsorship level names reflect past and present newsroom titles. AXIS, In Home Personal Care, Minnesota Center for Independent Living, ADA Minnesota and NHHI are the 2016 Editor-in-Chief level. Accra- Care and True Friends are Proofreader sponsors.
There’s still time to join in at any level of sponsorship.
Keyliners Level:
The first level is the Keyliners Level, at $300. In the pre-desktop publishing days, keyliners put the paper together. The sponsor logo will be displayed on table signs, and the organization/company name will be listed in the 2016 Charlie Smith Award Banquet program. The sponsoring organization/company will be recognized in the November and December 2016 issues of Access Press with an ad. Sponsors will receive one free website ad during the month of choice, a value of $100.
Proofreaders Level:
The second level is the Proofreaders Level, at $400. Proofreaders make sure all of the copy is correct before the newspaper goes to press. The sponsor logo will be displayed on table signs, and the organization/company name will be listed in the 2016 Charlie Smith Award Banquet program. The sponsoring organization/company will be recognized in the November and December 2016 issues of Access Press. Sponsors will receive two free rotating website ads during the months of choice, a value of $200. Proofreader sponsors will be listed on a special banner displayed at the banquet.
Editor-in-Chief Level
The third level for sponsors is the Editor-in-Chief Level, at $500. This title reflects the highest position in a newsroom. The sponsor logo will be displayed on table signs, and the organization/company name will be listed in the 2016 Charlie Smith Award Banquet program. The sponsoring organization/company will be recognized in the November and December 2016 issues of Access Press. Sponsors will receive two free rotating website ads during the months of choice, a value of $200. Editor-in-Chief sponsors will be listed on a special banner displayed at the banquet. The sponsoring organization/company will be recognized by the emcee during the banquet. A table will be named in the sponsor’s honor the evening of the event. This sponsoring level also includes a free Access Press subscription, a value of $30 and one Directory of Organizations listing, good for one year, a value of $60.
Saturday, October 15 is the deadline to request ASL interpretation. It is also the deadline for silent auction and pick-a-prize raffle donations.
One of the liveliest parts of the Access Press Charlie Smith Award Banquet is the silent auction and pick-a-prize raffle. Bidding starts during the dinner’s social hour and continues as the meal is served. It can be fun as friends make spirited bids against each other. Equally enjoyable is the pick-a-prize raffle. Items are lined up, with jars for raffle tickets. Buy a ticket for 50 cents and out it in the corresponding jar. For just a little money, the winner can take home a nice prize.
Donations of all kinds are sought for the silent auction and raffle. It’s a great way to show off one’s handiwork, give publicity for business or show individual, nonprofit or business support for Access Press. Past prizes have included handmade items, jewelry, accessible vacations, food and drink, sports and theater tickets, original art, electronics, sports memorabilia and more.
And of course, everyone is urged to get reservations in for the November 4 banquet. Tickets are $50 per person or $350 for an eight-person table. Three menu choices are available. Enjoy beef pot roast, slow-cooked, with pan gravy and whipped potatoes. Or have Minnesota Chicken Roulade, a wild rice-stuffed breast of chicken with sage cream and roasted potato. The third choice is lemon and tomato-tossed tagliatelle, a vegan, dairy and gluten-free pasta tossed with garlic-infused oil, roma tomatoes, olives, lemon zest and basil, served with a gluten-free breadstick. Dinners also include dessert and beverages.
Guests can register in several ways. Go online to www.testing.accesspress.org/the-charlie-smith-award/and register via the newspaper website. Or mail a check or checks to: Access Press, Attn: Dawn, 161 St. Anthony Ave Suite 910, St. Paul, MN 55103. A third option is to call the newspaper office at 651-644-2133 and register by phone.
