The D.C. Pro chapter has donated $500 to a fund helping journalists affected by the deadly tornado in Joplin, Mo., in May.
This case stood out as an example of journalists needing outside help from their colleagues. According to one report, 26 employees of the Joplin Globe newspaper suffered heavy damage to their homes or lost them completely.
The D.C. Pro chapter also donated money to help journalists in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005.
The money to help Joplin journalists went to a fund organized by the Missouri Press Foundation.
In July, the foundation sent our chapter a thank-you that says total donations had reached nearly $70,000.
"Your support means so much to the dedicated newspapermen and women who are on the job in Joplin," the letter says.
A separate letter from Mike Beatty, the publisher of The Joplin Globe, says: "Joplin has always been known for its resolve. The generous donations, prayers and support that you have given us will make it easier for our staff who were affected to get back up on their feet. Almost in every case the people you helped were in tears or fighting back tears as I handed them your generous gifts."
The donations "made 33 families much happier in knowing that they are better off financially than before and that they work for a caring organization," Beatty wrote.
The national Sigma Delta Chi Foundation donated $2,500 to the cause on behalf of SPJ professional chapters in St. Louis, Southwest Missouri and Kansas City.
Anyone interested in donating to the Joplin disaster fund can go to www.mopress.com/foundation.php?blog_id=122 for more information.