Here's $2,000 to get started on your regional conference: foundation is looking for five takers.

Though I am writing this in early October, I have my eye on the end of December, people's last chance to make charitable donations in 2007. Nagging would not be appropriate this year because so many of our members have become Foundation donors. But for those of you with some "spare" dollars earmarked for charitable giving, I ask that you consider the NCEW Foundation.

Please take a moment to read the list of donors below; it's truly impressive. Many of you responded to the board's "dialing for dollars" last spring and many more donated items for the convention Celebration and more still bought Celebration tickets. All efforts were appreciated, and we thought it important to let your fellow opinion writers and editors know who you are. Thanks.

I would be remiss not to offer a very special thanks to Richard Larsen from Ventura, California, whose generosity and canniness were in evidence at nearly every turn in Kansas City. He not only put money in the pot to acquire Celebration tickets but showed himself to be quite adept at having his name drawn and, at the auctions--both silent and live--he was a big player. Richard's final bid of $1,200 for a very special mounting of a William Allen White letter and first-day cover stamped envelope ended the rivalry with Paul Greenberg, who graciously acknowledged defeat. Richard also was the high bidder for the original of the cover of The Masthead's autumn issue. The Celebration this year brought $8,405 to the Foundation.

As we all are aware these are trying times in the media business. With cutbacks at every turn and with consolidation, those of us who ply the opinion trade are diligently trying to figure out our roles in the future. Of vital importance will be The Opinion Pool, the partnership among several NCEW-member newspapers. Eddie Roth of the Dayton Daily News will coordinate this venture. Folks at the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri and the Kettering Foundation are also actively involved in this endeavor.

As this experiment unfolds, it will be the work of the NCEW Foundation to help members gain a practical as well as theoretical understanding of what is learned. Education is the Foundation's business. We do this through support for The Masthead, foreign and domestic tours, the Minority Writers Seminar, and trips to the United Nations and the U.S. State Department. And we are on the lookout for more opportunities with the National Press Foundation and others.

Potential education programs with the possibility for real importance--regional conferences--just don't seem to happen very often even though in conversation members say that is what they want. What it seems people really want is for someone else to plan, organize, and conduct the conference. The NCEW Foundation will support regional conferences with up to $2,000 to offset costs. We have a regional conference template so you don't have to start from scratch--though you might want to innovate.

My challenge is this: Let's have five regional conferences next year. Five of you have to get things started. But you won't have to do it all yourselves. You will find folks at other newspapers and broadcast outlets not only willing to come, but willing to help out too. It's difficult to get the kind of good, inexpensive professional development that regional conferences can offer. And conferences can be crafted around a specific theme or idea like education or sprawl. In Texas and New York, conferences have been built around state government operations. In New England, NCEW members have partnered with the New England Society of Newspaper Editors to put on a conference. In Nebraska, a gathering similar to New England is held each year. With apologies to The Home Depot: "You can do it; we can help."

Again, thanks for your generosity in this year of challenges.

Members and friends who donated to the NCEW Foundation

Susan Albright, Star Tribune

M.J. Anderson, The Providence Journal

Marjode Arons-Barron, Barron Assoc Worldwide, Inc.

Harry Austin, Jr., Chattanooga Times Free Press

Michael Bailey, Journal Star

David Barham, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Thomas Barton, Savannah Morning News

Jim Beamguard, The Tampa Tribune

Gayle Beck, The Repository

Pat Bellinghausen, The Billings Gazette

Herb Berkowitz, The Independent Institute, Oakland, California

Jennifer Berkowitz, Center for Excellence in Higher Education

Chuck Bemstein, National Environmental Trust

John Bersia, Orlando Sentinel

Christine Bertelson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Robyn Blumner, St. Petersburg Times

Dennis Bonavita, The Courier-Express/Tri-County Sunday

Bonneville International Corporation

James Boren. The Fresno Bee

Elizabeth Brierly, The Independent Institute, Oakland, California

Ann Brill, KU School of Journalism

Lynnell Burkett, UB CommuniCo

Robert Caldwell, The Oregonian

Bonnie Calhoun Williams, Anderson Independent-Mail

Royal Calkins, The Monterey County Herald

Linda Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Duane Cardal, KSL-AM/TV

Jacalyn Carfagno, Lexington Herald-Leader

O.K. Carter, Arlington Star-Telegram

James Cato, The Beaufort Gazzette

Albert Cawood, retired

Chattanooga Times Free Press

Eric Chiles, The Morning Call

Paul Choiniere, The Day

Michael Clark, The Florida Times-Union

Reese Cleghorn, University of Maryland

Alan Cochrum, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Melinda Condon, PNA

Brendan Conway, The Washington Times

Elise Crane, Project Syndicate

Gary Crooks, The Spokesman-Review

Joann Crupi, Times Union

Lee Cullum, retired

Ron Cunningham, The Gainesville-Sun

Barbara Curtin, Statesman Journal

Fran Dauth, The Star-Ledger

Sherry Davenport, The Patriot News

Charles Davis, The Anniston Star

Tom Dennis, Grand Forks Herald

Jerry Dhonau, retired

Jennifer Dokes, The Arizona Republic

Andie Dominick, The Des Moines Register

Damen Dowse, Project Syndicate

Barbara Drake, retired

Mike Dunbar, The Modesto Bee

Bill Dunn, Grand Island Independent

Claire Duquette, The Daily Press

Ron Dzwonkowski, Detroit Free Press

Shelley Epstein, Journal Star (retired)

Robert Estabrook, The Lakeville Journal

Steve Falcone, Reno Gazette-Journal

Fred Fiske, The Post-Standard

Phineas Fiske, retired

Jeff Fox, The Examiner

Chuck Frederick, Duluth News Tribune

Edward Jay Friedlander, University of South Florida

Tom Gagen, The Boston Globe

G. Donald Gale, Words, Words, Words, Inc.

Vanessa Gallman, Lexington Herald-Leader Gannett

Theodore Gatchel, Naval War College

Joseph Geshwiler, retired

Paul Gigot, The Wall Street Journal

Rosemary Goudreau, The Tampa Tribune

Rhonda Graham, The News Journal

Paul Greenberg, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Jonathan Gurwitz, San Antonio Express-News

Joy Haenlein, The Advocate

David Hage, Star Tribune

Christine Hall. Competitive Enterprise Institute

William Halldin, Forest Foundation

Gary Hardee, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Paul Harral, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Donald Harrison, retired

Froma Harrop, The Providence Journal

Phil Haslanger, The Capital Times

Nell Heinen, WISC-TV

A. Barton Hinkle, The Richmond Times-Dispatch

David Holwerk, The Sacramento Bee

Rick Horowitz, syndicated columnist

Richard Hughes, Statesman Journal

Carol Hunter, The Des Moines Register

Kathleen Ingley, The Ariznna Republic

Pam Johnson, Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute

Edward Jones, The Free Lance-Star

John Kanefis, Amarillo Globe-News

Vern Kaspar, WILO/WSHW

Mary Kaull, Rockford Register Star

Lois Kazakoff, San Francisco Chronicle

David Klement, The Bradenton Herald

David Kooel, Rocky Mountain News

Glenn Kranzley, The Morning Call

G. Kent Krell, retired

Glenn Krieg, Morgan Murphy Stations

Jill Labbe, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Jean LaCoe, Times Leader

Pamela Lannom, The Hinsdalean

Richard Larsen. Venture County Star

Sharon Larsen. The Daily News

Trevor Lautens, retired

Daryl Lease, Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Don Lemire, Gannett East Group

Mary Ann Lindley, Tallahassee Democrat

Douglas MacEachern, The Arizona Republic

Frank Martin, III, West Plains Daily Quill

David Mastio, BlogNetNews

Sofie Mathiassen, Dagens Naeringsliv

Thomas McClanahan, The Kansas City Star

McClatchy Newspapers

McCormick Tribune Foundation

Dale McFeatters, Scripps Howard News Bureau

Lisa McGinley, The Day

Morgan McGinley, retired

William McKenzie, The Dallas Morning News

Alane Megna, The Leaf-Chronicle

Scott Milfred, Wisconsin State Journal

Colleen McCain Nelson, The Dallas Morning News

Gary Nelson, Mail Tribune

Donald Newhouse, Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation, Inc.

Karen Nolan, The Reporter

Steve Nolan, U.S. Army

Tony Norman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

John Oppedahl

Paul Owens, Orlando Sentinel

Gloria Padilla, San Antonio Express-News

Frank Partsch, retired

Rena Pederson, retired

Bill Perkins, The Dothan Eagle

Sarah Yoest Pederson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

James Peipert, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

John Penney, Poughkeepsie Journal

Miriam Pepper, The Kansas City Star

Douglas Pike, retired

Margo Pope, St. Augustine Record