© THE SEATTLE TIMES COMPANY

THE MANY WAYS WE SERVE THE COMMUNITY

When you publish the region's leading newspaper, you're in a position to have an impact on the local quality of life. Here at The Seattle Times, we use our influence to do good works in several ways.

The giving of our time. | Many of us donate significant amounts of time to charitable organizations. For instance, Publisher Frank Blethen regularly serves on nonprofit boards of directors. As chairperson of King County's United Way campaign in 1996, he led a record-breaking contribution program and improved the organization's marketing effort significantly. He headed a team who created the "Safety Net" brand and introduced the concept of a year-round marketing campaign. After Frank's tenure, Mason Sizemore continued The Seattle Times representation on the board and has been tagged as a future chairperson.

Financial contributions. | Each year we contribute around $2 million in direct financial support, in-kind advertising and other resources to many worthwhile organizations throughout the Northwest.

Our annual Fund for the Needy campaign has raised more than $6 million for children and families since its inception in 1979. As corporate Treasurer Will Blethen points out, "People want to give, especially around Christmas. The fund gives them an easy, worthwhile, well-controlled way."

Art in the Seattle area has always found an advocate in The Seattle Times. We provide leadership gifts and in-kind advertising space for local art organizations. We continue to be a major sponsor of the exhibits at the Seattle Art Museum. Our publisher served on the board of the capital campaign for the Bellevue Art Museum.

Our efforts to improve literacy in our community include sponsoring the Northwest Bookfest that raises more than $50,000 each year for the Literacy Grants Fund.

In 1998, in a unique and heartfelt gesture of community service, the Blethen family was the major supporter in the effort to defeat the I-200 campaign. This initiative asked Washington state voters to abolish affirmative-action programs for minorities and women. Led by Frank, the Blethen family donated over $150,000 in advertising against the initiative while maintaining a clear distance from the newsroom's impartial, award-winning coverage.

Our major commitment to education. | Very few newspapers produce the quality and volume of education coverage found at The Seattle Times. A separate department funded outside the news budget is dedicated to this area.

With a talented editor and several excellent writers, we devote substantial news space to education, increasing community awareness of important issues and generating support at the grass-roots level.

Our ongoing education initiatives are dynamic and influential. Every year we produce a comprehensive guide to schools in the area. In our higher-education campaign, we contribute regularly to local and state colleges and universities, and are an annual supporter of the Independent Colleges of Washington, an organization that serves 11 statewide institutions.