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Help Them To Hope got strong support during Copley Press years
The Hope fund gained a great deal of backing from the ownership of The News-Sun by Copley Press. Company President Helen Copley encouraged community involvement in her local newspapers.
During the years the paper was owned by Copley Press, the Help Them To Hope fund received yearly contributions during its annual campaigns. Board representation was encouraged, with representatives from each of the major departments within the paper.
In one of the Copley years, the HTTH campaign totaled in excess of $84,000. During the ownership by Copley, the Hope fund received a total of $61,500 from the Copley Foundation, which picked up all of the administration costs of the nonprofit just as the Just family had done prior to the sale of the paper in 1984.
By 1996, Copley had eliminated local publishers and Richard Ribando was named general manager of the daily operations of The News-Sun. Ribando then took the position of HTTH president, a position he has held since that time.
In 2000, Copley Press sold The News-Sun and all its Illinois newspapers to Hollinger International Newspapers, owners of the Chicago Sun-Times. Hollinger reinstated local publishers at all its papers, and Ribando became publisher.
The HTTH Board of Directors continued as its own entity in partnership once again with a new owner of the paper. Ribando retired in 2006 after 38 years of employment with the paper, and remained as HTTH board president.
Help Them To Hope continued with its board made up of News-Sun employees until 2009, when Hollinger International filed for bankruptcy and the assets of the paper were sold. Help Them To Hope was now faced with an uncertain partnership with the Tribune Co.
With no more News-Sun employees to participate, the HTTH Board of Directors sought out News-Sun retirees to continue operation of the HTTH fund campaigns moving forward. For HTTH to continue, the board of directors needed to make a decision to take on all the expenses of the nonprofit.
The board has remained together with only two newer board members. Both have 10 years of loyal service to this endeavor. The HTTH board has a cumulative of 129 years of service, from 1996 to 2023.
Next, it’s time to share some firsts for local organizations that only had HTTH come to their aid with seed money to create or sustain their nonprofit programs in Lake County.
Richard A. Ribando, president, Help Them To Hope, Inc.