Writing Samples
Sample Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT INFORMATION:
North Carolina Symphony
Lxxxx Cxxxx
919-xxx-xxxx
03/17/2022
STUDENTS RETURN TO IN-PERSON CONCERTS
Raleigh, N.C. — The tradition of music education programs through the North Carolina Symphony now continues with in-person offerings in counties across the state. For the remainder of the 2021/22 school year, the concert for grades 3-5, What Makes Music, Music?, will be held both online and at the symphony’s home in Meymandi Hall in Raleigh, NC, with reduced capacity. This concert explores musical concepts, cultures, and composers, with online instructional material available for teachers and students.
Masks will be required. Concerts begin at 10:30am and last for one hour. Tickets are $5 per person. Concerts will be offered on the following dates:
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Tuesday, May 3rd
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Tuesday, May 10th
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Wednesday, May 11th
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Tuesday, May 17th
The symphony will also be traveling to 9 more statewide concerts now through April. Continued health and safety protocols will be in place. For many students, this will be the first field trip they have had for two years or since the start of the pandemic. These concerts resumed in late February in Carteret County and Pitt County and served more than 3500 students.
The Music Discovery program also resumes as NCS musicians travel to museums, libraries, community centers, and Head Start programs to introduce preschool students across the state to their instruments, favorite music, and favorite storybooks. This program has grown since 2013 to more than 30 events per year, many in rural and under-served areas of North Carolina.
Upcoming Music Discovery programs are scheduled through June at the following locations:
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Wake County Libraries
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Jamesville Elementary, Martin County
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White Oak Elementary, Chowan County
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Thomas H. Leath Memorial Library, Richmond County
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Elmhurst Elementary, Pitt County
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John Chavis Memorial Park, Wake County (May 21)
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Gates, Hertford, and Northampton County Libraries (June 16)
If you are interested in attending any of these events, please contact Linda Charlton, Vice President for Marketing & Audience Development at xxxx@ncsymphony.org or at 919-xxx-xxxx.
The North Carolina Symphony leads the most extensive music education program of any symphony orchestra. Each year, we serve more than 70,000 North Carolina students of all ages and provide training and resources for teachers in alignment with the curriculum set by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Music education has been a pillar of our mission for more than seven decades, and we are proud to build the next generation of musicians and music lovers.
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Giving Tuesday Donation Request Email
Today is the day for giving! We give thanks for all we have throughout the year, especially for our special students and teachers who make our classes such a joy.
Arts For All's mission to provide affordable, accessible fine arts education has grown from its founding in 2006 with only 40 students, to serving up to 3400 students a year. To date, more than 25,000 people have learned music, dance, drama, and art through Arts For All programs.
We're asking your help to continue providing this amazing program at the low cost of just $10 a class as we seek to reopen to in-person classes on January 24th! We are so excited to be rejoining our teachers and students. You can visit our website for information on registration or to donate!
We are seeking to raise $1000 on this Giving Tuesday, to help with the costs of reopening. Follow us on social media for updates throughout the day!
News Scripts
Legally Blind Man Competes in Indoor Triathlon
By: Jessica Ritchie
James Harvey is legally blind, but he's not letting anything stop him from competing. He runs 5Ks, plays the violin, and always strives to achieve more. His goal for 2017 was to run in Lifetime Fitness' Indoor Triathlon.
"Since I'm legally blind, I can usually tell where I am by the lights and shadows and reflections, and plus I can feel the lane markers," said Harvey.
His swim coach Jay Shattick called out instructions from the sidelines to help him keep his bearings.
"Okay touch, turn around," Shattick called to Harvey.
Harvey logged nine swim legs in the first event. Then, trainer Konnor Oltman took over as they headed upstairs to a 30-minute bike ride.
Oltman stayed by James' side the entire race.
"Getting to a locker, drinking out of the drinking fountain, handing a towel, all that stuff that you and I probably take for granted, he has to have someone else to help him," said Oltman.
Despite needing extra assistance, Oltman trained Harvey like any other athlete.
"I was like, this is no difference than practice, we've been working on it, so, having that training behind that was awesome because it wasn't so overwhelming," said Oltman.
"Fatigue does play a factor in performing your sport, but that's when training in handy so you don't get tired quite so fast." said Harvey.
Oltman kept an eye on the screens to monitor Harvey's speed and resistance, but Harvey had a pretty good idea of how well he was doing.
"I can sort of sense how fast I'm moving. I can sort of sense if I'm going too hard, if I need to back off," Harvey said.
Each exercise brings its own unique challenges.
"His perception of the treadmill is lost if he doesn't have any contact with the treadmill," explained Oltman.
For a brief moment, Harvey lost contact and almost fell off the treadmill, but he recovered with Oltman's verbal guidance.
"I've learned to not let my challenges...my visual challenges...get in my way," Harvey said.
Harvey also works with Outlook Nebraska and has competed in several races. He's also a master violinist. He recently faced some personal challenges in continuing his training.
So, Lifetime Fitness stepped up to help.
"Congratulations on your outstanding achievement. Congratulations. We're so inspired by you that Lifetime is going to give you four months of complimentary membership, on us," said Jim Bisignano, General Manager.
"I mean, I just feel blessed to be able to be alongside of him. It's just an awesome opportunity, and I'm so humbled," said Oltman.
Group Protests Pet Stores, Puppy Mills
By: Jessica Ritchie
“Nobody wants problems. We’re all dog lovers. The only way you can be in this business is to be a dog lover,” said Tom Westman, operations manager of Tully’s Kennels, which sells puppies from breeding facilities.
“If somebody has a problem where it looks like the dogs aren’t being taken care of, we don’t do business with them,” declared Westman.
Nebraska law allows for commercial breeders that are subject to licensing and inspection every two years.
But Bailing Out Benji, a national animal welfare group, says that many of the puppies sold in local pet stores come from breeders that treat their dogs inhumanely.
“A lot of people think that a lot of their breeders are reputable, but if you go and actually visit the site, a lot of them won’t even show you because the conditions are so deplorable. The dogs are kept in tiny cages, they’re not fed, they’re not provided medical care. It’s just bad,” said protestor Samantha Stalnecker.
According to the group, 99% of the puppies come from puppy mills – a term for breeding facilities that crank out puppies without concern for the moms and dads or their conditions.
“You don’t see the parents. You don’t know if the parents are sick. You don’t know if these puppies are born with some kind of genetic illness that’s passed down from their parents,” said Stalnecker.
The group was joined by Hands, Hearts, and Paws; Hearts Untied for Animals; and other area rescues to protest two Omaha stores – Pets R Us in Rockbrook Village and Tully’s Kennels.
“Tully’s has a reputation for using less than desirable breeders. They are not coming from humane situations. They’re not reputable breeders. The conditions that the dogs are living in at Tully’s are less than desirable, so we’re here to fight for those dogs,” said Terra Henggeler, a team leader for Bailing Out Benji Nebraska.
Westman says that Tully’s only uses breeders they’ve known for years and is just as opposed to puppy mills.
“Shut ‘em down. Shut ‘em down. You know what, it makes me sick as a dog lover to try to see these dogs and see them a in a condition where they’re not being taken care of,” said Westman.
An unnamed Pets R Us employee also stopped at the protest to defend her store.
“I understand. I don’t support puppy mills either, but why does my store have to be the brunt of what you’re doing,” said the employee.
“There’s two stores in Omaha that sell puppies from mills,” a protestor countered.
“Not me,” returned the employee.
Animal Control Warns Against Pets in Cars
By: Jessica Ritchie
“If you’re hot, they’re hot.”
It’s the slogan we hear over and over again regarding pets in the summer temps. But is the public listening, and what are officers doing to keep animals safe, especially when left in vehicles?
Officer Misty Binau with Animal Control responds to several calls each week about dogs trapped in cars that are baking in the summer sun.
“If it’s 75 degrees outside, it can get up to 100 degrees on the inside in just a matter of minutes, so we consider those emergencies and we go to those right away,” said Officer Binau.
As we rode with Officer Binau for just a few hours, we responded to two calls about dogs left in hot cars.
“Gonna put a thermometer in there just to make sure that it’s nice and cool and that the AC is on...It’s about 77 degrees, which is okay, and the dogs are nice and comfortable,” explained Binau as she put a thermometer cord through the crack in the window.
She waited for the owner to return to her vehicle. Because the AC was running, the dogs were not in immediate danger. This dog owner was not in violation, and was free to go, but Binau said that even the measures she took may not always be enough.
“It’s good intentions; however, auto starts can go off after 10 minutes or 20 minutes. Also, the car could run out of gas or have a mechanical failure, and in just a few minutes, your dog could be reaching dangerous temperatures,” said Officer Binau.
Just a few minutes later, another call came in for a more distressing situation.
Officer Binau approached a car matching the description, giving a sharp whistle. She was greeted by two dogs in a car with the engine turned off, the windows barely cracked.
“Hi, this is your vehicle?” she asked the owner as she approached.
“Yeah,” replied the owner, a young woman.
“Hi, I’m Officer Binau with the Humane Society. Come here real quick. Let me show you.” Officer Binau led the young woman to the temperature gauge she had placed on the vehicle, showing the internal temperature to be 99 degrees. At one point it climbed to 100.
“This is how hot it is inside your car right now. You left your dogs in there on accident?” she asked the owner.
“It’s going very hot, it’s in the upper 90’s or low 100’s, so dogs can’t be in the vehicle, they could die. Okay? So, I do have to issue a citation for leaving your dogs in the vehicle.”
Officer Binau says to never leave pets in the car, even with the engine running, and caution is needed when bringing pets outdoors at all.
“Make sure they stay off the hot concrete. Give them plenty of water, plenty of shade, and try not to keep them outside for too long,” she said.
Officer Binau said that since more news reports have come out about hot car dangers, calls have gone down for animals left in vehicles.
Tips on keeping your pet safe in the heat include:
1. Bring plenty of water for you and your pet.
2. Keep dogs’ and cats’ sensitive paws off the hot concrete.
3. Stay in the shade when possible.
4. Bring special ice toys that pets can play with and keep cool.
5. Never leave a pet unattended in a vehicle.
You can find more tips on keeping your pet safe in the heat by visiting the Nebraska Humane Society’s website.