When Detroit Tigers pitcher Matt Boyd and his wife Ashley started a charity, Kingdom Home, to help young girls in Uganda avoid sex slavery, it was news. But the Detroit Free Press story about the Boyds’ efforts overseas did more than tell a story — it drove donations and support for the new foundation.
“Jeff Seidel’s tale of the Detroit Tigers pitcher who, along with his wife, is on a mission to end sex slavery in Uganda had an immediate impact on the couple’s charitable efforts,” wrote Anjanette Delgado, senior news director for digital at the Free Press.
Following the story’s publication, Delgado heard from Ashley Boyd, who reported, “Throughout the days immediately following the article being published, over 60 people signed up to sponsor children and we raised thousands of dollars in one-time donations.”
This example not only shows the incredible power of local communities to help important global causes, but the incredible ability of local journalism, through informing the community (and a national audience, through its digital site) of these issues to have a global impact.
You can read the story, “How Detroit Tigers pitcher Matt Boyd is saving 36 girls in Uganda,” here.
Jennifer Peters is former content manager of the News Media Alliance.
