Caxton: Not just informing, but uplifting communities

Caxton’s local newspapers keep their surrounding communities informed about the latest happenings in the area. But their community investment goes so much further than news. Caxton and each of its newspapers aim to improve and uplift their communities, not only through the investment of financial resources, but by getting actively involved in service organisations and driving initiatives to better their society.

“This year alone, Caxton has invested millions in marketing exposure to sustain projects initiated in 2008 and 2009 that provide support to more than 75% of Black beneficiaries,” says Jaco Koekemoer, MD of Caxton Local Media & Coldset Printing.

Caxton seeks out areas where they can positively impact the plight of disadvantaged communities, including the provision of free and discounted advertising and editorial space to Black organisations and educational institutions in all publications, both newspapers and magazines.

Caxton Printers in Johannesburg prints Homeless Talk for free every month, providing a source of income for close to 100 street vendors across the city. They support Itshepeng, an NPO organisation that runs a feeding scheme for 500 people, 5 days a week, as well as a Maths and Science programme helping to educate 200 Grade 10,11 and 12 students, each year. They also sponsor Kids Haven, a shelter and children’s home and supply free hard and soft covered exercise books to West Rand School.

In each and every town or city where a Caxton local paper is distributed, you will find them immersed in their communities, providing assistance with projects that uplift society.  A stand-out community newspaper initiative is D.I.C.E. (Do I Care Enough), a vital component of the Zululand Observer, indelibly linked to Zululand since 1973. Not only is it involved in the care of the vulnerable and dispossessed, but it is active in all spheres of community upliftment wherever the need may be.

DICE’s annual 2017 Christmas Cheer distributed 1 400 20L buckets filled with groceries to the needy, 2 000 toys among creches, 45 hand crocheted blankets for seniors and toiletries and other incidentals.  This month they anticipate raising R35 000 at their annual Tea on the Terrace event, which will be donated to two Oncology centres.

The Mossel Bay Advertiser started the Oliver Twist project in 2011 to assist people in need, from homeless people who come to the offices three times a week to receive bread handouts to providing soccer kits to local teams, to giving toys to children’s’ hospitals. Die Pos/The Post’s Children’s Fund has donated up to R100 000 annually to needy children and children’s organisations in their readership area, such as sponsoring bus fares to needy learners and the donation of building materials for the building of preschools.

“Caxton Local Media will continually strive to improve and socially uplift the communities in which they operate, as not only a financially sound corporate citizen, but a socially conscientious one. They will continue to seek areas where they can positively impact the plight of disadvantaged communities, says Koekemoer.