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A new non-profit organization has been launched in Chaffee County – the Truth Has A Voice Foundation (THAVF) will support objective, fact-based journalism in the Upper Arkansas Valley. The foundation’s efforts will be focused on supporting responsible news reporting, journalist educational opportunities, and programming leading to a better-informed community, civil discourse, and government accountability.

“This is an option for the community to participate in supporting quality, independent community journalism that is accessible to all,” said THAVF President Cheryl Brown-Kovacic. “A free press relaying accurate, trustworthy information is the key to accountable government.”

The THAV Foundation goals are three-fold:

  • To provide a tax-deductible option for the community to participate in supporting independent community journalism.
  • To actively pursue partnerships, programs, and projects that support the development of first amendment and democracy-supportive educational community programming.
  • To support career journalists and journalism experience paths/internships for journalism/mass media students and graduates.

The initial THAVF Board members include President Cheryl Brown-Kovacic, Vice President JoAnne Allen, and Treasurer Joe Jordan.

Merrell Bergin (representing the group’s fiscal agent the Chaffee County Community Foundation – CCCF), founder Jan Wondra, Managing Editor of Ark Valley Voice, and Alison Brown, the primary shareholder of AVV LLC, will serve as advisory board members.

The new THAVF has already received recognition. It has just been awarded a $1,500 grant from the CCCF Emergency Response Fund, toward its proposed support of a journalism internship position to be placed at Ark Valley Voice. The intern will focus on helping to tell the story of the region’s COVID-19 response; from business collaboration and economic survival, personal trauma and resilience, to public health and government leadership of the pandemic response.

Interested applicants for the internship can contact Dr. Brown-Kovacic at ckovacic@bresnan.net.

Those considering making a tax-deductible donation to the work of the THAV Foundation in support of community journalism can go directly to the THAVF page on the CCCF Donor Portal site.