Tag Archives: Touchstone Awards

Local Journalists, Emerging Talent, Community Leaders Honored at 2025 Touchstone Awards

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The Press Club of Toledo’s annual Touchstone Awards returned to the Valentine Theatre Thursday, Sept. 25, celebrating outstanding work in journalism and communications.

Nineteen trophies were presented in audio production, print/online, television, photojournalism and strategic communications categories, with divisions for both professionals and students.

The Press Club inducted four new community honorees into its distinguished ranks. The 2025 class includes Golden Touchstone winners Diane Larson and Paul Kwapich, Contributor Award recipient John Henry Eldred Jr. Foundation and Lifetime Achievement Award winner Robert Smith.

New this year was the Emerging News Media Professional Award, recognizing a rising star who is making an impact in the community. Nominated by peers and selected by a panel of former Press Club board presidents, the inaugural award went to Emily Rippe-Desmond of Swell Magazine.

The evening concluded with the presentation of the club’s annual scholarships. The Kurt G. Franck Scholarship and Bernard F. Judy Scholarship honor students at the University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University who demonstrate exceptional service and dedication to journalism. This year’s recipients are Asa Kridelbaugh (UToledo) and Allyson Ritchey (BGSU).

The 2025 Touchstone Awards were supported in part by WTOL, the Toledo Free Press and Strategy by Fisher.

2025 Touchstone Award Winners

Audio Production
Podcast – Arts and Entertainment: Lake Effect – Chris Peiffer, WGTE Public Media
Podcast – News/Opinion: Rethinking Jails + Justice: Podcast Series – Brad Creswell, WGTE Public Media
Radio: Opera Out of the Box – Brad Creswell, WGTE Public Media

Blog/Website
Toledo Jeep Fest – Kevin Cesarz and Whitney Rofkar, Thread Connected Marketing

Digital Video/TV
Arts and Entertainment: Magic of the Old West End – Shane Potgieter and Ray Miller, WGTE Public Media
Feature: Honor Flight June 2024 – Dan Cummins, WTOL
Hard News: Kei’Mani Latigue’s former teacher recalls concerns before 13-year old’s death – Michael Sandlin, WTOL
Sports: Lacrosse Twintuition – Yaw Bonsu, BCSN

Digital/Print
Arts and Entertainment: A love letter to Shawshank – Erin Holden, Toledo Free Press
Feature: Navigating a refugee settlement in Toledo – Stephen Zenner, Toledo Free Press
Hard News: Blade testing finds high levels of radioactivity in groundwater in Cold War town – Alexa York, Toledo Blade
Sports: Why Ginny Boggess’ success was always inevitable – Kyle Rowland, Toledo Blade

Photojournalism
Digital/Print: A mother reacts – Jeremy Wadsworth, Toledo Blade
Video: Fellowship Matters: Providing help to the streets – Joe Cromer, WTOL

Public Relations Campaign
#PRethics: Elevating Ethical Standards in PR – Jared Meade, Rayne Strategy Group

Social Media Campaign
Falcon Four – Lucas Kleimeyer, BG Falcon Media

Student
Digital/TV: Live & Loud: Leghorn – Carson DiSalvo, BG Falcon Media
Print/Online: Best of BG – Syed Ayaz Fatmi and Brandee Miller, BG Falcon Media
Radio or Podcast: STAFF MEETING: Off the Air – Outsider Music – Trip Floyd, WXUT

2025 Emerging News Media Professional
Emily Rippe-Desmond, Swell Magazine

2025 Scholarship Recipients
Kurt G. Franck Scholarship: Asa Kridelbaugh, University of Toledo
Bernard F. Judy Scholarship: Allyson Ritchey, Bowling Green State University

2025 Community Award Honorees
Contributor Award: John Henry Eldred Jr. Foundation
Golden Touchstone: Paul Kwapich, WTOL
Golden Touchstone: Diane Larson, WTVG
Lifetime Achievement: Robert Smith, African American Legacy Project of Northwest Ohio

Ready for the 2025 Touchstone Awards? Here’s What to Know

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The Press Club of Toledo can’t wait to celebrate with you at the 2025 Touchstone Awards on Thursday, Sept. 25! Here’s everything you need to know for a fun night out.

Venue
The Valentine Theatre
410 Adams Street, Toledo, OH 43604

Parking
North Superior Street lot – $5 cash per car, directly across from the theatre entrance.
Street parking – Free after 6 p.m. on surrounding streets.

Tickets
Still need tickets? There’s time! Discounts are available for students, nominees and Press Club members. Your evening awaits.

Check-In
Advance tickets: Stop at the welcome table in the theatre lobby and give the name on your ticket confirmation email. No paper ticket needed.
Day-of tickets: Scan the QR code signs at the entrance to purchase digitally and show your confirmation email for entry.

Evening Line-Up
5:30 p.m. – Doors open for gourmet grazing, a cash bar with a variety of beverages for purchase and plenty of mingling.
6:30 p.m. – Awards ceremony begins in The Grand Lobby.

Raffle Fun
Support the Press Club’s scholarship fund and take a chance on great prizes. Raffle tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20 and can be purchased with cash at the raffle table or digitally by scanning the QR code signs. Winners are drawn during the program. Must be present to win.

Honoring Our 2025 Community Award Winners
Robert Smith – Lifetime Achievement Award for exceptional contributions to business, public service and philanthropy.
Diane Larson and Paul Kwapich – Golden Touchstone Awards for lifetime excellence in Northwest Ohio journalism.
John Henry Eldred Jr. Foundation – Contributor Award for significant impact on quality of life in Northwest Ohio.

Thanks to Our Sponsors
A heartfelt thank you to WTOL, the Toledo Free Press and Strategy by Fisher for making the 2025 Touchstone Awards possible.

Nominations for Press Club of Toledo 2025 Touchstone Awards now open

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Nominations for the Press Club of Toledo’s annual Touchstone Awards are being accepted now through July 15. There are 20 categories spanning print and online, television, audio production and communications, with divisions for both professionals and students.

To be eligible for a 2025 Touchstone Award, the work must have been produced or published between May 15, 2024 and May 14, 2025. Nominations are judged by a panel of journalism professionals from outside the Toledo region.

Entry fees for Touchstone Award nominations are $10 for students, $25 for Press Club members and $75 for nonmembers. Nonmembers can also submit a nomination and become a first-time individual Press Club member for $50.

New in 2025, the Emerging News Media Professional Award honors an early-career news media professional who demonstrates integrity and a commitment to public service. Nominees must have fewer than five years of professional experience. Nominations will be reviewed by a panel of former Press Club presidents and board members. There is no entry fee for Emerging News Media Professional Award nominations.

Nomination forms for both the Touchstone Awards and the Emerging News Media Professional Award are available at toledopressclub.com.

The 2025 Touchstone Awards ceremony returns to the Valentine Theatre on Thursday, Sept. 25. The ceremony honors the best in local journalism, celebrates community leaders in Northwest Ohio and recognizes the achievements of area journalists and communications professionals from the past year.

This year’s Community Award honorees are the John Henry Eldred Jr. Foundation; Paul Kwapich, retired WTOL photojournalist; Diane Larson, retired 13abc news anchor and journalist; and Robert Smith, founder of the African American Legacy Project of Northwest Ohio.

The Touchstone Awards ceremony is also a fundraiser for the Press Club of Toledo’s scholarship fund. Two scholarships are awarded at the ceremony to students from Bowling Green State University and The University of Toledo who epitomize service and dedication to the profession of journalism. The scholarships are named in honor of two longtime Toledo Blade employees: Kurt G. Franck and Bernard F. Judy.

Tickets for the Touchstone Awards ceremony are on sale now at toledopressclub.com, with discounts for Press Club members, nominees and students. Sponsorship opportunities are also available.

Touchstone Awards ceremony returns to the Valentine Theatre Thursday, Sept. 25

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The Press Club of Toledo will celebrate the best in local journalism this fall when it hosts the 2025 Touchstone Awards at the Valentine Theatre on Thursday, Sept. 25. The ceremony marks 27 years of honoring area journalists and communications professionals.

Touchstone Nominations

To be eligible for a 2025 Touchstone Award, work must have been produced or published between May 15, 2024, and May 14, 2025. There are 20 categories across print and online, television, audio production and communications. Nominations will be judged by a panel of journalism professionals from outside the Toledo region.

Touchstone nomination fees are $10 for students, $25 for Press Club members and $75 for nonmembers. Nonmembers can also submit a nomination and become a first-time individual member for $50.

The 2025 ceremony will debut an Emerging News Media Professional Award. The award recognizes new voices in journalism who exemplify integrity and public service. Nominees must have fewer than five years of professional news media experience. Submissions for this award will be judged by a panel of past Press Club presidents and former board members.

Nominations for Touchstone and Emerging News Media Professional awards will be accepted between May 15 and July 15. Visit toledopressclub.com for the online nomination forms.

Community Award Winners

In addition to recognizing excellence in journalism and communications, the Press Club of Toledo honors individuals and organizations for their service and contributions to the greater Toledo community. The 2025 honorees are:

  • Robert Smith, founder of the African American Legacy Project of Northwest Ohio, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing a lifetime of outstanding contributions to the community in business, public service and philanthropy.
  • Diane Larson, retired 13abc news anchor and journalist, and Paul Kwapich, retired WTOL photojournalist, will each receive the Golden Touchstone Award, recognizing lifetime achievement in journalism in Northwest Ohio.
  • The John Henry Eldred Jr. Foundation will receive the Contributor Award, honoring outstanding contributions to the community, specifically significant impacts on quality of life in Northwest Ohio over the past year.

Press Club Scholarships

The Touchstone Awards is a fundraiser for the Press Club of Toledo’s scholarship fund. Two scholarships are awarded annually at the ceremony to students from The University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University who epitomize service and dedication to the profession of journalism. The scholarships are named in honor of two longtime Blade employees:

  • Kurt G. Franck, a former executive editor, general manager and vice president at The Blade and Block Communications Inc., who passed away in 2024. Franck was also a former Press Club board member and strong supporter of the club.
  • Bernard F. Judy, a career journalist who served The Blade for more than 40 years, including as editor-in-chief before retiring in 1989. Judy was also a Press Club founder and board member.

Tickets for the 2025 Touchstone Awards are on sale now at toledopressclub.com, with discounts available for Press Club members, nominees and students.

Local journalists and community leaders honored at the annual Touchstone Awards ceremony

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Press Club of Toledo also announced a new scholarship named in memory of former Blade president and general manager Kurt G. Franck

Members of the media and public relations professionals gathered at The Valentine Theatre on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024 for the Press Club of Toledo’s annual Touchstone Awards ceremony. Throughout the evening, guests paid their respects to media groundbreakers who had passed in 2024, celebrated the best in local journalism from the past year, honored leaders in the community and awarded scholarships to area journalism students.

Shaun Hegarty, investigative reporter with 13abc, served as master of ceremonies for the event.

The program began with a remembrance of several individuals who made an indelible mark on Toledo’s media landscape: Kurt G. Franck, former president and general manager of The Blade; Rico Neller, founder and editor of La Prensa, Ohio’s longest-running bilingual newspaper; Jim Weber, Toledo Mud Hens longtime play-by-play announcer; and W. Charles “Charlie Chuck” Welch, creator of The Juice FM 107.3 (WJUC), Ohio’s first radio station to be founded by an African American.

“While the Press Club takes this moment to recognize the considerable contributions Kurt, Rico, Jim and Chuck each made to the Toledo community,” said Press Club of Toledo Board President Stephanie Elton, “we can find comfort knowing that their legacies continue in newsrooms and recording studios across the Toledo region.”

Twenty-two Touchstone Awards were given throughout the evening across print, digital, television, radio, photojournalism, social media and public relations categories. This year’s award categories were judged by a panel of journalists and media professionals from the Denver and South Texas areas.

The Press Club also presented its Community Awards to four individuals who exemplify public service, dedication to the field of journalism and the principles of the Press Club. The 2024 Community Award honorees were Barbara Hendel, Ambrea Mikolajczyk, Debbie Monagan and Mark Zaborney.

The evening concluded with the Press Club announcing that one of its two scholarships had been renamed in honor of Kurt G. Franck.

“Kurt was a staunch advocate for journalism and an avid supporter of the Press Club of Toledo,” said Elton. “Naming a college scholarship in his honor is one way the Press Club can show its appreciation of Kurt and his contributions to journalism and to Toledo.”

The Kurt G. Franck and Bernard F. Judy Scholarships are awarded annually to students from The University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University who epitomize service and dedication to the profession of journalism. This year’s scholarship recipients are Autumn Vasquez, a media communications student at the University of Toledo and Allison McVicker, a journalism and photography student from Bowling Green State University.

The 2024 Touchstone Awards were supported in part by The Blade, Adams Street Publishing, Communica, Nuestra Gente Community Projects, Owens Corning, SSOE Group, the Toledo Free Press and media sponsor BCAN/BCSN.

2024 Touchstone Award Winners

  • Digital/Print (Daily) Hard News: Melissa Burden and Luke Ramseth, The Blade
  • Digital/Print (Daily) Feature: Maddie Coppel, The Blade
  • Digital/Print (Daily) Sports: Andy Wolf, The Blade
  • Digital/Print (Daily) Arts and Entertainment: Jason Webber, The Blade 
  • Digital/Print (Non Daily) Hard News: Leslie Anne Shore, MLiving News
  • Digital/Print (Non Daily) Feature: Riley Runnels, MLiving News
  • Digital/Print (Non Daily) Sports: Jason Buchanan, MLiving News
  • Digital/Print (Non Daily) Arts and Entertainment: Tanner Wertz, MLiving News 
  • Photojournalism Videography: Philip Kaplan, The Blade
  • Photojournalism Digital/Print: Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade
  • Radio Daily: Brad Cresswell, WGTE
  • Radio Long Form: Mary Claire Murphy, WGTE
  • Digital Video/Television Hard News: WTOL
  • Digital Video/Television Feature: BCAN
  • Digital Video/Television Sports: Joel Sebastianelli, BCSN
  • Digital Video/Television Arts and Entertainment: Shane Potgieter, WGTE
  • Use of Social Media: Thread Connected Marketing
  • Blog/Website: Kendahl Plank, Destination Toledo
  • Podcast: Chris Peiffer, WGTE
  • Public Relations Campaign: Kelsey Rader, Toledo Lucas County Public Library
  • Student Digital Video/Television: Autumn Vasquez, University of Toledo
  • Student Digital/Print: Autumn Vasquez, University of Toledo

2024 Community Award Winners

  • Barbara Hendel, society editor at The Blade, is the recipient of the Norm Cartwright Award, which is named after a founding member of the Press Club of Toledo and honors outstanding efforts to promote the Press Club’s principles.
  • Ambrea Mikolajczyk, real estate developer and owner of ARK Restoration and Construction, is the recipient of the Contributor Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the community, specifically someone who has made a significant impact on the quality of life in Northwest Ohio over the past year.
  • Debbie Monagan, president ex officio of Communica, is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes a lifetime of outstanding contributions to the community in all aspects, including business, public service and philanthropy.
  • Mark Zaborney, retired reporter from The Blade, is the recipient of the Golden Touchstone Award, which recognizes lifetime achievement in the field of journalism in Northwest Ohio.

2024 Scholarship Recipients

  • Kurt G. Franck Scholarship: Autumn Vasquez, University of Toledo
  • Bernard F. Judy Scholarship: Allison McVicker, Bowling Green State University

2024 Touchstone Awards: Know before you go!

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The Press Club of Toledo looks forward to welcoming you to The Valentine Theatre on Thursday, Sept. 26 for the 2024 Touchstone Awards. We hope you are as excited as we are to attend. Here are some important details to help you prepare for the event.

Venue details
The Valentine Theatre
410 Adams Street
Toledo, OH 43604
Map

Where to park
Parking in the North Superior Street lot is included with your ticket purchase. It is located across the street from the Valentine Theatre entrance. When you arrive, notify the lot attendant that you are here for the Press Club.

Touchstone tickets
Tickets are still available for purchase, with discounts for students, nominees and Press Club members. Need to confirm your Press Club membership status? Not sure if you qualify for the nominee discount? Email the Press Club!

Touchstone tickets

Event schedule
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with gourmet grazing, cocktails and networking. The ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. in the historic theater.

Raffle and drawing
Raffle tickets will be available for purchase, cash-only, during the cocktail hour. They are $5 a piece or $20 for five tickets, and the proceeds will go towards the Press Club of Toledo’s scholarship fund. Winners will be drawn at random during the awards program. You could win a Glass City Metropark cabana rental, a TolHouse membership and more! Must be present to win.

Meet our community award winners

Barb Hendel

Barbara Hendel, society editor at The Blade, is the recipient of the Norm Cartwright Award, which is named after a founding member of the Press Club of Toledo and honors outstanding efforts to promote the Press Club’s principles.

Ambrea Mikolajczyk

Ambrea Mikolajczyk, real estate developer and owner of ARK Restoration and Construction, is the recipient of the Contributor Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the community, specifically someone who has made a significant impact on the quality of life in Northwest Ohio over the past year.

Deb Monagan

Debra Monagan, president ex officio of Communica, is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes a lifetime of outstanding contributions to the community in all aspects, including business, public service and philanthropy.

Mark Zaborney

Mark Zaborney, retired reporter from The Blade, is the recipient of the Golden Touchstone Award, which recognizes lifetime achievement in the field of journalism in Northwest Ohio.

Extra awards
Additional trophies will be available for purchase through Sylvan Studio. Please contact them at scott@sylvanstudio.com or 419-882-3443 after the ceremony to place your order.

Thank you to our sponsors
The 2024 Touchstone Awards is supported in part by The Blade, Adams Street Publishing, Communica, Nuestra Gente Community Projects, Owens Corning, SSOE Group, the Toledo Free Press and media sponsor BCAN/BCSN.