SIX
ANNOUNCEMENTS

It is good news, worthy of all acceptation! and yet not too good to be true.

—MATTHEW HENRY

Announcements, whether formal or informal, make an art of stating essential facts in the fewest possible words. A little like this paragraph.

Announcements Are Made for

• acquisition

• address change

• anniversary: business/wedding (see ANNIVERSARIES)

• baby birth or adoption

• change in benefits (reduced/increased/additional), policies (purchasing/ hiring), regulations, procedures (billing dates)

• collection actions on overdue account (see COLLECTION)

• company merger/reorganization

• death

• divorce

• engagement (see WEDDINGS)

• graduation

• layoff (see EMPLOYMENT)

• marital separation

• meeting/workshop/conference

• merger or acquisition

• new company policy/directions/administration/management

• new division/subsidiary

• new home/house/apartment/condo

• new office/business/professional practice/service/career

• new partner/executive/associate/employee

• open house: school/business

• price/rent increase/reduction

• product recall

• promotion

• resignation/retirement (see also EMPLOYMENT)

• wedding (see WEDDINGS)

How to Say It

• Express pleasure in making the announcement (except for death and divorce announcements).

• List key details of the news or event: who, what, when, where, why.

• To announce a meeting, include: the name of the organization, subcommittee, or group; the date, time, place, and purpose of the meeting; a request to notify a contact person if unable to attend. This can be done by preprinted postcard or by in-house memo or e-mail. To announce a directors’ meeting, follow the format fixed by corporate bylaws or by state or federal laws; a waiver of notice or a proxy card is often enclosed along with a postage-paid reply envelope.

• To announce the opening of a new business or store, use an invitation format to ask customers to an open house or special sales event.

• To announce changes in company policies, benefits, procedures, or regulations, include: an expression of pleasure in announcing the change; a description of the change; a reference to the former policy, if necessary for clarification; an explanation of what the change will mean for employees or customers; printed instructions or guidelines if appropriate; the reason for the change and why it is an improvement; the deadline for implementing the change; the name and telephone number of a contact person for questions; an expression of your enthusiasm about the change; appreciation for help in effecting the change.

• To announce a birth or adoption, use engraved, printed, hand-lettered, commercial, or designed-by-you notes. Include: the baby’s full name and, if not obvious from the name or if still unnamed, whether it’s a boy or girl; birthdate (and time, if you wish) or age (if the baby is adopted); parents’ full names; siblings’ names (optional); some expression of happiness (“pleased to announce”). Baby announcements are made by unmarried parents (“Julia Norman and Basil Fane announce the birth of their son, Alec Norman-Fane”), by single parents (“Jean Emerson announces the birth of her son, Howard Thede Emerson”), and by married couples where each uses a separate name. Newspaper birth announcements include: the date of birth; sex of child and name, if known; parents’ names and hometowns; grandparents’ names. Some newspapers allow weight and height information and such sentiments as “welcome with love” or the mention of “many aunts, uncles, and cousins” in listing the baby’s relatives. Check with your newspaper about its guidelines.

• To announce a change of address, use forms available from the United States Postal Service, commercial change of address notes, or printed cards: “As of July 1, Sybil Knox (formerly Sybil Coates or Mrs. Adrian Coates) will be living at 15 Morland Drive, Houston, TX 77005, 713-555-1234.”

• To announce a graduation, use the printed announcements available through most high schools and colleges. Since space at graduation ceremonies is often limited, announcements are more common than invitations. There is no obligation to send a gift in response to an announcement (a congratulatory card is usually sent), but since many people feel so obligated, it is kinder to send announcements only to those close to the graduate.

• To announce a separation or divorce to family and friends (which is a personal decision), state the news briefly (“We regret to inform you that our divorce was finalized on December 1”) or frame the news as a change of address, telling where each person and the children will live after a certain date. If the woman resumes her birth name, identify her that way. You are not obliged to explain what has happened; if people sense from your announcement that you are retaining some privacy, it will be easier to cope the next time you see them. Notify banks, businesses, charge accounts, and creditors of the changed circumstances.

• Deaths are announced in several ways: (1) a death notice is inserted (usually for a fee) in the obituary section of the newspaper; (2) a news article describes the person’s achievements and contributions; (3) printed announcements are sent to out-of-town friends and acquaintances; (4) handwritten notes are sent to close family and friends who live out of town. The deceased person’s address book will indicate who should be notified. The newspaper obituary notice includes: name of deceased, including a woman’s birth name if she wasn’t already using it; address; date of death; age at time of death; names, relationships, and hometowns of survivors; affiliations; personal or career information; date and place of services and interment; whether services are private or open to friends and relatives; suggestions for flowers or memorial contributions; name, address, and telephone number of funeral home. Since the death announcement appears in the paper almost immediately, hand-deliver it or read it over the phone.

What Not to Say

• Don’t include unrelated information or news. Although there are some exceptions (changes in company policy, for example), an announcement is not meant for lengthy explanations, instructions, or descriptions. An announcement can become diluted when it is part of a longer communication.

Tips on Writing

• Send your announcement as soon as possible after the event. “The first rule of thumb about announcing an event... is that your announcement reaches the reader before the news travels by other means. If your announcement is old news, it has arrived too late.” (Dianne Booher)

• Ask someone to double-check your spelling and the general content. The announcement that contains errors is announcing something very different from what was intended.

Special Situations

• Combine routine announcements (new type of billing statement, new address, or meeting notice) with goodwill or sales messages.

• A news release announces information of interest to the general public (product recall; annual or quarterly financial report; business anniversary; fundraiser; new programs, policies, executives; company achievements, mergers, or acquisitions). Sent to newspaper editors and to radio and television station news directors, the news release includes, along with the announcement, your organization’s name and address and the name and telephone number of a contact person. Address the news release to a specific person; call and ask for a name if you don’t have one. Double or triple space, leaving wide margins, and answer the who-what-when-where-why-how questions in the first paragraph or two. Double-check accuracy of your facts and explain any unfamiliar terms. News releases traditionally have “more” typed at the bottom of each page except the last, which has “- 30 -” or “# # #” to indicate the end.

Format

• Business announcements are made in traditional letter format typed on letterhead stationery. When sent to large numbers of people, form letters are used.

• Use a memo format for interoffice announcements (new benefits package, change in flex-hours procedures). Sometimes e-mail is a good choice.

• Formal announcements are printed or engraved in black ink on a white or cream-colored card (with matching envelopes). Stationery stores and printers have sample announcements ranging from traditional to modern in a variety of fonts, papers, inks, and formats.

• Announcements made to close friends and family are handwritten on foldovers or personal stationery.

• Postcards are appropriate for announcing changes of address, meetings, and special sales.

WORDS

PHRASES

SENTENCES

A meeting of the Broadway-Aldine Community Council will be held October 3 at 7:00 p.m. in the NewBank boardroom to elect board members and officers for the coming year.

Ben Bowser announces that by permission of the court of Ramsey County, New Jersey, April 18, 2010, he will now be known as Benjamin Middleton.

Broadbent Civil Engineering, Inc., is proud to announce the opening of offices in Denver and Salt Lake City.

Dolores Haze (formerly Mrs. Richard F. Schiller) has changed her address to 155 Carol Avenue, Gilberts, IL 60136.

Important notice of change in terms: Effective January 1, 2011, your credit card agreement will be amended as follows.

Isabel Wahrfield and Frank Goodwin announce the dissolution of their marriage, effective July 15.

Mrs. Rachel Dean announces the engagement of her daughter Susan to Richard Tebben.

Nguyen Van Truy and Tran Huong Lang are proud and happy to announce the birth of their son Nguyen Van Tuân on March 11, 2010.

Please be advised that your payment due date has been changed to the sixteenth day of each month.

Vanderhof Industries, Inc. is pleased to announce the acquisition of the Connelly-Smith-Dulcy Energy Group, a Gordon-area company with ninety-seven employees that specializes in energy development services.

With great sadness we announce the death of our husband and father, Leon Gonsalez.

PARAGRAPHS

Fairford Corporation, Cooper City, announces that it has reached a distributorship agreement with Antoine-Lettice, based in Paris, France, granting them exclusive marketing rights for its Superbe! ultra-high-pressure waterjet equipment in France and Italy, with nonexclusive rights for the rest of Europe.

Averill Airlines will now serve Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport (previously Orly). Airport transfers included in any of our vacation packages will provide convenient motorcoach transportation between Charles de Gaulle Airport and Port Maillot Station in Paris (formerly Montparnasse Station).

Miles and I have decided that we would make better friends than spouses. As of last week, we have canceled our engagement. We are both, I think, quite relieved, although we still think the world of each other. I know how happy you were for me when I wrote about our engagement, so I wanted to let you know right away that you can still be happy for me—but not because I’m engaged.

Carrie and Frederick Josser, New London, celebrated their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary on March 2. An open house was hosted by Cynthia and Ted Josser of Collins. Eight proud children and many friends and relatives were there.

I’m sorry to tell you that Mother died on July 11 of a heart attack. I know how much your friendship and your lively letters meant to her over the years. She spoke of you often.

We regret to announce that our Davy Jones Aquarium Pump, Model no. 686, has been found to be defective. It is possible that it could deliver a fatal shock. Please return your pump as soon as possible to the store where you purchased it or call the toll-free number below for instructions.

Eggerson Power Equipment Company is proud to announce the opening of a new store on County Road B and Highway 47. One of the largest power equipment sources in the state, the new store specializes in an exhaustive in-store stock and a forty-eight-hour “we can get it” guarantee.

Cornelia (Kay) Motford, George, and Gladys are now living at 1941 Knowles Avenue, Centralia, KY 42330 (502-555-4590). Henry Moulton Pulham is living at 332 Riverside Drive, Lexington, KY 40507 (606-555-2441).

Montford Estates is pleased to announce the expansion of its commercial construction division. The division offers cost-efficient, high-quality commercial construction with emphasis on interior detailing.

Georgina Gardner has been promoted to director of retail leasing for Pelham Development Properties. She will be responsible for leasing Pelham Mall in downtown Brandon.

Due to the rapid rise in labor and operating costs, Ames Fast Maintenance finds it necessary to increase service charges as of September 1. Service charge increases will vary, depending upon the type of service your company uses: on call, when needed, monthly preventive maintenance.

The Board of Directors of the Fiske Corporation will meet on Wednesday, December 3, at 10:00 a.m. at the company’s central office in Harrington. New contracts for executives will be discussed, and such other business as may come before the meeting will be acted upon. If you cannot attend, please sign the enclosed waiver of notice.

Thanks to you, and the orders that have been pouring in for our special line of children’s clothing, we are able to make greater bulk purchases of raw materials and thus manufacture at a lower cost. We are proud to announce that we are passing on these savings to you. Enclosed is our current catalog, but please note the new low prices printed in red.

Francis Getliffe, age 44, of Cambridge. Survived by wife, Katherine March Getliffe; son, Francis Jr.; brother Herbert; also nieces and nephews and good friends from C.P. Snow, Inc. Special thanks to the staff at Cambridge Lutheran Hospital. Memorial service Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at the Hillside Memorial Funeral Home. Family will receive friends one hour prior to the service. Interment Hillside, with reception following in the Hillside Community Room. Memorials preferred. Hillside Memorium, 555-1216.

SAMPLE LETTERS

Dear Friend,

We have moved! During the past fifteen years we were so crowded in our old location that sometimes customers had to stand shoulder to shoulder or squeeze through the aisles. Nowadays you’ll find it much easier to shop at Taylor & Company.

Convenient parking facilities in our parking lot and pleasant offices will make it simple for you to meet all your printing needs.

Enclosed is a map showing the new location, along with a one-time 10 percent discount coupon. Come in and see us while the paint’s still fresh!

Sincerely yours,

——

Brangwen International
is pleased to announce
that Lydia Lensky
has joined the firm
as a partner.
She will direct the
Southeast Asia Operations.

——

FOR: Immediate Release

Boorman, Inc. of Menzies announces the recall of its fresh and frozen sandwiches because of the discovery of bacterial contamination during a recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) test. Some of the sandwiches were found to contain Listeria monocytogenes , a bacterium that can endanger fetuses, infants, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems.

No illnesses have been reported.

Please destroy all Boorman QuickWich sandwiches from lot 480032 or return them to Boorman for a refund.

——

Paul J. Maggio, D.D.S.
and Matthew J. Maggio, D.D.S.
announce the opening
of their new office
at 1099 Kenyon Road
Fort Dodge, Iowa 50501
(515-576-1981)
and an open house
on July 15, 2011

——

Dear Bondholder:

This letter is to inform you that a portion of the July 1, 2011, debt service payment for the above-referenced bond issue was made with monies transferred from the Reserve Fund established pursuant to Section 4.09 of the Indenture of Trust dated December 1, 1997, between Simmons International and Herbert Banking & Trust, as Trustee. Use of such monies in the Reserve Fund does not constitute an Event of Default under the indenture. However, the Trustee considers this information may be of interest to bondholders and potential bondholders.

Sincerely,

——

Bonnie and Steven Goldsmith
are most happy to announce
the arrival of their daughter
Emily Virginia
born in Korea May 23, 1989
welcomed home October 11, 1989

——

Dear Customer:

As of May 1 of this year, your garbage hauling fee will be increased by $1.95 per month. We are always reluctant to raise prices, but are obliged to do so in this case by a recent ruling of the Silvius County Board of Commissioners.

In order to conserve landfill space, all garbage collected in Silvius County since July of 1999 has been required to be taken to the new recovery facility in Shepard rather than to landfills. However, it costs more to “tip” a load of garbage at Shepard than at a landfill, so the County agreed to subsidize haulers until April 30 of this year.

Although other haulers may be raising the householder’s portion of the bill more than $1.95 (due to inflation and haulers’ additional operating expenses), we are going to try to keep the price increase as low as possible.

It is only fair to warn you, however, that there may be more increases in sight. The current legislature is considering raising landfill surcharges and putting a sales tax on hauling fees, which could further increase garbage bills.

There are several ways you can lower your garbage bills. Enclosed are flyers with information on using a volume-based garbage hauler, recycling, composting yard waste at home or at one of the County composting sites, and disposing properly of household hazardous waste.

For further information, call 555-1567.