Donna L. Robinson, publisher of The Heart of Lake County Magazine, will speak at the April Lake Communicators’ meeting. She will talk about the amount of work and effort it takes to start a publication.

Donna was raised in Kirtland with eight brothers and sisters. Her father was an acting judge in the Willoughby Court, a Mentor muni judge and court magistrate. Donna owes him for instilling in her morals, values, principles and ethics for life and career.

Her love of journalism began in high school when she was a staff writer for the school paper. She put her career on hold and married instead. Now, she and husband Ted have a Brady Bunch-type family of six – a “his, mine and ours” mix.

She finally pursued her love for journalism at Lakeland Community College. While there she was an editor and business manager for The Lakelander and vice president of public relations for Alpha Psi Rho, Lakelands’ chapter of Phi Theta Kappa.

In spring of 2003 Ted suggested she start a magazine, and she came up with the title, “The Heart of Lake County Magazine.”

“Since I have lived in Lake County practically all of my life, and my heart has truly been here, theconcept of this magazine took hold and it has been under my skin and in my heart since,” Donna said.

The first issue was published last April. The quarterly magazine is launching its fifth issue, the mid-April thru mid-July ’06 issue.

Donna enjoys being with her husband, children and step-grandchildren. She also loves cats, of which she has two, and loves reading and of course, writing.

When she’s not occupied with either of those activities you might find Donna watching David Letterman, whom she thinks is the funniest person on TV. She also admits to being hooked on “The Young & The Restless” and “The Bold & The Beautiful.” It’s best not to call her early in the morning as she is a night owl.

If you visit her you might have a hard time finding her among a collection of more than 500 archived magazines dating from 1949 to the present, mass copies of old newspapers and several books dating back to the beginning of the century.

She dislikes people who have no scruples, morals, principles, or values, and who violate the mores of society. She also hates insects of any kind, driving on the freeway and getting up early in the morning.   

Over the past few years, Lake Communicators’ membership has been growing, but we want more! So we’ve organized a friendly little contest to determine just what our members would do for money. It’s called the Membership Drive Challenge and it’s quite simple. Any enterprising member that brings in the most NEW members between now and May 10, 2006, wins $100. We’re talking cash here – One Hundred Big Ones – currency, coin, moola. Well, you get the idea.

So, how does it work? Call anyone you think should be a member. Tell them about our extensive Member Benefits (check out our Web site if you’re unsure). Tell them how much YOU enjoy the organization (no need to lie). Tell them what a great group we are (careful). Tell them how much fun we have and how fabulous the speakers are remember Bruce Hennis, Curtis Danberg and the Three Photographers?

Don’t forget to tell them how good the food is and about our upcoming special events, like our 25th Anniversary Bash in May and the Lake County Apex Awards in October. Then tell them if they join now, it’s only $90 for the balance of the year (it’s pro-rated folks).

This will work on almost any cell phone, regardless of carrier. Check with your cellular provider for instructions. Don’t send more than 50 characters or your message will be automatically truncated.      

her least favorite chore is sorting them. “I’d rather buy new than sort them - they just never seem to match up,” she said. She can’t wait for summer when she can go without.

Jim Jones, one of four brothers who are all partners in Jones Printing Service in Willoughby, has been in printing for 27 years. He has been a member of Lake Communicators for the past four years. Jim prints the Voice newsletter at no charge to Lake Communicators.

“I love being in printing because it’s taking artwork and reproducing it and making a new product each time. Printing seems to fit in with creating things, being a little bit artistic.”

In the summer, when he’s not in the print shop, he likes to play golf. In the winter he bowls and plays chess. When he has a spare couple hours he looks for an old movie on TV as he’s an old movie buff and loves movies from Hollywood’s Golden Era.

Jim and his wife of 14 years, Carolyn, and daughters Chelsey, 9, and Ashley, 6, live in Willoughby. Jim has lived and worked in Lake County for his entire career. Their pets are Princess, a 3-year-old Golden Retriever/ lab mix, and a cat named Angel.

And don’t worry – if you visit Jim he promises he won’t try to serve you any Kool-Aid.     

Monthly Meetings
Membership meetings are held the second Wednesday of each month at the Comfort Inn & Conference Center, 7701 Reynolds Road, just south of Rt. 2. Lunch meetings are held from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. and include networking and a half hour program. Breakfast meetings are held from 7:45 to 9 a.m. Guests are always welcome.

Advance reservations are required by replying to Shirley Wolfe's e-mail at wolfeshirley@yahoo.com or by calling Diana Lewis at (440) 255-8932 by the Friday prior to the meeting. You may send a substitute; no-shows will be billed. Members $10, guests $15.