The story after the story: How Tallahassee Democrat stories change lives

While other high school swim teams are decked out in matching name-brand sweats, Emily Gwin’s squad at Godby High School struggled to get swimsuits.

Gwin, who is also a chemistry teacher, didn’t let that obstacle sink the program. The team would have multiple fundraisers throughout the year to make up for their lack of funding.

The Tallahassee Democrat got one of those fundraising emails in the fall from Shania Brown, the team’s captain.

“Many of my swimmers come from low income families and really want to participate but funds are low,” Shania wrote in September.

Journalism with impact:Godby student swimmers jump head-first into the sport in spite of systemic roadblocks

The goal was to raise $1,000 for warm ups, equipment, team meals and out-of-town meets.

But there was more to this story than just a fundraiser. Brown and her team highlighted the systemic inequality between Black and white swimmers, especially in the Southern United States, where the recent history of Jim Crow still lingers.

After the Democrat wrote an in-depth story about the swim team overcoming those challenges, the team received $10,000 in donations.

When a reporter writes a story, it’s generally to inform the public. At the Democrat, our job is to let you know what’s happening in our community, whether it’s a new restaurant opening, a court case or a fatal shooting.

Tallahassee, however, is a small city with a close-knit community, and more often than not, our words impact the people we write about in our stories.

After the Democrat published its most recent investigation into the surging numbers of homeless families in Tallahassee, emails poured into inboxes with locals asking how they could help the family of six featured in the story.

"I was impressed and moved and so appreciative of your reporting on families experiencing homelessness in Tallahassee," emailed one reader. "It was a human, nuanced look at such an important aspect of how Tallahassee isn’t taking care of its residents."

Homeless families: A special report'Absolute chaos': A day in the life of a homeless family of six in Tallahassee

The inside story:A look at how and why we reported on homeless families in Tallahassee

How to help:Homelessness affects thousands in the Big Bend. Here's how you can help

Like a Band-Aid on a bullet wound:Charities overwhelmed and 'nowhere to go' for homeless families

Readers offered money, clothes, gift cards; one woman offered the family her Airbnb until they could get save enough money to rent on their own.

They were also able to give the kids a wonderful Christmas and New Year's.

"People in the community stepped forward with gifts and a cute little tree," said the mother, Danica Hively.

While that story helped people get back on their feet, we are always dedicated to the truth, and sometimes that truth is hard and has consequences.

Fallout was swift after the Tallahassee Democrat published detailed allegations of sexual harassment against the incoming Democratic leader of the Florida House of Representatives.

The allegations came from a former Florida A&M University employee who shared sexually explicit text messages with Democrat reporter Jeff Burlew and employment complaints he filed against Rep. Ramon Alexander, a rising star in the party.

An investigative report:'Recklessness': Rep. Ramon Alexander apologizes amid sexting, harassment allegations

When confronted, Alexander apologized for what he described as an adult, consensual relationship — something his accuser denies. The next day, he announced he would not seek re-election, which means Florida Democrats had to select a new minority leader for the next legislative cycle as high stakes elections loomed.

Ove the years, the Tallahassee Democrat has become the definitive source for the number of serious shootings in Florida's capital city. In our interactive map at data.tallahassee.com/tallahassee-shootings/2022/, we keep a real time count of the toll of gun violence deaths and injuries.

As those numbers climbed, so did the number of stories about victims, even though the Marsy’s Law victim rights amendment often deprives the community of learning the stories of loved ones crying out for justice.

An empathetic exploration of youth violence chronicling a group of teens navigating Tallahassee, where poverty can cast young Black men into survival mode, dovetailed with the release of the Anatomy of a Homicide study, which spurred the city to create a task force and dole out $1 million a year to target gun violence.

We don't just write about news — we shape the community conversation, changing real lives in the process.

The small but dedicated news team has an outsized impact as they serve the community in a truly difficult job in an industry beset by layoffs and cost-cutting.

In 2022, for the fourth consecutive year, the Tallahassee Democrat took home the top journalism award from the Florida Society of News Editors — the Gold Medal — for the project on the intersection of poverty and youth violence and a heart-wrenching look inside a local hospital's COVID ward.

Winning streak:Tallahassee Democrat wins top journalism prize for 4th consecutive year for COVID, crime coverage

The streak in the Division B category is unprecedented in the more than a century that the Democrat has been serving the capital city.

The Democrat also swept the top five categories in its division with first places in Breaking News Reporting, Enterprise Stories, Investigative Reporting, Community Leadership and Features Writing.

And while $10,000 might not seem like a lot for some people in Tallahassee, it’s enough for swimsuits for Godby High School students for a least the next five years.

"I don't have to worry about watching a student struggle," she said.

It's a weight off of Gwin's shoulders. Thanks to donations from readers, the students also got matching sweatshirts this fall.

“We as a team are trying to make sure everyone has an opportunity to be a part of something bigger than themselves,” Shania, the Godby swim team captain, wrote in her fundraising email.

At the Tallahassee Democrat, we are trying, too.

Ana Goñi-Lessan is the Tallahassee Democrat's K-12 reporter. Email her at agonilessan@tallahassee.com.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Journalism with impact: How Tallahassee Democrat stories change lives