Missouri Press Insider: Melanie Latamondeer

Melanie Latamondeer

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Larry’s Warriors puts up 15-18 Christmas trees every year in an outdoor display at a local business. Trees are adorned with white lights with memorial ornaments, purple lights with survivor ornaments and multi colored lights which honors survivors. The engraved ornaments are sold every year before the display is put up and the local FFA Chapter helps stake and decorate all the trees in time to be lit on Thanksgiving night.

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The Larry’s Warriors Foundation announced a raffle of a Gravely Atlas side by side in 2023. Shown with owners of Fehling Small Equipment where the side by side was purchased from.

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Members of the Larry’s Warriors Foundation Board of Directors includes, from left, front row, Joni Drummond, Melanie Latamondeer, Jake Latamondeer; and back row, Pam Lockard and Denny Henke.

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In March 2014, Larry Latamondeer was diagnosed with male breast cancer. What was initially expected to be a single round of treatment quickly turned into a lifelong battle when, by September of that year, the cancer had metastasized to his lungs. Larry's Warriors Foundation was started in his memory.

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The Story Behind Larry’s Warriors Foundation

In March 2014, Larry Latamondeer was diagnosed with male breast cancer. What was initially expected to be a single round of treatment quickly turned into a lifelong battle when, by September of that year, the cancer had metastasized to his lungs. As Larry faced this difficult journey, his work family, friends, and loved ones rallied around him, organizing a large-scale fundraiser to support his family. The overwhelming outpouring of love had a profound impact on Larry and gave him the opportunity to “live like he was dying” during the final two and a half years of his life.

After Larry’s passing in December 2016, his lifelong best friend Denny Henke; his wife and children, Melanie Latamondeer, Joni Drummond, and Jake Latamondeer; along with family friend Pam Lockard, founded Larry’s Warriors Foundation in his honor. Established as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the foundation began raising funds to support other local families facing cancer. An eight-member advisory board was also formed, representing all four towns in the county.

On the first anniversary of Larry’s death, the foundation awarded its first round of grants with four cancer warriors from within Chariton County each receiving $250 plus monthly mileage checks for a total of $1000 each. The foundation has since advanced and is able to grant warriors $1500 on diagnosis and an additional $1000 in the second and third year of treatment if it extends beyond a first series of treatments.

Since that time, Larry’s Warriors Foundation has raised and distributed more than $215,000 to local cancer warriors. The foundation has also created an investment fund to ensure sustainability during years when fundraising may decline.

Additionally, support for cancer patients now extends over a three-year period, rather than being limited to the first year of treatment.

Larry’s legacy lives on through the foundation’s mission—to provide meaningful financial and emotional support to those battling cancer, right here at home.

Who owns the newspaper? I am the sole owner.

Circulation: Around 900 per week.

Number of issues per week/publication day: Weekly on Thursday.

Number of full-time and part-time staff: I’m full-time. I have three part-time staff in the office and two high school kids that will both be working through flex next school year. They both currently work part time for me, including one being the main ad sales person.

Population of the town and county: According to the 2020 Census – coverage towns are Salisbury, 1,500; Brunswick, 801; Keytesville, 440; and Mendon, 163. Chariton County is about 7,400.

Is the community growing, declining, or holding steady? The county as a whole is showing a slight increase.

Your greatest challenge: Getting it all done. As a startup, I’ve been learning what the area will respond to and in the meantime, I’m wearing all the hats. The goal is to establish a routine so I can eventually train others to take on specific roles. I have been blessed to have tremendous support and patience. My daughter has even stepped in to help with billing and we are learning the process for legal paperwork together.

Newspaper’s biggest strength: Business, community and government entity support. They went three months without any kind of paper whatsoever and realized what it meant to be a news desert. They can get state and local news just about anywhere but as a rural area, we are completely ignored by regional news outlets. I focus solely on local news with a sprinkling of columns from state elected officials. This area wants to know what our schools and local governments are doing, and that is a full-time job keeping up with four schools/towns.

Newspaper’s biggest weakness or obstacle to overcome: For me the biggest obstacle is letting people know I’m here. When the Chariton Journal went out of business, their subscription list was lost. I have picked up the biggest majority of local people as I did an every door direct marketing drop the first two weeks I was in print. Also finding a balance between print and online. I have both and online is a total money pit. I’m not sure where the balance is with that!

What is your favorite journalism accomplishment? This paper! Not only by getting off the ground from absolutely nothing but a computer and a dream with a massive underestimation of what it was going to take but also the fact that I am able to use the paper to highlight the absolute great aspects of living in a rural area. From highlighting veterans to the county schools to the “everyday” citizens doing amazing things, I love being able to put forward the best of the best in our county. We may not have a coffee shop on every corner, but we always have someone willing to buy you a cup or make a whole pot and sit around the kitchen table and help you through life’s trials. I take a lot of pride in highlighting the strengths of Chariton County every chance I get.

If you weren’t a publisher, what do you think you would be doing? Well, if I could win the lottery, probably living in an RV in a different campground every week. But reality says I would probably be doing bookkeeping from home as there seems to be a tremendous need for that in the area.

Your family: I have two adult children. My daughter, Joni, is married to Brandon and has three kids. My son, Jake, has a son. Those four grandkids (Braelyn, Jayden, Brecklyn and Stetson) are my world. I have a friend and partner in crime, Richard, and a fur step-child Gizmo.

Your hobbies/interests: My grandkids are my favorite hobby. Customers always chuckle at the note on my office door that says Grammy Uber is everyday for school pickup – be right back. Dick and I love to go camping and enjoy watching auto racing in several formats but you can always find us in Talladega, Ala., in the fall for the NASCAR race.

Something interesting or unusual about you: My signature on my email makes most people cringe. Not only do I have the newspaper, but I am a member of the Salisbury City Council, the Chariton County 911 board, the Salisbury Chamber of Commerce president and on the Board of Directors for Larry’s Warriors Foundation.

When my husband passed away in 2016, his best friend and I established Larry’s Warriors to assist cancer patients in Chariton County with travel expenses to and from treatment. We gave out the first checks on the first anniversary of Larry’s death on Dec. 26, 2017. Since that time, we have raised and distributed more than $215,000, as well as established the start to a perpetual fund in hopes that there will always be assistance for cancer warriors.

As proud as I am of the newspaper, the foundation is by far my greatest and most humbling accomplishment.