December is the last month for our readers to support the Patagonia Regional Times as we approach the end of Newsmatch, a national campaign to support nonprofit newsrooms by providing matching funds for donations we receive between Nov 1 and Dec 31. This means that every dollar you donate becomes two dollars for the PRT.
We are very pleased to announce that a generous local donor, Virginia Treherne-Thomas, has pledged $2000 in matching funds to our campaign as part of “Giving NewsDay.” For every donation we receive starting on Dec 3, which is National Giving Tuesday, up to $2000, the PRT will receive triple the amount! Thank you, Virginia for supporting us in this way.
We are so grateful to all of you who are helping us reach our goal of raising $15,000 by the end of the year. We are awed by the response we have gotten so far.
As of this issue we are close to our goal of 100 new donors.. If we can reach 100 new donors by Dec. 31, we will also be eligible for a goal-based bonus from Newsmatch. (Last year’s bonus was $5000!) Please help us reach that goal by telling your friends and family about the importance of local nonprofit news in our community. If we don’t cover these stories, who will?
Here is what we are bringing to you in December. It always amazes me how much is going on in our small corner of the world. Make sure to read the articles this month about the Sunnyside mining project, Veterans Day, the Tin Shed Theater, the new board of Health Code, South 32 grants to local nonprofits, to name but a few of the stories we have been following.
We had an amazing response to our school essay and photo contests, receiving 84 essays and 48 photographs. The winners were honored at the PRT’s 10th anniversary celebration on Nov 30 at the Patagonia Creative Arts Association. Be sure to check out the students’ photos at the Patagonia Library, as well as the prizewinning entries which are included in this issue.
Our collaboration with students at the U of A Journalism School is being finalized. We will meet with the students late January and are planning to have them spend two days with us in February, with a second visit later in the spring.
The students will be spending their time here researching and writing about issues facing eastern Santa Cruz County which we will be publishing later this year. We will be reaching out to our readers for topics that you would be interested in having these students cover.
2019 has been a busy year here at the PRT and we are looking forward to continue growing our online presence, our community outreach and our reporting in 2020. With your help, we will be hiring additional staff and investing in new technology and training to help us bring you our local news.
Thank you all for your continued support.