Make a gift of gratitude

We approach the holiday season with much to be thankful for.

Above all, we’re deeply grateful to you, our readers, who keep this newspaper healthy with your donations and your contributions as writers, photographers, proofreaders and more.

With this in mind, we have two requests.

First, our year-end campaign launches today with the goal of raising $40,000 over the next six weeks. This represents a quarter of our annual budget and is key to ending the year on a stable financial footing.

For the fifth year in a row, we’ve been awarded a NewsMatch grant so, for a limited time only, all gifts up to $1,000 are doubled, and you can feel twice as good about your donation.

Second, with each donation, we invite you to recognize a friend, neighbor or colleague who makes a difference in your life or in the Charlotte community.

Perhaps it’s a Charlotte Central School teacher, a volunteer at the library or fire and rescue, a member of town government, a town employee or a teacher at the senior center? Someone whose contributions mostly go unnoticed?

When you make your “Gift of Gratitude” to The Charlotte News, provide the name of the honored person and a few words about why you’re grateful to them. You can use the envelope inserted in this issue of the newspaper or the form available when you make a gift on our secure website. Our deadline for recognition is Nov. 30. Thank you.

We will publish the names of everyone so honored in the Dec. 12 edition of the newspaper as a celebration of our community. After all, it’s the people of Charlotte that make this such a remarkable place.

We know that you value The Charlotte News and website as a reliable source for information and insight. In addition to news, the highs and lows of our daily lives unfold in its pages, from births to graduations, milestones and final farewells. Each time you open your copy of The Charlotte News, you learn something new about our town, the people who live here and the key decisions that impact the community.

The pages of The Charlotte News reflect the vibrancy of our community. The newspaper keeps us informed and connected.

But none of this just “happens.”

Keeping The Charlotte News strong, resilient, useful and available to all is part of a 66-year tradition. Maintaining the newspaper’s quality and keeping it sustainable is possible only because of gifts from more than 350 generous supporters each year.

Your gift really matters, perhaps more than you might imagine — gifts from our readers make up more than half of our lean, $150,000 annual budget.

Our request comes with best wishes for a happy holiday season, in the company of family and friends, giving thanks for all Charlotte offers.

(Bill Regan is chair of the newspaper’s board of directors. John Quinney is a board member and chair of the fundraising committee.)