We’re grateful to these Charlotters

As part of our year-end fundraising campaign, I invite you to make a Gift of Gratitude.

When you make your gift and recognize someone who makes a difference in your life — or in the Charlotte community — we will publicly acknowledge this person in the Dec. 12 newspaper.

Gifts of Gratitude may be made on our secure website and thanks to our fifth NewsMatch grant, all gifts up to $1,000 are doubled.

Some of our volunteers at the newspaper expressed their gratitude like this:

• “I commend as a group the many volunteers in this town who do so much behind the scenes, clearing downed trees on town trails, organizing and staffing town events like the Town Party at the beach and Concerts on the Green, running the Charlotte Food Shelf, cleaning up litter on Green Up Day, helping at the senior center, organizing pickleball games, volunteering for fire and rescue, serving their faith communities, and so on.”

• “I am grateful for Ken Spencer who is dedicated to changing the way people think about litter and the throw-away culture. He is involved with the Chittenden Solid Waste District, the tractor parade, Green Up Day and town plastics recycling. He models what it means to take care of our town, our neighborhood and our neighbors.”

• “I am grateful for Dave Quickel and the crew at Stony Loam Farm who provide our community with delicious vegetables and gorgeous flowers. Despite a farmer’s constant daily grind, Dave greets everyone at the farmstand with a warm smile, and he also pens a darn entertaining newsletter.”

• “I would like to express gratitude for the people who maintain and carry out all the tasks involved with keeping the Charlotte Food Shelf up and functioning. This involves a lot of work from picking up food, loading and unloading trucks, to stocking shelves. It’s important work.”

• “I’m grateful for the town staff who keep Charlotte humming and thriving, especially our first responders.”

• “Ted Roberts and Beth Sytsma (with help from Alexandra Lehmann) take it upon themselves to decorate the World War I memorial space by the Old Brick Store. They donate the time and materials to make beautiful and creative displays that enhance one of the busiest intersections in town. Their displays have ranged from the solemn to the whimsical, but they also showcase great originality and a strong sense of civic pride.”

Tell us about someone in town who you want to recognize for their volunteer contributions. You can use the envelope included in last week’s newspaper or make a Gift of Gratitude on our secure website. And, for a limited time only, all Gifts of Gratitude of up to $1,000 are matched, dollar for dollar, thanks to our fifth NewsMatch grant.

(John Quinney is a member of the board of directors of The Charlotte News and chair of its fundraising committee.)