The Power of Community

By David Sabados

Last month I penned a note about the paper struggling with decreased revenue and increased costs. The community response has been amazing. We received $5 to $500 contributions from individuals who wrote to us about how important the paper is to them. You sent over $3,000 to help cover our short-term costs while we figure out long-term solutions. Thank you!

We are talking with prospective advertisers who see both the direct and indirect value of advertising in the community. Our readers consistently support local businesses, whether through shopping, dining or services. Our hope is that you will see more of these local companies in our pages very soon. If you’re a business interested in options, email me at [email protected]. We’re revamping both print and digital ad offerings and would love to talk about options that benefit you.

To keep a community paper going in a digital age requires innovation too. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. We’re excited to explore new ways to partner with businesses and community. Please join us at our first “North Star Night,” which we hope becomes a regular occurance. Little Man Ice Cream is kicking us off with a North Star Night in LoHi (2620 16th St.) on Friday, Oct. 20, from 5-9 p.m. That night 15% of sales will go to The Denver North Star. You can support the paper just by eating delicious ice cream. Bring a blanket and stay for “Ghostbusters” at 6:30 p.m. And get more ice cream, of course. The more you buy, the more you help the paper. We’ll be there if you want to chat.

We’ll also be at the HUNIween parade afterparty on Saturday, Oct. 28. Come by our booth at the Recess Beer Garden Trick-or-Treat Street (2715 17th St.) to share thoughts on what we should be covering or ideas for sustaining the paper.

Stop by Little Man on Oct. 20 or HUNIween on Oct. 28 and enter to win a North Denver gift basket worth over $200! If you make a direct donation at either event, you’ll be automatically entered. 

Also, we’re looking again at nonprofit options and talking with other community newspaper groups about collaboration. Our sister paper, The G.E.S. Gazette, has received grants from both Denver and Google to help in the short term.

Finally, we’d love your support in December, when a $5,000 matching grant becomes available. We’ll let you know when the opportunity to double your support for local journalism goes live. 

From all of us at The Denver North Star, thank you for your donations, offers to help, and kind words of encouragement. We cherished every email and handwritten letter and every donation that came in. It truly is amazing to see how much this community cares about keeping our community paper alive and thriving.

Thank you,

Dave

P.S. If your business would like to host our next North Star Night, get in touch with me at [email protected].

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