Thankful, despite it all

If you’re reading this, I want you to know how thankful I am for you.

There are some years when I feel more gratitude than others, and the last three years – since the pandemic turned life upside down and almost cost us our business – have been some of the hardest in our 28 years. There have been more than a few days when I’ve seriously thought about throwing in the towel. But I love what we do, and I love the people I am privileged to work alongside every day. They, along with my family and the grace of God keep me going.

I am deeply thankful for my incredible employees, who are the backbone of our operation. I’m especially grateful for Tony Campbell and Brian Briggs, who are out covering breaking news at all hours. Their flexibility and dedication are key to keeping us going.

As I write this, Lucette, Forest, and Karina worked tirelessly over the weekend, and Josephine and Cindy worked ahead to ensure we could deliver Thanksgiving papers early. Tony Ault, Diane Rhodes, Diane Sieker, JP, Brian, Shane, Elizabeth, and Joe have all gone above and beyond to ensure their stories and photos were ready in time. Jenna, Malina, and Samantha Cokeley handled the office and legals, and Samantha Gorman provided beautiful graphics. Nathalie Taylor, Cindy Custer and Mary Patz are always so helpful as well. Everyone’s hard work and commitment embody the sense of purpose that drives all of us.

We aren’t just turning out widgets – we’re documenting our community’s history. We cover nonprofits, schools, hard news, planning groups, Chambers, theaters, agencies, and more because having an informed and connected citizenry is vital. But our work wouldn’t matter without you – our readers.

If no one subscribed, picked up a copy, or clicked through our online articles, it would all be in vain. There’d be no reason to document our community’s achievements, cheer on our students and nonprofits, or shine a light on both triumphs and challenges. When we expose corruption or celebrate first responders, it’s you – the readers – who make it matter. Without you, we’d be left with little more than social media rants and accusations, but no audience or deeper understanding.

It’s a full circle: we provide valuable information to our readers, our readers support us and our advertisers, and our advertisers support us and make everything we do possible.

And I am so thankful for our advertisers. Businesses like Pala Resort and Casino, Pala Mesa, and Chairman Smith are cornerstones of our community. Pala provides live entertainment, amazing dining, and gaming while also supporting our work. Realtors like Chris and Lisa Hasvold at Coldwell Banker, Ken and Sharon at Compass, Tim Kirk at Epic Realty, and Community Realty keep us going strong. Dentists like Dr. Colby at Village Dentist and Berry-Bell and Hall Mortuary, who’ve advertised with us for over 25 years, make it possible to cover our community in such depth every week, giving us all a sense of pride in our community.

We have over 150 advertisers, and while I can’t name you all here, please know how much you mean to us.

If we want to preserve a full-service community where we don’t have to travel out of town for every little thing, we must continue to support our local realtors, stores, and professionals. They give back to our community in so many ways.

I’m also deeply thankful for my family, who always steps up to help, and for my friends, including those who have invested, donated or lent us money over the last two years. They really saved the day. Michael and Barbara Sullivan, Paul and Paula Herron, Valerie Thruelsen, Ken Follis, the Kurans, the Luomas, Catherine Sousa, and Roy Moosa. Even my loan sharks and hard-money lenders, who – despite choking us with outrageously high interest rates – helped us stay afloat when we had no hard assets to leverage and receivables were slow. Even they have my gratitude.

Over the past year, I’ve worked hard to raise the funds we need to move forward in an expanding digital world. I’m happy to share that we’ve successfully raised more than half of what’s needed. While we still have a way to go, I’m optimistic about what’s to come. We’re building expanded online capacity, growing our work with interns through our nonprofit, and increasing our video coverage in 2025.

Yes, it has been a crazy hard time. But this week, our papers will once again be printed and distributed to thousands of homes. In just a couple of weeks, the long-awaited sourcebook will finally be released, showcasing the strength and beauty of the Fallbrook/Bonsall community. We are starting on our other magazines, building new websites, expanding digital services to our advertisers, and continuing to evolve and serve with more gratitude than ever.

Thank you for being part of this journey with us. Your support continues to mean everything.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Julie Reeder