News : How did we get here? Well, it\'s all Thanks to You!

Asking for your financial help is always the time of year that we dislike the most.

We love covering stories in the area, celebrating the big steps made in our community, and lending a hand were we can to get word out, but the one thing we hate to do every year is to ask for money.

Fortunately, when we signed on to this gig, we didn't realize that this would be one aspect of the job.

This year we are looking at much larger annual fees to host the site. Like everything else, the prices are going up.

Now add to that, the cost of building a new site, something we were hoping to avoid, another expense that we didn't think we'd need to worry about. (Sometimes, ignorance is indeed bliss!)

Probably the majority of you are like Dean and I when it comes to understanding how this internet works and how websites work.

For a couple years, Kurt's been telling us, “I think we need to consider building a new site.” In our ignorance, we kept saying, “Nah, it'll be fine...” but when Wesley our tech guy joined in and said that it probably would be a good idea...we started thinking that if he is thinking it's time as well, we'd better go for it.

I hate change. I don't like trying to learn new technology. Hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it!

But the more I think about it, I realized that in tech life, each year is like 10 years for computers...so I suppose Kurt and Wesley are right....

So, this is going to be a HUGE, or as the Comb-Over King Donald Trump would say, it's going to be a “YUGE” expense.

Just keeping us online will now also cost quite bit more, so when we say this year, we need everyone to pitch in, we aren't kidding.

Many online “newspapers” (do I need to say this, “We are NOT associated with any newspaper”) charge to use their site, we don't. Many sign up to use advertising from national companies, again, we do not, we are trying really hard to keep this all local. We might be able to pull in a few more bucks if we did that, but we don't want to lose the personal touch.

Our advertisers have been the ones responsible for keeping Dean fed and gas in his car. They are the ones that bought the tires when we needed a new set of our weekend away. They are the ones that make sure you have news to read every day.

When you see the banner ads from Virginia Gay Hospital filling our home page, or if you look to the right of the page, you will see LaGrange Pharmacy or on the Obituary page you will see VanSteenhuyse Russell Funeral Home and Nature's Corner, then on the News page you will notice the Vinton Palace, these are the folks that took a gamble on us before we even went "live" and said, "We believe in you enough to get you started!"

We like to think that their risk paid off. Soon after, the majority of the rest of our advertisers, joined in, and stayed around.

Thank you dear businesses, there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about how grateful I am that you support this effort.

Once a year, we ask for each of you to chip in to keep us, “on the air” and every year, you do so. You are all just as important as the advertisers. Without the effort of this whole wonderful community, we just couldn't do this.

Thank you for believing in us, for supporting us, for your kind words and especially for your generosity.

Please take a minute to consider how you can lend a hand toward the new technology that we need to keep Vinton Today online.

There are two ways that you can contribute to Vinton Today.

You can mail a check to: Vinton Today Fundraiser, P.O. Box 477, Vinton, Iowa 52349 or you can donate online via Paypal by clicking here.

And again, thank you so much for your generosity.