News : Call me crazy, but I love to write a Thank You Note

I'm not kidding.

I know it's probably a bit weird to actually enjoy writing out a note to just say, “Thank You” but I do enjoy it.

We just received our box of newly designed thank you notes, which Bobbie (the most creative gal) at Monkeytown had designed and put together for us. I was like a kid at Christmas. I opened the box, took out the packing, and looked at our new notes and smiled.

I then started through the donations that we have received and read with a smile the kind notes that many of you sent along with a check.

I think for me, this is probably the highlight of our fundraiser, the kind notes.

I know, I'm just like a puppy, pat me on the head once in a while and I'll stand there like an idiot and wag my tail happily.

Being behind the computer in this business is kind of a weird experience.

I KNOW people are reading the website from the almost 20 MILLION clicks on the site. (Now try to wrap your head around just how many 20 million actually is.)

But, sometimes I really do miss talking to Mary who designed the ads at the former Vinton Eagle, or I miss Vicky at the front desk or I miss talking advertising with Sherry.

I mean don't get me wrong, Dean is alright, but we are kinda boring.

So the highlight of my year, is the more personal touch, the notes everyone sends in.

We know that we are putting out all the information that we can get our hands on, but sometimes it feels like we are just feeding these machines.

It's hard to see Vinton Today from your seat.

Today we had notes from Arizona and Illinois. Both from people that read the site because they used to live here and they expressed how it made them feel like they now have a window into what's happening “at home”. I know Dean's aunt in Texas also reads it for the same reason. It's a bit of home.

In the long run, we've tried to do that for everyone, bring us all together on the same page. It's been a wonderful experience to just see how we can get so much done by simply getting the news bits out each day.

One of the things we didn't think about at the beginning is how much free advertising Vinton Today is for the city of Vinton.

Small but mighty seems to sum up what we've done here at Vinton Today. Vinton is small by everyone else's standards, but the things this little town does, it's just mind boggling when you look at it. With Vinton Today, we can tell the whole world about Vinton!

Which brings me to...oh yeah. Our fundraiser.

We know from looking at our analytics that we have readers all over.

Now would be an awesome time to let us hear from you. We really need to hear from everyone this year in our fund raising campaign.

Trust me, if you can only afford to send in a small contribution, that's perfectly fine. Most of our fund raising is carried by folks like you.

If you are one that has been blessed with a large bank account , and you are on the look out for someplace to help, and wouldn't miss a few million, er, hundred, trust me, this is the year, we really could use your help.

We need to update the technology that keeps Vinton Today online.

Right now the donations we have received will only cover the hosting fees for the year. We are still in need of thousands of dollars to rebuild the website.

So please, everyone, take a minute, glance at the checkbook, and see what you can do to help.

I should mention that donations are NOT tax deductible, sorry about that.

Donations can be dropped off at Monkeytown, or mailed to: Vinton Today Fundraiser, P.O. Box 477, Vinton, Iowa, 52349.

If you'd like to donate online, you can do that by clicking here!

And again, thank you so much for your generosity!