We here at Spotlight Newspapers take our commitment to being part of your community seriously. That’s why we make a point of supporting events in the towns we cover.
Already this month, you’ve seen us at the Back to School Expo at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center with our Parent Pages crew and the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce Golf Day at the Normanside Golf Club in Bethlehem. Sunday, we’ll be at The Crossings 5K Challenge race in Colonie wearing our Spotlight red T-shirts, so you’ll easily spot us in the crowd.
We’re not just planning on being at the race, either. Sports editor Rob Jonas will be taking pictures and covering the race for our sports sections, and managing editor Kristen Roberts and members of her family will be running in the event.
This is no different from what we do with the annual Delmar Dash in April. We go beyond simply sponsoring the race — specifically, the kids fun runs — to actually having a physical presence there, whether it’s on the course or on the sidelines.
Why do we do things like sponsor races or participate in the annual Bethlehem Christmas Parade in December? It’s because we believe in taking an active interest in our communities and letting you have a chance to meet the people behind the names you read on our masthead. We don’t want to anonymously blend in with the crowd — we want to stand out in it.
It’s the same reason you’ll see a new look to our print editions beginning next week. If you’ve driven or walked past our Delaware Avenue office in Bethlehem over the past two weeks, you’ve seen teasers for what we have in store for you beginning Oct. 1. We can’t get into too many details at this time because that would spoil the surprises we have in store. Just know that the changes are “Better, Bolder and Brighter.”
In today’s hyper-competitive media world, we realize we can’t just present the news to you every week. We have to show you that we care about what’s going on in our communities, and we want to be part of the positive things that are happening. Whether it’s sponsoring The Crossings 5K Challenge, the Delmar Dash or Family Day at the Menands Farmers Market, we’re there to talk with you and learn a little bit about you, and at the same time give you a chance to meet us and learn a little bit about who we are as people.
We intend on being part of your communities for many years to come, and we hope that if you see us out and about, you’ll stop and say hello.