Thank you for 2022
by Sara Swanson and Marsha Chartrand
2022 was a big year for the Manchester Mirror. In February, we announced we were in the process of becoming a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and that we were in serious need of volunteers. Pretty quickly after asking for volunteers, we got some!
Harker Jones, a Manchester native and professional editor, stepped in and, from across the country, now copy-edits the online edition of the Mirror and the pdf layout before it goes to print. Manchester area residents Anne Adams and Liz Polk took over picking up the stacks of printed papers on Wednesdays and driving through the Manchester area and dropping them off at the delivery locations. On top of this, Anne worked on the primary voters guide this year, contacting all of the candidates, and Liz periodically has mailed the subscriptions. Thank you, Harker, Anne, and Liz! Taking over these weekly tasks loosened up our schedules and gave Marsha and me some much-needed breathing room.
More people volunteered to write for the Mirror than are listed below and have contributed stand-alone articles. On top of that, a countless number of people wrote articles about their organizations and events and submitted them to us. With the knowledge that I will absolutely leave someone out if I list those contributors, I’m only highlighting the column writers and regular contributors here, but please know that we appreciate everyone who has written an article for us!
Steve Girbach and Kevin Sharp created new columns! Steve, a Manchester Underground organizer as well as half of the radio show “Songs from the Trail” duo on WVBI (the Voice of Beaver Island), writes the “Michigan Music” column, which has so far featured talented Manchester residents in the music industry. Kevin, who has a talent for cooking as well as photography, has been submitting recipes using locally grown (usually by him!) ingredients along with breathtaking accompanying photographs. Anita Herman, who already submitted articles on behalf of the Community Resource Center, started writing the “Volunteer Spotlight,” highlighting different Manchester nonprofit groups in each column. Thank you to our new columnists this year, Steve, Kevin, and Anita!
Not all of our volunteer writers came aboard this year, of course. Jennifer Fairfield, Manchester resident and owner of the Garden Mill in Chelsea, has been contributing a column from close to the beginning of the Mirror, a monthly gardening advice column. Sybil Kolon, a Manchester Township resident, volunteered in January of 2020 to cover Manchester Township Board meetings for the Mirror and encouraged us to create a Community Reporter Corps to find residents to volunteer to cover each of the townships’ board meetings. While we have not secured coverage for the other townships as of yet, Sybil was ahead of us in even recognizing the need to bring in more people from the community to cover the news. Thank you, Jennifer and Sybil, for your years of contribution!
Manchester resident Laurie Brewis Esq., a lawyer with the TGQ Law Firm in Ann Arbor, has done all of the work behind the scenes to secure our 501(c)(3) status. Thank you, Laurie!
On top of volunteers, we received the most donations we’ve received ever in 2022. Some came through the mail and some came online through our Patreon. We are grateful for all of them!
Thank you to our 2022 donors: Kathleen Graddy, Reno & Nancy Felkamp, Randi Friedman, George Daubner, Susan Kensler, James Fielder, Lon Nordeen & Carol Westfall, The Duffs, Rosemarie Austin, ALI of Chelsea, Ellen O’Sullivan, Helen Fisher, Patricia Swaney, Ray Berg, Linda Mussio, Lamont & JoAnn Okey, Margaret Ann Dunn, Wheekest, Jeffrey White, Linda Breight, Virginia Johnson, Julie Kruse, Dona Olsen, Patricia Bermon, Matt Callow, Laurie D Brewis, Howard Girbach, Adam Douglas, Kathleen Jefferson, Nancy Penberthy, Richard Stefani, Donald Vescoso, Deborah Burch, Sadira Clarke, Drew Fischer, Patricia K Vailliencourt, Harker Jones, Leah Sweet, Brian, Susan Sabourin, John Burton, Linda & Jeffrey Lawther, Walter Friedrich, Blanca Beltran, Sharon Homolka, Wayne Oliver, Kenneth Frost, Cynthia, Anne T Schenk, Melissa Andersen, Brenda Warman, Daniella Kippnick, Jill Strait, Elayne Tiller, William McNamara, Kindra Weid, Kristen Uthus, Anita Herman, Angela Zahner, Carol Rose Kahn, Michelle, Amy Stevenson, Patty Havey, Peter Fuerstnau, Jennifer Gaydosh, Tammy Melcher, Patty, Jen Enzer, Jennifer Blackwell, Barry Allen, Doug Schneider, Glennica Magee, Phyllis Heinrich, Sybil A Kolon, Julie Helquist, Elizabeth Polk, Matt Hall, Melissa Katke, DeRuth Miles, Jody Sharrow, and Robin Scully!
Thank you to all of our 2022 advertisers and subscribers, the businesses that distribute the paper, those who write letters to the editor, everyone who picks up a copy for their neighbor or drops off a few copies someplace we don’t. Thank you to all of our readers!
Merry Christmas and a happy new year from the Manchester Mirror! We’ll see you in 2023!!
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