GWNYTownHallMeeting

The fundraising effort will continue from now through year-end and proceeds will go towards hiring freelancers/interns to research, write, and distribute news generated from quarterly Greater Western New York Town Hall Meetings in 2022 that are hosted by the Sentinel and cosponsored by a dozen local community newspapers.

We, the Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel in sponsorship with a collection of independently owned weekly community newspapers, plan to host a series of town hall events on equity imbalance in the rural communities we cover, which often don’t have fair representation. The town halls will provide a venue for story ideas to percolate directly from the readers. Once we collect the equity issues, we will research and report on those topics via freelance journalists or student interns.

If you believe local, trusted information is critical, please donate to Greater Western New York Town Hall Meeting Project — 2021 Local News Fund, via Local Media Foundation, to make our reporting stronger. Contributions to this fund will help pay for news resources to cover issues important to our local communities; trends in the Greater Western New York Region; and effects these concerns have on local businesses, local schools, and local civic associations.

The Greater Western New York region consists of the 17 western counties in New York State, historically known as “The Genesee Country,” that touch or include all land west of the Preemption that was established by the Treaty of Hartford on December 16, 1786. The region is recognized by the New York State Department of Health, the New York Press Association, and other groups. These include the counties of: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Ontario, Orleans, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates.

Many of you already subscribe, and for that, we are grateful. But we now are also asking subscribers and non-subscribers to consider making tax-deductible donations to increase our coverage of this ongoing equity crisis in rural reporting.

Thank you for your support of the Greater Western New York Town Hall Meeting Project!

Greater Western New York Town Hall Meeting Project — 2021 Local News Fund is a program administered by Local Media Foundation, tax ID #36‐4427750, a Section 501(c)(3) charitable trust affiliated with Local Media Association. Funds donated to this program support local journalism projects to inform and educate the public on critical local issues. Through this program, LMF provides funds to this news organization and many others to support these important efforts. Contributions to this program are tax-deductible to the full extent of U.S. law; please consult a tax advisor for details. No goods or services are provided in exchange for contributions.