9 reasons to support local your local nonprofit news: Reason 2
A major part of BenitoLink’s mission is to open up to the community and listen to it. Instead of being a gatekeeper of information, we invite stories and opinions from residents of San Benito County. It’s an interactive relationship.
BenitoLink welcomes the voices of our community and encourages an open dialogue among residents. Your support helps keep the conversation going and ensures that BenitoLink can continue to serve the community that built it.
We are currently at $15,000 in donations that will be fully matched. Join our fall campaign by donating. We can double your donation up to $40,000, thanks to local supporters Randy and Rebecca Wolf, Sallie Calhoun and Matt Christiano and the Institute for Nonprofit News “NewsMatch” program.
In our ninth year, the number of feature articles, columns, community opinions and videos, contributed each week continues to grow. These are by individuals who live in the county but write regularly on BenitoLink voluntarily. It’s important to BenitoLink’s team members and board of directors that this community-based website reflects the population it serves.
Take for example, David Baumgartner who loves astronomy and enjoys sharing the exploration of the skies through his column “Searching the Sky.” Baumgartner notes, “San Benito County is great for astronomy because you can really get away from the light pollution.” He says people regularly stop him on the street to ask about his columns and things they’ve seen up in the sky.
Community produced articles range from a 2020 cattle drive on Highway 25 near Bitterwater from resident Sheri Schmidt to another staff favorite, a 2018 article from seventh grader Victor Sanchez telling about his grandfather in Mexico. If English is your second language and it’s challenging, pop us an email and we will help you through the process.
BenitoLink also has a lively Community Opinion section that is not a BenitoLink staff editorial page but a place where San Benito residents share their different perspectives. This part of BenitoLink has a strong following and inspires regular comments from our readers. Somewhat like the town square, it’s meant to keep the dialogue going, to allow new ideas to be heard and improve mutual understanding.
Whether you are a gardener, a web developer, a plumber, an elected official or a cowboy, BenitoLink invites you to take part. Think of our nonprofit news site as a local public service here for you.
Like many of our contributors, David Baumgartner enjoys sharing his knowledge and humor, expanding our understanding of astral events. He has made full use of BenitoLink’s audience of over 60,000 unique visitors each month.
“BenitoLink—it’s a great thing we have here,” he said. “There are so many types of articles, there’s something for everyone.”
BenitoLink: the voice of the community- just one of many good reasons to support your local nonprofit news.
We love what we do but we can’t do it without you. Take advantage of this opportunity and double your donation today.
Thank you, Leslie David
