Holy cow. You people are amazing.
Time and time again, I’ve seen the Ashland community rally around a good cause.
Last night, I had the privilege of watching that happen for local news– a cause near and dear to my heart.
From all of us at Ashland Source and Source Media Properties, thank you to each and every one of you who stopped by our Member Kickoff to show your support.
Despite pouring rain, more than 50 people attended the official kickoff to our Source Members program here in Ashland County. Two dozen of you became Source Members in a single day.
For us, membership is about building a community around local journalism while allowing Ashland Source to continue growing and serving our readers.
For you, becoming a member is a way of saying, “I support local, independent journalism.” All the money we collect through memberships goes straight to the newsgathering operation so we can keep telling the whole story of Ashland County.
It’s about the journalism
Our reporting shines light on important topics. Whether we’re highlighting young professionals in Ashland, telling the story of the former Pump House Ministries property or explaining how and why the local drug problem has shifted from opiates to meth, we strive to write about issues that matter to you.
Our reporting helps promote local business and our community as a whole. We never tire of telling stories about people like Julie and John Mitchell, who took a leap of faith by opening a boutique in downtown Ashland. We want to see businesses like Fig & Oak thrive, and we know their stories will inspire tomorrow’s entrepreneurs.
Our reporting tells our community’s story. We love to shine the spotlight on people like Nichole Aber, who used her own family’s experience to create a new charity to wipe out lunch debt in Ashland City Schools. By taking the time to report on Ashland County residents doing extraordinary things, we help make our community stronger.
It’s about the savings
We know many of you are saying “yes” to membership simply because you want to support our work. That’s awesome. But membership also comes with perks.
Members at the supporter and pillar levels receive discounts at local businesses. We were thrilled to announce our first six Ashland County member partners at last night’s kickoff. We would like to thank these businesses for jumping on-board and offering some fantastic discounts:
- Ashland Bike Company
- Brew’d Coffee & Donut Shop
- Buffalo Wild Wings (Ashland and Ontario locations)
- Eva’s Treats
- Fig & Oak
- Whit’s Frozen Custard of Ashland
In addition, members receive discounts at more than 25 businesses in Richland and Knox counties– when you sign up for a Source Membership, you get the whole package.
Members are also invited to member meet-ups, where you can talk face-to-face with our reporters and newsmakers about issues that concern you.
We see the membership program as a way to partner with our community to make our reporting possible.
As Source Media Group publisher Jay Allred told those who attended last night’s kickoff, “We think it’s better to do journalism with readers than to them.” That’s our goal.
Thank you, Ashland, for trusting us to tell your stories and for joining us as Source Members.
