Dear Reader,
There are just three days left in our fall member drive, and I’ve been told we have some ground we need to make up.
To help us reach our goal, three generous friends of VTDigger are matching all donations received today. If you can swing it, a contribution today will go twice as far and help our newsroom continue to serve Vermonters for the rest of the year.
Over the past week, my colleagues have shared personal accounts of their experiences following the summer floods. It’s my turn, and I’ll be candid with you. This summer has been so monumentally awful.
We’ve all watched as many of our neighbors have had their lives quite literally washed away. While reporting on this summer’s floods, I’ve watched Vermonters crumple into the arms of government officials and volunteers, weeping at the enormity of their losses. I’ve stood at the doorway of a beloved inn and looked down below my feet at the building’s ruins, swallowed by the ferocious river. I’ve trudged through thick, goopy, sometimes toxic mud, unable to resist scrunching my face from the overwhelming stench of mold, rot and sewage. And as a politics reporter, I’ve watched as government officials — pressed and prodded about what comes next — could only answer, “We don’t know yet.”
In all of the darkness, though, I’ve also seen incredible light. For so many Vermonters who stepped up to the plate, it seemed that showing up to help was never a question for them.
Throughout it all, I’ve been humbled by Vermonters’ grace and willingness to open their doors and wave me inside to witness some of their worst days. With rare exception, all it has taken is me saying, “Hi, I’m with VTDigger.”
I think — and I hope — that Vermonters’ trust in me to tell their hardest stories is a testament to the loyalty that VTDigger has built in the state over the years. I’m so grateful for that confidence and I never take it for granted.
If you also trust VTDigger, value the flood coverage we’ve produced this summer, and have the means, I hope you’ll consider making a donation to help continue our operations.
Today is a special day for you to join VTDigger because generous friends are matching all donations received. That means your gift in any amount up to $500 will be doubled. If you become a monthly member, your contribution will be matched for the next 12 months.
The news we publish is free to read, but it requires resources to produce. We know that Vermonters rely on VTDigger to stay informed and connected to their neighbors, and we, in turn, rely on donations from loyal readers like you to sustain our newsroom. Make your gift today, and your contribution will go twice as far.
Thank you for everything,
Sarah Mearhoff
Politics reporter
