It’s New Year’s Eve. For many of us, it is a time to be with friends, celebrate the year that was, and make some resolutions for the one ahead. This is not a new concept. In fact, it dates back nearly three thousand years. Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome, added the months of January and February to the Roman calendar around 700 BC. January, or Januarius, was named after the Roman god of doors and gates, Janus. Janus had two faces, one looking forward the other looking back. So it is only fitting we continue this concept by noting what has passed and what is yet to come.
We are grateful. 2015 has been an outstanding year for the Greenwich Sentinel. When the paper launched on Memorial Day weekend, there was a general belief that Greenwich needed a community newspaper. While we understood the need was there, we were less certain the want was there. Did Greenwich want a community newspaper? Would the community support a weekly paper that focused on Greenwich? Would the business community support the paper by purchasing ad space? It turns out that we underestimated the amount of support the paper would receive. And that makes us very proud of our community. In six short months, you have helped us build a solid media company that not only is delivered to 20,000 households, but has a social media following that surpasses every other local media source and a digital presence that is increasing exponentially. There have been bumps along the way but you have helped smooth the path. Greenwich wants community news.
Along the way, we have met many remarkable people. Our neighbors do amazing things every day, large and small, sung and unsung, that make our community great. If there is a cause out there that needs to raise money, Joe Kaliko and Chicken Joe may well be helping it. Michelle Rinaldi and her sister Antoinette feed scores of kids every day before and after school. Ambassador Joseph Verner Reed, who served as the highest American at the United Nations with unwavering grace. Patty DeFelice and her shop Patty’s Portico in Port Chester. All of our elected officials (mostly volunteers) giving their time away from family to help improve our community. And our first responders, who, while we are taking time to enjoy the holidays, are out there protecting us. We could list thousands more, and hopefully we will over the years—but they’ll remain unsung this week. All contribute to make our community fabric vibrant
and diverse.
Thank you, Greenwich, for welcoming us into your homes and businesses, for sharing with us your stories; for contributing to the paper, whether a column, a letter to the editor, or donating so that you could become a “Sentinel.” Without your support we would not be here. The Sentinel is, after all, your community newspaper.
Looking at 2016, we are excited. We are planning to grow the paper and offer additional sections that focus on topics of interest, such as “Healthy Living” in January and “Summer Camps” in February.
Did you know that you can purchase any photograph you see in the newspaper? You can access them through our website. And we do need your help. We want to make sure we are covering major milestones, not just in our community, but of our neighbors as well. If there is a birth, graduation, marriage or death, we want to make sure the community knows about it so that we can congratulate you or support you.
Thank you for a wonderful 2015, and we are looking forward to more adventures together in 2016. We hope everyone has a wonderful and safe New Year’s Eve.
