“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

This saying has come to mind again and again as a small and mighty group have been working together to launch the Kamloops Chronicle. We started meeting in early August, decided to form a non profit society, and set some initial fundraising goals.

We all deeply miss Kamloops This Week and, before that, the Kamloops Daily News. We recognize, with huge appreciation, the media outlets still reporting on Kamloops. We also appreciate how challenging journalism has become.

Papers have been shutting down everywhere. There have been devastating cuts to newsrooms.

So it is is our contention, as people who want to know what is happening in our beloved community, that we needed to try to revive a community newspaper on a sustainable basis.

So, our little non profit, the Kamloops Local News Society, got to work approaching donors and writers, posting updates on social media and sending updates to a growing email list.

People consistently ask me if there is a model we have been following. I’ve really been following the seat of my pants and my gut instinct. What we lack in newspaper
publishing experience, we’ve made up for it with elbow grease, working our professional connections and social circles, and a desire to build community together.

The community support and interest so far has been incredible. We’ve had an amazing group of founding donors who have fully funded the first edition. You will see a full page ad here recognizing our founding donors. A few wanted to stay anonymous.

Companies and organizations have been contacting us wanting to advertise. Jessica Wallace donated to us the domain name — kamlooopschronicle.com. The Columbia Diner has offered us dedicated space for our meetings. Cassandra Karpiak, Radhika Tabrez, Mel Rothenburger, June Corcoran, Alan Forseth, Rev Michael Caveney, and Steve Rice have all offered articles and columns. So many people have offered advice and kind good wishes.

A key commitment for the Kamloops Local News Society has been to pay for professional journalism and newspaper design. We are delighted to feature again the freelance work of Sean Brady, Marty Hastings, and Juli Harland in these pages. Lee Malbeuf designed the paper. Moneca Jantzen designed most of the ads.

As I reach my “junior senior” milestone this year (I turn 55), I fear I might have missed some important mention here. Please accept my apologies in advance and an offer to rectify my mistake in
the next issue.

Speaking of the next issue, how is this going to happen?

Along with offering advertising in the paper, our work now will be to ask the entire community a very important question. If you see value in a well staffed and well loved free community newspaper in Kamloops, would you donate $10 a month to help keep the paper going?

If 4,000 of us supported the paper with this donation, we could together build an amazing publication for the whole community. Please visit kamloopschronicle.com to donate or give me a
call at 250-377-1797.

Huge thanks to our interim editor Todd Sullivan for your amazing work putting together this first issue. And huge thanks also to the Kamloops Local News Society interim board – Lois Hollstedt, Tom Dickenson, Scott Montagliani, Casandra Karpiak, Radhika Tabrez, Teresa Betts, and Melissa Damini.

It’s been such a joy bringing this to life with all of you.