Words and Image by BA Ciccolella.
I wanted to take a moment, on this darkest of days (I'm writing this on the 21st just before sunset), to thank each and every one of you for your support. When we founded Spotlight News on March 7th, 2020, I don't think any of us had the slightest concept of what was about to happen in the world, and to our community just one week later.
2020 has been just one heck of a year. I do hope that everyone out there can name at least one or two good things, things they are proud of, or at least things that turned out better than they expected in the middle of all the chaos, confusion, danger, and distancing. I know that the founding and growth of this company is one of those things I can name- I am so proud of all of our volunteers, our Board, and everything we have managed to accomplish these past 9 months- all without being able to see each other in person!
We are going to be taking a break in our content posting for the next two weeks. As you may have figured out either from our posts, or our about page, or talking to one of us, we are an all-volunteer staff right now. Not one of the people involved in getting this website up and running, and getting quality content to you each week is getting paid for their efforts at the moment (though we are looking to expand and grow and eventually hire a staff once we can get the proper approvals to accept donations and raise funds). After discussing with our Board, we wanted to make sure that all of our volunteers knew that we value them, their efforts, and their time, and that we know that their families need to come first- especially this holiday season.
We will be back after the New Year with more articles, announcements, poetry, and any other offerings that the Hampton Roads area sees fit to send us. We are, after all, a community news website, and we understand the value of community journalism, and community writers and artists. In the meantime, if you would like to contribute to the website (maybe writing is your New Year's Resolution?), please contact us with your interest.
We are also looking for a few more board members in 2021! If you are interested in being on the Board of Directors, please send a letter of interest to this email address!
Again, we hope that everyone in our community has the happiest and safest of holidays, and we look forward to continuing to provide you with quality community news in 2021!