In the Oct. 23 issue, I shared the urgency felt by the Chestnut Hill Community Association (CHCA) and the Chestnut Hill Local staff about being able to publish our weekly community newspaper week after week. Thank you to those who have and are stepping up to the plate during our stabilization phase to help with our Emergency Appeal through financial support, connections and advertising commitments. Even with all of the challenges that large and small newspapers face these days, we are optimistic. We are restructuring the paper, rethinking strategies on moving forward, and leaning into the efficiencies we have gained in new operating systems. That’s the heart of our turnaround plan.

We (the CHCA and the senior management of the Local) are writing the next chapter of the Chestnut Hill Local. This isn’t a “CSI” or “Dateline” episode in which everything can be revealed nicely and a bow put on it in one hour. It isn’t a reality show where we know what the final product will look like and just go through the motions. The legwork on real change to ensure a stable future that meets the community’s needs has to be done. I have spoken with the CHCA Board, with the leadership of our community partners, with the senior management and staff of the Local, and those in development roles who might offer us guidance. We share a common love of saving the Local and helping it find its path forward. If you are one of those in our community with those connections, we would love to hear from you.

There’s a lot at stake. First, the CHCA and the Local are 77- and 67-year-old institutions respectively that are ingrained in the fabric of this neighborhood. The paper is one of a number of beloved institutions that have originated, spun off or been incubated here in their formative years. Second, we have a long history of sharing, celebrating and shining a light on matters in Chestnut Hill and our environs. Without this neighborhood voice, Chestnut Hill could be just another neighborhood with untold stories in the larger footprint of the City of Philadelphia. Our news coverage and ability to highlight issues of significance, large and small, would not be covered in the likes of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Our commercial corridor of small businesses, institutions and events become overshadowed and lost to bigger communities and entities with larger PR and advertising budgets, not only in Northwest Philadelphia, but all of Philadelphia. Coverage of beloved events from the Community Association that bring our community together such as our Pastorius Park concerts, Movie Nights at the Water Tower Recreation Center, Holiday House Tour, as well as other organizations’ popular events throughout the year could go away with the loss of the Chestnut Hill Local.

So, what can you do to help? If you are reading this paper and a CHCA member, you are already helping with your membership and we ask that you consider donating to our Emergency Appeal this month. This allows us to publish our paper. Another way to help is to make a significant donation to offset budget costs to employ a staff reporter or regular contributor. This could include the development/preservation/conservation reporting, high school sports reporting, theater/arts, classical music, health and wellness, and Chestnut Hill businesses as a destination to be explored and savored. One of our success stories at the Local is finding funding support to begin to offset our environmental reporting. This may be a model that helps us write the next chapter for the Local.

Another way to help is to become one of our most ardent ambassadors. You can do this by sharing your Chestnut Hill Local this week with a neighbor who does not get the paper and having a heart to heart about the work that we do and why it matters. (And if you are now reading the paper as one of those conversations, we welcome you warmly and need your support as a new CHCA member, a newspaper subscriber, or as a benefactor making a donation we need now more than ever.) We need to toot our own horn a bit. We just won several Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association awards for the third year running, including in the category of News Organization of the Year. That’s proof that we really do provide great journalism along with a lot of heart.

In the end, it’s not just about keeping the lights on. It’s about continuing to illuminate what matters most to you and our neighborhoods. The Chestnut Hill Local is one of the many cornerstones of our community. Speaking on behalf of the Community Association and the Chestnut Hill Local, that’s worth fighting for. I hope that you agree.

You may make a contribution to the Chestnut Hill Local Emergency Appeal by mailing a check made out to the Chestnut Hill Community Association, 8434 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19118. Please make a notation that the donation is for the Chestnut Hill Local. You also can donate online via the websites of the Chestnut Hill Local at chestnuthilllocal.com (click on the green “Donate” button), and the Chestnut Hill Community Association at chestnuthill.org (click on “CH Local Emergency Appeal”).