By Don Rush

Holy Cow! It’s been nearly one year and one month since your community newspaper, the Oxford Leader, and its sister publications joined the View Newspaper Group. My, how time flies.

It has been my privilege to have served this community, at this newspaper and in various capacities for 37 years, 360 days as of this publication date. As the Leader’s editor I have been able to meet, speak and laugh with many in the community. We’ve shared stories and pictures of good events and sad tragedies. We have come to this place together and it’s my hope you have enjoyed the Leader and found it (as I like to liken it) as an old friend you invite into your home.

The past year I have been excited to see the Leader’s stories professionally and respectfully displayed with a new, colorful design. We try hard to get as many names and faces into our pages as possible. Your community newspaper is still Mom’s Number 1 scrapbook filler as we promote student achievements throughout the year.

I am happy to see the Leader’s reach explode from just over a thousand copies being distributed throughout the community to over 10,000 households! Our current model of delivering the Oxford Leader free to the majority of the community not only helps residents be better informed of local news, events and people, it also benefits our business partners – the mom and pop small businesses in the community as well as the larger chain businesses.

Surveys across the nation still show community newspapers are one of the most trusted sources of local news. The community reads the Leader. We know, we receive your letters to the editor and we hear from our local business partners that their advertisements work – and they only work when they are read!

For the next few weeks we are reaching out to readers welcoming them to invest in their community newspaper. We believe strongly in the mission, importance and power community newspapers bring which is why we increased circulation to all who want to read it, regardless of their ability to support us financially with a subscription. And, so we are asking those who are able to and wish to invest in their community paper to become a “patron” of the Oxford Leader. Some may have received a postcard in the mail asking for support, others may have seen the ad like the one in this week’s print edition.

Our patrons help us ensure we can continue the tradition of local news coverage readers have come to depend on. This is not a subscription drive, you will not receive a renewal notice. This is us asking you to voluntarily invest in your community newspaper. Whether you decide to invest – whatever amount you think is appropriate — or not, you will still get the Leader mailed to you every week.

I enjoy meeting folks in the community, writing and sharing your stories. Please keep us in mind if you have stories you think need telling. Give us a call at 248-628-4801, or drop me an email at Drush@MiHomePaper.com