The staff of the Islands’ Sounder, Journal of the San Juans and Islands’ Weekly will be spending the next few months writing, editing and designing three important special sections for our island communities.
San Juan County Senior Resource Guide
Winter is fast approaching. It’s a time when the pace slows down, the rain falls and we start making holiday plans.
For senior citizens, it can be a trying season, and never has that been more true than now. Many elders have spent the past six months home-bound due to COVID-19. As the weather changes and the day darkens, our older residents are at an even higher risk of depression, isolation and falling. For those without family members or children, November and December can be painfully lonely. Many seniors can find it harder to drive, keep up on chores like chopping wood and stay steady on slippery surfaces outside.
Caring for our elders is a year-round endeavor — since our population is dominated by those over 65 — but the fall and winter seasons are particularly critical.
Your local newspapers are producing the fifth annual San Juan County Senior Resource Guide on Sept. 23. As in previous years, it will feature information about local services that strive to meet just about every senior need from housing to healthcare. We have incredible organizations and dedicated volunteers in San Juan County.
We take care of one another in our island communities, and we cannot let our senior citizens be forgotten.
If you know someone who needs immediate assistance, call San Juan County Senior Services Manager Wendy Stephens at 360-370-7527. She can direct you to the appropriate program on Orcas, Lopez or San Juan.
Women in Business
October is National Women’s Small Business Month, a salute to the Women-Owned Business Act, which was passed in October 1988.
The act was created to address the needs of female entrepreneurs by giving them better recognition, additional resources, and by eliminating discriminatory lending practices by banks that favored male business owners over female.
One of our most beloved special editions is Women in Business, which highlights the astounding accomplishments of local women. Each island newspaper produces its own version, which will print on Oct. 21. Browse through dozens of ads and read staff-written stories that profile those who make our business communities so vital.
Holiday Guide 2020
Retailers are looking toward an uncertain holiday shopping season. With a limited number of buyers allowed in a storefront, masks required for all and buying trends changing, it’s unclear what this Christmas season will look like.
What we do know is that our island enterprises need financial support to stay afloat, and with going off-island an even more daunting task than ever, it’s a great time to start new habits. We implore you to shop locally and take advantage of the creative ways that business owners are tailoring their offerings to meet the needs of a new era.
We will once again print our annual full color, glossy Holiday Guide magazine. It hits the streets the day before Thanksgiving and is distributed throughout the community through Christmas. It features stories about local events and offerings (some of which will be exclusively online this year) and promotions from stores about their wares and services. It’s a wonderful way to show your friends and neighbors why shopping right here at home is a better way to go — for your pocketbook and for your health.
Why your support matters
Your local newspapers rely upon advertising dollars to produce our weekly editions as well as special sections. We’ve been overcome with gratitude for how our readers have expressed appreciation for the work we do, and we are still in the midst of a difficult time. With so many canceled events and businesses showing decreased earnings, our advertising revenue has taken a hit.
If you’d like to participate in any of the above-mentioned publications — as either an advertiser or story contributor — email Colleen Smith at editor@islandssounder.com, Diane Craig at dcraig@islandssounder.com or Tate Thomson at tthomson@sanjuanjournal.com. If you advertise in more than one special, you can receive 15 percent off.
