This month, raise a glass of champagne and relax. Here’s a toast to one year of Ventana. Can you believe that a full 12 months have passed since we first made our splash? Or that 12 remarkable issues have passed through your hands?
According to tradition, paper is the appropriate gift for a couple celebrating their first wedding anniversary. As Ventana celebrates its first anniversary with this issue, these words and images on paper can be seen as our gift back to the Ventura County community.
And in this spirit of celebration, if you would like to help us celebrate a year of covering Ventura County’s most interesting people, events and nonprofit organizations, then send us a letter (on paper or by e-mail) telling us what you think of our coverage, so far. Mail your letters to editor@ventanamonthly.com or to Editor at Ventana Monthly, 700 E. Main St., Ventura, CA 93001.
Hitting the one-year mark is a huge milestone for us, and we have you, our readers and community, to thank. As the editor of our regional publication, it is a joy to continually rediscover the quirky people, thrilling stories and engaging organizations that make Ventura County the star of California’s south coast. Now, we’d like to make Ventana the queen of Ventura County’s regional, monthly magazines, and we’re one year closer to that goal.
However, instead of gloating over our success, on the eve of our anniversary, the staff at Ventana has been looking at ways to make the magazine even more dynamic. We’ve been focusing on ways to contribute more to our local community and to fulfill our mission of supporting the local nonprofit organizations that make the area shine.
As you may have noticed, in each issue of Ventana, we feature a different nonprofit in our Charity section, and we also highlight many fundraising events in The List and in Giving Back. In the last year, Ventana covered The Ojai Music Festival, Casa Pacifica, Ag Futures Alliance, the Humane Society, the Make-a-Wish Foundation, the Cancer Hope Foundation, FOOD Share, School on Wheels and many other local organizations and local branches of national nonprofits. In the next year, we hope to feature many more.
Today, as you read through this issue, take a moment to rest before the onslaught of vacations, visitors and summer activities begins. Take a deep breath and let it out slowly. And remember, as you exhale and feel your muscles relax, the Ventana staff will be taking a collective deep breath with you. After all, as soon as our first year ends, we have to start getting ready for year two.
06-01-2007
