As we close out another summer month, we're excited to share the latest updates, achievements and events that have shaped this season so far.
From new site launch announcements to celebrating our team's milestones, there's much to explore in this month’s edition of Village Bulletin.
Our Village grew by one 🌟
We welcomed StratfordToday reporter Rob Ross to our team in August.
Glad to have you!👋
🚨 Downtown Toronto - Village is heading your way
Toronto - here we come! Our 26th local news site in Ontario will officially be TorontoToday, launching this fall. TorontoToday will follow our Village style of local news coverage - focusing on hyper-local news happening in our readers’ backyards.
Our local reporters will cover the news that matters most to readers in the downtown core: From breaking news to transportation, ward decisions to school updates, neighbourhood events to business developments and features on local newsmakers in our community.
We are currently working on putting together our TorontoToday team and establishing community partners for the upcoming launch. If you have any story ideas, organizations we should partner with, or know someone who would be the perfect fit for our local team, let us know.
Strengthening our communities: Putting our money where our mission is 💛
When the Sault Ste. Marie YMCA was at risk of shuttering, the community stepped up in a BIG way, rallying together to demonstrate the power of collective action and the deep value placed on the Y as a cornerstone of health, wellness and connection in our community.
A few months later, when the Y announced they needed to meet a membership goal within a tight timeline to secure its future, SooToday then stepped up to mobilize our readers to help.
We used our auction platform to run a membership match drive, where every membership purchased by a SooToday reader would be donated to a community member in need—AND every dollar donated would be matched 10 times by generous local businesses and individuals.
Within days, we raised $183,145.00 for the local YMCA, helping it exceed its fundraising goal and secure its future stability in our community.
A heartfelt thank you to our readers and community partners whose incredible support has provided the YMCA the vital resources needed to keep its programs running and doors open for all.
Zaafina Naqvi dominates the Village Media golf pool - for the third consecutive year 🏆
Congratulations are in order for Zaafina who has just achieved an impressive feat—winning the Village Media golf pool for the third straight year!
This remarkable streak is a testament to her keen strategic insight into the game. Week after week Zaafina has demonstrated an uncanny ability to predict outcomes, outmaneuver competitors and secure the top spot. Her four years playing D1 golf might have helped, too. 😉
✨ Spotlight on sponsorships ✨
We sponsored events in over a dozen cities in August, including:
AuroraToday
Walk For Alzheimer's
BayToday
Gateway Branch Annual Golf Classic, Smoke N Spurs Festival
BurlingtonToday
Burlington Art Gallery, Enchanta Enchanted Forest
CambridgeToday
Enchanta Enchanted Forest
CollingwoodToday
Carnival North
EloraFergusToday
Enchanta Enchanted Forest
GuelphToday
Enchanta Enchanted Forest, Organic Conference, Rotary Club of Guelph Trillium Ribfest
MiltonToday
Arts Milton
NewmarketToday
Polo in the Lavender
Simcoe Sites
Simcoe Muskoka Family Connextions, Oma's Ride
OakvilleNews
St. Luke’s Anglican Church, Palermo
SooToday
Village of Hilton Beach Community Night, Social Services SSM District Game On Street Party
Sudbury.com
Cinefest, Cars For Kidz, Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, Smoke N Spurs Festival
Spotted around the Village 🌎
FlamboroughToday’s Daniel Coleman got up close and personal with Lord Stanley’s Cup (and second-time Stanley Cup winner, Waterdown’s Carter Verhaeghe) at a private party at Turtle Jacks to celebrate the hometown winner.
Hello from the Niagara team! 👋 Missing from the get-together is editor Penny Coles.
Job openings 🔎
With a possible Dundas site launch in the future and TorontoToday on the horizon, there are plenty of openings to peruse on our job board.
Pawesome Villager of the month 🐾
Meet Bonnie! 🐶
Bonnie is an Old English Sheepdog who recently celebrated her first birthday 🎂
Proud pet parent: Katie Corcoran
See you in September!
