Thank you for your loyalty!

We, like all of you, weren’t sure what the future would bring when we closed our office doors to “business as usual” this past March. We knew our trails, properties, and other offerings would be more important than ever; we knew the pandemic would wreak havoc with our local businesses and we would need to do all we could to support them; and we trusted that our members would do all they could to support us as they dealt with the impacts of COVID-19 on their lives.

Now that Fiscal Year 2020 has come to an end, our membership statistics tell quite a story: 85% (!) of our Community Members and 75% of our Community Partners and our Business Partners maintained their memberships and partnerships this year. A member retention rate of 85% is astonishing in the best of times — that we were able to maintain this level of support despite the onset of a pandemic takes our collective breath away. Thank you.

We also finished at or ahead of our goals for new Community Members, new Community Partners, and new Business Partners. As anticipated, the pandemic has done a number on area businesses and our business support, both in terms of dollars and numbers, diminished accordingly. A Payroll Protection Program loan helped us to cover staff salaries and enabled us to finish the Fiscal Year 2020 on budget.

We anticipate that the coming fiscal year will pose new financial challenges as the uncertainties of the global pandemic settle in as our new reality. Buoyed by the loyalty of our membership, however, we move forward with a clear sense of purpose, determination, and with so much gratitude for your past and future support. Thank you.