Our daily email news alert went out this morning with a special “Happy 40th Birthday!” wish to Courtney Hagan. Why?
Courtney and her husband Brian Hagan have been long-time supporters of ELi, both in terms of financial contributions and recommending that community members read our reports.
When Brian texted me yesterday to say his wife had “gotten him good” on his recent 40th birthday, he asked if he could donate $50 to have us send out a special birthday wish at the top of our mailer as a joke on her.
Just this week, our Executive Director and Publisher Natalie Rose and I have been looking for new revenue sources for ELi as we face increased costs and a lot of uncertainty in terms of our donors’ ability to keep supporting us this year into next. We’re looking at things like more corporate sponsorships for dedicated ELi projects and holding special online fundraising events.
So, Brian’s timing was great!
I checked in with Natalie to see what she thought about adding a banner to the top of today’s mailer, and we both felt this would be a fun way to honor Courtney, bring a little more money to ELi, and create more good feelings of the type we love to contribute to the community.
We think of it as akin to our weekly news digest being sponsored by Crunchy’s, a beloved East Lansing institution!
Want to send a happy message about a person or institution at the top of our daily mailer? Want to honor a particular reporter, congratulate a loved one on a special achievement, or let East Lansing customers know about a business anniversary?
Contact me and let me know what date you want to book. We’ll work with you to create a short, tasteful message!