By Jeremy Gulban, Publisher, CherryRoad Media

It is time for Best of Palo Pinto, dear readers, and we at the Palo Pinto Press and CherryRoad Media are excited.

You see, Best of Palo Pinto is an integral part of our mission, which is to strengthen community journalism through technology, and, as an extension, help those communities we do business in continue to strive and thrive.

Small-town community journalism is facing a challenge like never before. As the digital age continues to strengthen its grip on consumers everywhere, the printed newspaper struggles for relevancy. Over 2,000 newspapers across the United States have lost that battle and closed in just the last few years.

But CherryRoad Media, a subsidiary of CherryRoad Technologies, is working to buck that trend. We are focused on helping small towns across the country through their newspapers. We know local, community-based journalism is essential for sustaining small towns’ identities, which is why we are investing in the people and technology to revitalize these operations.

And that brings us to Best of Palo Pinto. We conduct these local programs in newspapers across our company, including the Palo Pinto Press. This contest gives you, our readers, a voice as you help identify businesses that are committed to helping your town thrive and people who are doing remarkable things in it.

CherryRoad Media also wants to use Best of Palo Pinto to give back to your community, a thank you for embracing our company, for welcoming us into your town.

As part of Best of Palo Pinto, one of the categories you can choose a winner for is the Best Non-profit or Charitable Organization. This year, the non-profit crowned the winner of this category will receive support of their mission from CherryRoad Media. The winner will receive an editorial feature in our Best of Palo Pinto Winners’ edition as well as a six-month marketing campaign.

And you, the members of this community, will choose the winning organization.

The process is simple. Best of Palo Pinto nomination round is happening now until March 23. If you go to our website, www.palopintopress.com, you will find the Best of Palo Pinto button. Click it, and you will be able to nominate local charitable organizations, as well as businesses of all kinds. Once the nomination round has closed, the top nominees for each category will move to the voting round. The voting round will take place April 14 to April 27. Again, you will be able to go online and vote for your pick. Finally, the votes are counted, and we will announce the winners online and in the Palo Pinto Press.

We are proud to support, with your help, non-profit and charitable organizations in small towns across the country who are doing important work and enhancing the quality of life in their communities.

Happy voting and may the best organization shine.