Letter from the Publisher

from Ocala Magazine December 2022 Digital Issue

Looking Back: Wild Waters

A Merry, normal Christmas to all

WITH DECEMBER COMES THE HOLIDAY SEASON and for 2022 we are looking forward to one that finally brings us back to full “normalcy.” Even in 2021, the Christmas season was still tainted by COVID and we weren’t able to make things quite like we had for our whole lives before 2020, but it certainly feels more normal now. No, COVID is not fully behind us but at least we have moved past it for the most part so that we can feel safe around our friends and families at this time of year. The holidays are about family, first and foremost, and I plan on taking advantage of the new normal by spending as much time with my kids as possible. That means a trip to Vail, Colorado, to enjoy the snow and the slopes, but mainly be with my kids and disconnected from the cell phones, iPads and other technologies that seem to draw our attention away from what really matters.

I hope that all our readers have a merry Christmas and spend the season connecting or reconnecting with the ones they love. If COVID taught us anything, it’s that we do not take for granted all the times we have together.

Speaking of taking things for granted, the ability to read is something that few of us take into consideration how important it is to our daily lives. For many of us, reading is like breathing and we think nothing of it, but for those adults who are illiterate every moment is a constant reminder of a large void that exists in their lives.

The inability to read may be one of the largest obstacles placed in front of a person when it comes to succeeding in life. Even the smallest of tasks quite often require more than just a rudimentary understanding of the written language and not being able to recognize words or decipher their meanings creates limitations that are unthinkable to most of us.

As a publisher of a magazine, I certainly understand the importance of the written word and have a great appreciation for those people and organizations who make it their mission to curb illiteracy in our community. One such organization is Altrusa International, in which the local chapter here provides so much help when it comes to literacy.

Altrusa’s establishment of seven “Little Free Libraries” around Marion County is helping tackle the problem of illiteracy by providing free reading material to citizens. The organization also provides books at many community events and to teachers via the Public Education Foundation for Marion County’s Tools-For-Teachers supply store.

Knowing that you cannot read what you cannot see, Altrusa has also been a major player in providing eyeglasses to children who are visually impaired. Through the Nancy Jones Eyes to See program, over 1,000 children have received badly-needed eyeglasses.

Altrusa, whose original mission was in the field of combating illiteracy, has expanded to help those in need in many other material ways as well as awarding scholarships to local graduating high school seniors and those entering the workforce. Each year, $5,000 is earmarked for scholarships.

December is the season for giving, and organizations like Altrusa make giving a year-round project. The seeds planted by Altrusa through their work with children will bear much fruit in the future and our community will be the better for it.