It’s been nearly 10 years since I moved to Long Beach. But it’s only been in the last few months that I’ve gained a deeper appreciation of my city and a deeper understanding of the complexities that make this an incredible community.

That’s been thanks to the reporters, editors, and managers here at the Long Beach Post—and also from the civic and community leaders I’ve met with over the last several months as we have greatly expanded the staff at the Post. I’m proud of our coverage, proud of the stories we’re writing about the people and places in this city that too easily go uncovered when newsrooms have insufficient resources and reporters, and I’m proud of the milestone we’re celebrating today.

It was 100 days ago today that we embarked on a journey to grow our newsroom, expand the team of journalists covering this city and surrounding communities, with the financial backing necessary to meaningfully and mindfully provide residents with the type of vibrant local media organization that every community deserves.

Coach John Wooden insightfully said, “Don’t mistake activity for achievement.” I can think of no better model when observing what the team at the Long Beach Post has accomplished in recent months. Our days are busy, to be sure, but we are entirely focused on accomplishing the best coverage we possibly can for our community.

Over the latest 100 days, our local audience has grown by over 400 percent. Readers are turning to us over one million times per month. Our work is gaining national readership and national award recognition.

In the midst of one of the darkest tragedies to strike our city and our first responders in many years, 100,000 readers turned to us in a single day, trusting our coverage. New businesses and advertisers are turning to us to help get their message out. And most importantly, thousands of local readers have answered the call and financially contributed to our campaign to support local journalism.

It costs money to keep a local news organization like this one—independently owned and operated here in Long Beach, without the backing of any national corporation—alive. We have no paywall, no limits on the number of free articles readers can access each month, no content accessible only to subscribers. Our work is accessible to all—regardless of ability to financially contribute.

But if you can support our work, and you want to contribute to independent local journalism, please consider supporting the Long Beach Post with a monthly or one-time contribution. We’re honored to have you as a reader, along on this journey with us over the last 100 days, and the many days to come. This afternoon, we took a moment in the newsroom to raise a glass, mark today’s milestone, then move on by getting back to getting things done, achieving more for you, our readers, and our city.

Thank you for supporting the Long Beach Post and supporting local journalism.

David Sommers is the Publisher of the Long Beach Post. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @david_sommers.