By Shellie Miller
Back in the days before the internet was a central part of all of our lives, the only way to find out about league sign-ups was to “know someone” involved already, drive by a sign posted near city hall, or accost a kid in uniform and ask how to get your 7 year-old on a T-Ball (or other) team. 16 years ago it was five phone calls and 4 incorrect contacts that led me to a league President who informed me that flag football signups had been the week prior.
Scott and I developed the Spectator to meet one of our family’s needs, but also to bring a closer sense of “community” to our family-oriented cities. I remember our first photo shoot, with him taking pictures using a borrowed camera with film. 36 shots and he’d need to change the roll! Parents on the soccer field were very suspicious and peppered us with questions. I distinctly remember calmly telling one angered father that someday he’d be asking us to get action shots of his daughter on the field instead of making a loud scene about “invading” their privacy. Today, my hopeful words have been ringing true since a few months into our venture. At virtually every event where we have a photographer, both athletes and their parents clamor to get in front of the lens and have their photos published. I liken the Spectator to a monthly yearbook of things going on in the ‘hood.
Being in South Florida, we’ve seen friends come and go, and what better way to meet the new ones and bid farewell to others? Our very first issue featured a boy who was battling leukemia, Evan Diaz. When he lost the fight, our community reached out to his parents in a mighty way by showing them enormous amounts of compassion and offering help in many forms. Today we have websites, but we had none of that then….just personal interactions with people physically showing up to offer assistance, prayers, sympathy and encouragement.
Our Family in Focus is something we made certain was a staple because “connection” is what we’ve decided should be the mission of our magazine. When you “meet” a new family in the Spectator, they could be people you may not feel compelled to get to know. However, the information in their article may start a conversation that wouldn’t have happened otherwise. A common college, hometown or child who shares a team with one of our kids builds a bridge that creates bonds benefitting both them and us. I can’t tell you how many stories and subsequent friendships I hear about from families who were approached at the grocery store, PTA meeting or coffee shop by someone who saw them in the Spectator.
Today, Scott and I have friends that we consider family who we may have never met without embarking on this publishing adventure in 2002. The guy who called to advertise introduced us to a guy who did our real estate closing, whose family was featured, who joined us to create a fundraiser, which had hundreds of people attending that helped several terminally ill kids be granted “wishes.”
Thank you for the amazing opportunity to share your lives and stories for the past 15 years….all because we couldn’t find a sign-up opportunity for a disappointed 12 year-old.
Rom. 8:28