We’re often asked how long we think our newspaper will last. We’re happy to say we believe we’ll be around for a good long while.

The reason?

We are owned by a company that places great emphasis on the value of community newspapers. As such, we can do many things larger metropolitan newspapers cannot do.

The Register-Herald is quick to provide information about fund-raisers for charitable organizations and plays a significant role in the promotion of events to benefit agencies such as the United Way, Hospice, the Salvation Army and the American Red Cross.

We publish news about programs such as Centershot, Upward basketball, activities sponsored by the Beckley-Raleigh County YMCA and a host of other organizations that engage children and young people in wholesome, character-building activities.

We encourage strong family values and do our best to network people and resources throughout our readership.

We sponsor events such as the Taste of Home cooking shows, which drew large crowds this week and gave attendees tips for making family meals and special occasions more enjoyable.

This weekend, we will again host a used book sale at Crossroads Mall with proceeds designated for our Newspapers in Education program. Last weekend, we sold enough books to put 26,000 newspapers in area schools throughout southern West Virginia. Those newspapers are used to teach life skills, geography, current events and a number of other subjects to students.

The success of the book sale is a testimony to the fulfillment of one of our goals, which is to develop good reading skills and educate the public about issues and events that affect their daily lives.

We promote local and regional sports teams, civic groups and organizations in ways larger newspaper chains cannot do.

Metropolitan newspapers struggle to compete with the electronic media. However, we know our readers want to know what’s happening around them. They realize a school board decision or a new regulation proposed at a county commission meeting will have far more impact on their lives, and they depend on our newspaper for details.

We strive to put out a newspaper each day that meets as many of our readers’ needs as possible. Whether it’s keeping you advised about the latest information we have about H1N1 to the opening of new businesses or the progress of our local economy, we seek to offer depth and perspective.

From health care reform proposals to issues involving economic development, our aim is to encourage community participation and personal involvement in the decision-making process.

So, how long do we think we’ll be around?

As long as you need us, and that’s going to be a long time.