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We sit in a unique position as a newspaper in a small community and rural area like ours. We have a closer connection to the communities making up our coverage area than that of the larger newspapers and by that we mean, we are in a better position to highlight those community achievements that those larger newspapers don’t really do.

Alongside that, Mower County have healthy and vibrant communities that contribute to the betterment of us all and it’s worth highlighting. We’re all about being able to offer space to these types of things, but the reality is that sometimes we just can’t get to an event.

There are several things that go into deciding what we can and cannot get to: timing, scheduling conflicts or we’re just not being given enough notice ahead of time. It’s a busy world these days and like many people we have to juggle the same challenges as everybody else.

But that doesn’t mean we don’t want to give your event or achievement space within our pages.

The Herald has always had a rich tradition of offering space for news from the community, but about a year and a half ago we took a step further and instituted In Your Community, a portion of the paper that is expressly dedicated to highlighting these community achievements.

So what are we looking for?

• Club news: anything from a check passing to the installation of officers is an option. Have an event coming up? Let us know. Donation to a larger organization? We have a place for you.

• Education briefs: We often, at several points in a year, get a large number of releases by colleges letting us know who from our area made an honor’s list, who graduated and who got a scholarship. But that doesn’t cover it all. Do you know of a student who stood out in some way in school? Then send it our way.

• Upcoming event: As much as we would like to write a feature story for every fundraiser our area has, time will sometimes prevent us, however, if you send us the information of your event and details surrounding it, we will find a place.

And those are just some of the opportunities. Austin and our area lives on sports opportunities and while our sports pages often focus on varsity athletics or amateur athletics, we recognize that youth sports are an important part of a community. If your youngster is part of a team that did well at a traveling tournament, we want to pass that along.

And be sure to send pictures with names. We want people to know who we are celebrating.

Under Services on our website —www.austindailyherald.com — we have the option to submit news by clicking on News Tip. Give us a little rundown on what’s happening, attach a photo if possible and hit send.

You can also send items to newsroom@austindailyherald.com and sports@austindailyherald.com.

These articles are an important part of what we do here in Austin and you have a right to be proud of the achievements we can share. Consider submitting your community news and let the rest of our area know about the good things happening in our area.