Over the last two weeks, my wife Jordan and I finally took care of something we’d intended to do months ago — our second round of Back 2 You donations.

Established as a way for the newspaper to make a mark on the community outside of our weekly ink and paper, the Back 2 You campaign is where we tally up all our special project ad sales throughout the year, then donate at least 2% of that figure to non-profits in the Cassville area.

Special sections include free inserted extras like Farm and Ranch, Senior Living, Best of Cassville and Santa Letters, to name a few, as well as sponsor pages within the regular paper, like this week’s Shell Knob and Eagle Rock fireworks pages.

We have more than 30 special sections that run throughout the year, and when I tell other publishers that number, their jaws tend to drop. Very few publications still do so many and with such a variety, yet we see them as a major strength for our advertisers and a key part of our business model.

Back 2 You also makes them an annual benefit to the community, with that percentage split between multiple non-profits for whatever needs they may have.

Added to the Back 2 You campaign is another donation the paper has made for many years prior to us purchasing it in 2023. A portion of October ad sales were always donated to a Breast Cancer Awareness organization. When we took over, we upped that portion to 10% of all October ad sales, each year donating to Power of Pink.

Last year, we donated a total of $4,373.13 to six organizations, including Power of Pink, and we could not have been more proud to hand those checks over. We felt very blessed to be in the position we were and the success we saw in 2023, so we did 5% instead of 2% for Back 2 You.

This year, as much as we wanted to stick with that 5%, we had to scale back to the original 2% and recently donated at total of $1,858.14. The biggest factor in that decision was the more than $4,000 extra we had to pay for our new roof after the May 2024 windstorm. We hope next year to up the amounts again, but at the very least, we’ll be donating 2% at some point in 2026, hopefully sooner than June!

Our chosen recipients this year included: the Barry County Genealogical & Historical Society, Bright futures at Cassville Schools, the Silver Leaf Benefit Club, the Cassville Senior Center and Power of Pink.

Through my reporting or contacts around town, I have seen the amazing work each of the organizations do day in and day out.

Without the Barry County Genealogical & Historical Society, it is highly likely the Bayless/ Salyer House in Cassville would have fallen into ruin. The Society’s dedication to preserving that property and furthering the value of history is deserving of kudos. The group is dedicated to their cause, and I appreciate their efforts.

The impact of Bright Futures nearly goes without saying, but I will anyway. The program provides everything from clothes to shoes and hygiene items to Cassville students whenever they need them. My own daughter has benefitted from this program a time or two, and other school district have tried to imitate it, but they don’t have quite the same success.

The Silver Leaf Benefit Club, part of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, is a great supporter of girls and women in the area, providing scholarships and education opportunities in a women- led environment. While their contributions may not be as visible as the Bayless/Salyer House or a new pair of shoes for your primary schooler — Silver Leaf’s impact should not be understated.

The Cassville Senior Center, under Kristina Atwood’s leadership, has grown its impact in recent years and offering more services and opportunities to local seniors than ever before. I’m excited to attend the Quilts of Valor presentation this week and talk to some folks unquestionably wiser than myself.

Finally, Power of Pink, which celebrated 15 years this year, is one of the coolest local non-profits around. The organization has donated more than $415,000 over that period to 54 local women battling breast cancer, many of whom live specifically in Barry County. That number makes my jaw drop — it’s an incredible amount (more than $27,000 per year on average) for an organization based in a city, Wheaton, with a population of less than 700.

Through Back 2 You in the last two years, we have given $6,231.27 to a total of 10 organizations, and we’re looking for more! Last year’s recipients included the Barry County Neighborhood Center, Barry County Museum, Soroptimist Club, Cassville Education Fund and Cassville Community Foundation, as well as Power of Pink.

We aim to not repeat recipients, so if you have a non-profit you think is in need of a donation, let us know. We want to share a piece of the pie with groups that provide a wide variety of impacts and benefit as many different kinds of people as possible!

Special thanks also go to our advertisers. Without them, this would not be possible, and we couldn’t be more happy to pass that support along to those who need it.

Kyle Troutman has served as editor of the Cassville Democrat since 2014 and owner/publisher since 2023.

He was named William E. James/Missouri Outstanding Young Journalist for daily newspapers in 2017, and he is a two-time ISWNE Golden Dozen award winner. He may be reached at 417-847 2610 or ktroutman@cassville-democrat.com.