Having a reporter on the ground in a community makes a difference.

Unfortunately, there are fewer journalists covering rural Vermont than there used to be. That's why Seven Days applied to Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in newsrooms around the country — and helps fund their work.

In June 2022, RFA corps member Rachel Hellman joined the Seven Days news team. Her beat: Vermont’s small towns. Since she was hired, Rachel has written more than 120 stories in 84 of them.

We’re excited to announce that Rachel is staying at Seven Days for another year— and we need your help to fund her reporting!

Report for America supports corps members for three years, but each year the organization pays a little bit less to encourage newsrooms to seek community support. This year — year three — we need to raise $50,000.

Fortunately, we’ve got a big head start — we’ve already raised $30,000 from Vermont Coffee founder Paul Ralston and two very generous anonymous donors. Can you join them by making a one-time, tax-deductible contribution to our spring campaign by May 17?

Rachel has many more stories to write. With your help, she’ll get to report them.
Please note: Unlike Super Reader contributions, which go directly to Seven Days, these funds are collected by Report for America and its nonprofit parent, the GroundTruth Project, which means they are 100 percent tax-deductible.

Want to send a check?

Make it out to Report for America and put “for Seven Days” in the memo.
Mail it to:

Report for America Seven Days Campaign
c/o The GroundTruth Project, Lockbox Services
9450 SW Gemini Dr, PMB 46837
Beaverton, OR 97008-7105

If you send a check, please let us know so we can tell The GroundTruth Project that it's coming. Contact Gillian at 802-865-1020, ext. 115, or [email protected].

Reader Praise for Rachel's Work

I loved your article about "third spaces" ["Green Mountain Meetups," June 28], which play a critical role in fostering belonging and community. They decrease loneliness and better mental health, and the variety of your sampling was so interesting!”
— Valerie Wood-Lewis, Burlington

"Rachel Hellman's piece "Taking Care" [January 17] should be read by all. I live in Bradford, and there are several towns in the area that employ community nurses, a most valuable and cost-saving program. I wish there were more, and perhaps her article will help make that happen.”
— Gary Moore, Bradford

"A quick thank-you to the writers and editors to say that last week's "Talk of the Towns" cover story [January 24] was phenomenal.I have shared this piece with many family members and friends outside Vermont to give them a succinct snapshot of community life in this state. Seven Days meets Front Porch Forum is a wonderful match, and the ability to listen to Rachel Hellman reading the article just took it all to another level.”
— Paul Warne, Hardwick

Selections from Rachel's Reporting in 2023-24

• Taking Care: Community Nurses Help Fill Vermont’s Health Care Gaps, January 17, 2024
  
• A Pop-Up ‘University’ Strengthens Community in Bethel, April 11, 2023
• Morristown and Other Small Towns Are Convening to Address Rising Crime in Rural Vermont, February 14, 2024
• Taking Refuge: Transgender Newcomers Find Safety, Services and Community in Vermont, November 22, 2023
• Talk of the Towns: Neighbors Seek Plumbers, Lost Pets and Community on Front Porch Forum, January 24, 2024
• Floodwaters Recede, and Vermonters Turn Out to Help Neighbors, July 12, 2023
• Green Mountain Meetups: Vermonters Break Bread, Dance and Forge Communities in ‘Third Spaces’, June 28, 2023

→ See all of Rachel's 120+ stories