Farewell, Palm Desert

I'm up to my neck in preparations for moving to the Malibu area and signing off on Palm Desert Patch, but I wanted to take some time to reflect on my time here in the desert.

One of my favorite parts of being a journalist in this community was having the opportunity to meet so many interesting and philantrophic minded people. Palm Desert has such a great spirit of community and giving that I believe is unique to the Coachella Valley.

For example, the parishoners over at and at are doing a great job to reach out to those who are struggling in this difficult economy.

There are too many examples to count, but I was also blown away by the charity of , a dynamic Palm Desert couple that have .

Beyond the charity, there is a level of activism here that is heavily invested in making a difference, whether it be for the or . Palm Desert residents by and large vote, and care about local, regional and national issues.

When the at last Halloween, I was the only journalist there to witness the initial nine arrests. Other reporters and photographers arrived later, but I believe that exclusive showed just how much Palm Desert Patch has grown over the past year.

In addition, many of you have gotten involved on the site to blog in our Local Voices section.

There are too many to mention here, but I have especially enjoyed the efforts of , who wrote about raising three teenagers, , who chronicled her adventures in and around the valley, and , who has delighted us with her delictiable posts about food and agriculture in the Coachella Valley.

I hope that the blogging section keeps growing. So make sure to contact the new editor if you are interested in getting involved.

It truly has been an honor to serve the Palm Desert community over the past year, and I will not be far away in Malibu. Make sure to follow my work there at Malibu Patch, and keep in touch. I'm a better person and journalist for being here.