Happy Birthday To 'Ladue-Frontenac Patch'

Ladue-Frontenac Patch is one year old. Happy Birthday, Patch.

We made some pledges to you, the reader, and frankly, we believe we’ve delivered. Here’s the video we put up as an introductory message.

Our goal was creating a modern, sophisticated, sleek communications tool that would tell the whole story for the Ladue-Frontenac community.

We are not just a news service with a downtown office, trying to weave our way between the traffic jams in order to get the story.

We live in your community. We serve the community seven days a week. We are looking for stories big and small to depict what Ladue and Frontenac are all about. We are working Olivette into the mix.

, you read it first on Patch. We’ve broken many local news stories.

we had a team of writers and photographers recounting the activity, step by step. You saw it here first.

There are more than 900 Patches from coast to coast. We are owned by AOL, who has given us the resources, the tools and the inspiration to get the job done.

In the new year, expect Patch to grow to the thousands as it spreads its news coverage across America. Simply put, this is the new way to get the hyperlocal news.

Patches are maintained by local editors who have a collective passion for telling the story at the grassroots level.

We don’t cover just an occasional John Burroughs, MICDS or Ladue football game. We cover them all.

I’ve personally worked in radio, television and extensively in newspaper, and I know the difference. Patch feels right to me. I get to employ my instincts and skills for the betterment of the community I serve. I get to do it all.

Since getting started Dec. 8, 2010, we’ve formed a moms council and a teen peer panel. They have both been big hits. Thanks to everyone who’s volunteered to offer their opinions on these panels.

Patch is not about just delivering the news. We want constant comments from you, the readers. We want participation. Patch is your personal news source, and the more you use it, the more you will like it.

You are the critical audience. If you didn’t like, trust or believe in the validity of Patch, we’d probably be irrelevant.

But the work has just begun. We have so many more stories to tell. We have so much more news to report.

I love Patch because it taxes all my resources. I’ve learned that video can be a valuable tool in telling a story. I’ve learned that readers want clear, concise articles with lots of great photos.

That’s not easy, but nothing worth doing is ever easy.

I hope you love Patch as much as I do. My phone numbers and email address are readily available by clicking my photo at the top of the page. I love hearing from our readers. This is about you, not me.

Happy birthday to the Ladue-Frontenac Patch. Here’s hoping there will be many more candles on the cake.