By Emily Hessney Lynch.
Published June 30, 2019.
Happy 4th birthday to us!
We can hardly believe our little site has been around for four years already. This project was originally founded by Maria Gorre as a creative outlet. She heard so many people spreading negativity about Rochester. You know, the usual: “There’s nothing to do in Rochester,” or “I can’t wait to get out of this town.” But she wasn’t down with that attitude. Maria started interviewing her friends to see what they loved about Rochester.
Turns out, people loved a lot of things about Rochester.
We love the Public Market, the coffee scene, the public art, the people. We love the museums, the fact that there’s always something to do here, how easy it is to get around, the proximity to nature, our amazing local parks. We love that the city is always on the cusp of greatness, that we’re undergoing a renaissance. We love the energy.
There’s just a lot to love, okay?
That’s why we’re going to continue shining a light on all there is to love about Rochester—and asking hard questions, like how we can improve our city, and how we can all get involved in helping. Change happens on the local level, and we can all play a part in making our slice of the world a better place. If you’re interested in giving back in the community, check out this list of 25 Ways to Give Back.
To date, we’ve interviewed 188 incredible Rochesterians. We’ve conducted our interviews at tons of different locations, including coffee shops, musician’s homes, restaurants, Parcel 5, and more. We’ve published short stories and neighborhood guides. We’ve hosted a summer block party and organized a series of volunteer events. We’ve led a toy drive during the holidays for kids in need. Every second of this project has been a blast.
Here’s to more stories. Here’s to more sharing and connecting. Here’s to more doing good in our community.
- If you ever have ideas for us, feel free to tweet our Director, Emily Hessney Lynch, @servemethesky on Twitter! Or drop us a note at hello@iheartroc.com.
- Anyone can take over our Instagram and be interviewed, and you can nominate yourself! There’s even a form to make it super easy.
- If you’re a local business, we’d love to partner with you! Email us to discuss sponsorship opportunities.
Thanks for reading and following along for the past four years, Rochester. We heart you.
More selected projects
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The Genesee Country Village & Museum in Mumford is something special for the region
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Eboni Jones loves how Rochester can feed you spiritually, creatively, and literally.
INTERVIEW NO. 48