Geographic communities often rise and fall on the same financial tide, and the current recession has hit Atascadero hard. Jason Cross, publisher of the Atascadero News, said he is hoping for a joint effort with local businesses, organizations and government will encourage the community to “shop, play, buy, [and] stay in Atascadero.”

The 12-month campaign, called “Community Unity,” will emphasize the importance of supporting local establishments, Cross said. It’s directed at people who live here, work here or are just passing through.

The primary goal of the campaign, Cross said, is pride.

“We want them to proudly bring their families to eat at our restaurants, shop in our shops, play in our parks and participate in local events,” Cross said. “If you really take the time to look around what we have locally you might be surprised at what you find.”

Cross lauded the community-minded philosophy of the area, noting that community is where people often turn in difficult times. When times are hard and people are down, it can be difficult to sustain a sense of close community. Cross said he hopes the campaign will foster a sense of pride in neighbor helping neighbor, strengthening the ties that bind a community together.

The secondary goal, Cross freely admits, is encouraging people to spend their money in Atascadero. Keeping money local can be a huge boost to the economy. In economic terms, it’s called the “economic multiplier:” the idea that a dollar spent locally will multiply as it filters through the community, from the engineer’s paycheck to the supermarket till to the farmer’s pocket, with many stops in between.

“When times are tough people often turn to each other and the community for help,” Cross said. “Most important is everyone needs help in many different ways to succeed and by bringing the community together in a community-wide branding campaign we hope it encourages people to really look around at what they have in their own backyard.”

“Every stop that local dollar makes generates tax revenue to support the infrastructure of Atascadero; it helps create jobs and provide services throughout the community,” Cross said.

The promotional and educational facets of the campaign includes posters, table-top advertisements, and front-page features and advertorials in the Atascadero News. There will be contests for retailers and videos of citizens and participating organizations explaining the value of community.

“A sister paper in Illinois developed the idea of ‘Community Unity’ last October,” Regional Manager Tom Cross said. “It has done really well there, and we wanted to bring it here.”

A few weeks before kick-off, Cross said there has been an excellent response from the organizations excited about being involved. He added that any organization that hadn’t been contacted, but wished to participate, should contact the Atascadero News to be included.

Every day, people make hundreds of small, seemingly inconsequential decisions: where to buy lunch, pick up groceries or take the dry-cleaning. The campaign will be a reminder of what those spending decisions mean to Atascadero.

“We are very proud in the response we have received from the local community and if you would like to participate you can still be included by contacting the Atascadero News office,” Jason Cross said.