Once upon a time, as a young newspaper reporter, an editor asked me and my colleagues why we were in the business.

“To be the first to know,” someone said. Someone else mentioned the adrenaline buzz and getting to see their name in print every day. Still another mentioned the satisfaction of digging through a situation to find out what had really happened.

I could agree with all of them. But when my turn came, my top of the list was simple.

“I like to tell a story.”

I’m a sucker for a good story. I always have been. In childhood, I discovered the hobbit-settled hills of Middle-Earth and the rain-swept London of Sherlock Holmes. As I grew up, I wandered through the pages of worlds beyond count – tales that invited me to live another life and history, or to visit other planets, or to contemplate the inside of my own mind.

I read at bedtime with my Dad as a kid and with Missy as an adult. And it’s easier for me to talk on that subject than almost any other. Stories are part of how we define who we are and what’s important to us. They’re how we come to understand each other and build a community.

Stories are important.

And now we want to hear yours.

NextLight and the Longmont Community Foundation have teamed up before on Sharing the NextLight, the program to supply free internet to income-qualified families with children in the St. Vrain Valley Schools. Earlier this month, we came together again to announce a story contest that started May 1. Specifically, we want to hear your true stories of goodwill during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Maybe it was someone who reached out to you when you needed it. Or something you and your friends did to help a neighbor. Or even someone who’s made a difference to the entire community in this time of need. Whatever it is, send it to us. We’ll share some of them online. And five entrants will even win $100 each. (How’s that for a happy ending?)

They don’t have to be long (400 words max). They can be written, audio-recorded or on video. And the contest rules are simple. But time is running out. We need your stories by Wednesday, May 20. Just follow this link to tell your tale and fill out your entry form.

So go ahead. Lift up someone you think deserves it. Spread some light. Tell your story. I’ll be eager to see what all of you have to say.

Like I said, I’m a sucker for a good story.