I Love Reno Spring 2016

The Love Brigade

PUBLISHER

Irene Voronel

CHIEF RELATIONSHIP OFFICER

Raquel Riggle

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Zoran Mandic

Contributing Writers

Rachel Gatusso

Deidre Kenelly

Abbey Kent

Gwen Bourne

Margaret Stewart

Natasha Bourlin

Mike Draper

Jen Eastwood

Courtney Meredith

Jackie Shelton

Allison List

Publisher

Picon Punch Press

321 S. Arlington Ave, Reno 89501

www.i

love

reno.com

To contribute to I Reno or to advertise

please call

775-525-1345

or email

connect@ILoveReno.com

Picon

Punch

Press

Love

Us on

ALoveNote fromthe Publisher

ecently, I was asked why I

produce this magazine. The

question wasn’t posed with

malice, so much as with

curiosity about why print (rather than

digital) and why in Reno, as there

surely must be more lucrative markets

to publish a magazine. I must admit,

the question stopped me in my tracks

and made me take pause, followed by

some serious navel gazing. Was this

little venture of mine a lost cause or just

a distraction? After all, there are plenty

of other magazines in town whose

publishers also really love this place

and want to spread the love throughout.

Do we really need another one? After

much contemplation and without any

hesitation, I am confident, that

I Love

Reno

needs to exist, flourish, and thrive

within our community. With this being

said, taking a page from Reno’s history

of reinventing and redefining itself, this

issue marks a shift in a new direction.

Whenever I describe the things that

make Reno so special I think how this

place appeals to all five senses: the

scenery is so gorgeous that it makes me

wish I knew my way around a camera

better because I want to capture it all

and share it with anyone who doesn’t

know how beautiful Northern Nevada

is; I also wish I could bottle the fragile

yet intoxicating scent of the blooming

trees and flowers; the food scene is

on par with some of the much larger

markets; the sound of silence at night

juxtaposed with the chirping birds

in the morning is like discovering

paradise; and then of course there is

this magical thing, it happens here

every minute of every day - ordinary

people reach out and touch other

people’s lives. They connect, they listen,

they lend a hand, and more often than

not they reach into their own pocket

and make a difference.

I remember when I immigrated to the

U.S. from Europe over two decades ago.

One of the most profound differences

I felt living in Los Angeles was the

sense of anonymity and indifference its

residents exhibited towards each other.

I remember thinking that if I were to

face-plant on the sidewalk, or otherwise

have some medical emergency that

required human interaction, the people

around me would just step over or

walk around me and proceed with

their clearly very busy and important

days. Fast forward to a few years ago

when I was still relatively new to

Reno: I was stopped at a red light on

Wells Avenue and witnessed an older,

disheveled man fall off the curb and

hit his head on the ground. Within a

few seconds not one, but two vehicles

pulled over, the drivers got out of

their cars and proceeded to assist this

man, who obviously needed medical

attention. This is the fundamental

difference between our community and

all others I have lived in. People in Reno

simply show that they care, plain and

simple. Thus, the path of

I Love Reno

is clear, we are the magazine with a

heart - literally and figuratively. We are

socially conscious and give voice to the

organizations and individuals who are

the unsung heroes of our community,

who help those who are often unheard

at all. The businesses who support us

are enabling us to be true to our mission

and are thus helping to do what Reno

does best, connect. For this, they have

our infinite gratitude. In addition to

functioning as a philanthropy forum,

we will continue to celebrate the doers

and innovators in our community.

There is no shortage of them, which

makes my job as the publisher both

challenging (I have to narrow the scope

otherwise it would be a book, not a

magazine) and exciting. Also, each issue

will feature personal stories. Everyone

we come in contact with has one. Some

stories are funny, others are devastating,

still others make us simply stop and

think. Perhaps after reading this issue

you will feel like sharing a story or two

with us? We would be honored.

From the heart,

Irene Voronel

To get a dose of I Love Reno,

Tune in to 107.3 on Sundays at

10AM to hear interesting and

exciting stories about the town

we call home.

THE MAGAZINE IS

QUARTERLY, BUT THE

SHOW IS WEEKLY.