Looking through the stack of 2016 Natural Awakenings magazines piled up on my desk, it’s hard to believe the year is already over. I marvel at every issue, remembering the rich tapestry of articles and interviews, events and offerings that made each edition unique. This past year has been abundant, filled with dynamic growth for Natural Awakenings of Bucks and Montgomery counties and our readers and contributors in the local, holistic health and wellness community.

The energy is flowing high and our gratitude runs deep: A host of new community partner relationships have helped us to grow into a 56-page a month magazine that’s filled with original feature articles and interviews, directories, poems, quotes, recipes, programs and class offerings of all kinds. New designers, writers and outreach staff have joined ranks, bringing fresh skills and perspectives. We’ve been invited to place our racks in new locations, including Wawa stores and major supermarkets, and increased our online presence, exposing us to more readers in more places. We are proud to have donated over 10 percent of our sales to help support marketing efforts of local nonprofits, cooperatives and events in our area, and to be assembling a Board of Advisors that will help guide future giving.

2017 will be our seventh year of consistent, monthly publication, and it promises to our best yet. We’re committed to going even further as a leader in community health and wellness by fulfilling the following roles:

• being a trusted source of high-value information about the role of body-mind-spirit connection in sustained health and wellness • publishing the highest quality, leading-edge, educational and inspirational health and wellness content from national, regional and local sources • providing a voice and a vision for the functional, integrative and lifestyle health movements • building bridges of connection between our movement and the allopathic medical community • championing local individuals and organizations who are thought-leaders in our communities • sponsoring events and expos that bring readers and advertisers together for connection and communion

Part of this initiative starts on the 20th of January, when we’ll host the area’s first “Functional Forum”, a monthly meetup for healthcare practitioners to learn, network and connect with a global, like-minded movement. Our first program will feature a screening of The Future of Medicine: Dr. Mark Hyman on the 4Cs of Change. You can RSVP at Meetup.FunctionalForum.com/Delaware-Valley-Chapter.

Throughout these next 12 months and beyond, we’ll be doing all that we can to contribute to the continued evolution of our magazine and our community as a force for positive and lasting, healthy lifestyle change for you, our readers, supporters, friends, families and neighbors.

Together, we are “Making the Awakening” in Bucks and Montgomery counties.

Karen G. Meshkov