It’s been a year, Philly. And a lot of it’s been really good — thanks to you.

It’s easy to feel down this time of year.

Our country’s democracy stands on shaky ground, the pandemic continues, and our city’s violence epidemic has just reached the grim milestone of 500 lives lost for the second year in a row.

We’re struggling. We’re tired.

But as I look back on 2022 and forward to 2023 this holiday season, there’s also reason to rejoice — thanks to all of you.

I’ve long said that this column is a community, and this community of ours has done some real good this year.

Thanks to you, Jalil Frazier finally moved into a wheelchair accessible apartment in the city this month. Frazier was shot and paralyzed while trying to shield three children from a gunman’s bullets during a robbery at a North Philly barbershop in 2018. He couldn’t afford to reconfigure the Olney rowhouse where he lived to accommodate his wheelchair. As a result, Frazier spent most days on a narrow hospital bed wedged into what used to be the family dining room, before moving to an “accessible enough” house in New Jersey far from friends and family.

Through years of ups and downs, you continued to support Frazier and root for him. You have also joined me in pushing people with the power to help to step up. (Special thanks to former Councilmember Helen Gym for amplifying those calls, and Philadelphia Housing Authority president and CEO Kelvin Jeremiah for hearing them.) Now, we need to do the same for other gun violence victims in need of affordable and accessible housing in the city.

Thanks to you, The Ñ Fund for Latinas in Journalism was able to award its first grant just two months after launching. I could not have dreamed up a better organization to partner with than Voces Internship of Idaho, another nonprofit started this year by two fellow journalists, Ximena Bustillo and Nicole Foy, who, like me, want to help increase Latino representation in news media. The Ñ Fund’s inaugural grant will support a paid internship at BoiseDev for Mariela Esquivel-Rodriguez, a junior at Northwest Nazarene University.

This is just the beginning. With your continued support, The Ñ Fund will only keep going and growing. Donations can be made directly through the Philadelphia Foundation’s website or with a check made out to: Philadelphia Foundation, Attn: The Ñ Fund for Latinas in Journalism, P.O. Box 826728, Philadelphia, PA 19182-6278.

Thanks to you, we helped spread the word about the need for more bone marrow donors for thousands of patients, including 7-year-old Jax Ramirez. Jax, who lives with his family just outside Pittsburgh, has a rare autoimmune disorder called IPEX syndrome. Even with an estimated 30 million people on registries worldwide, about 4,000 patients are searching for a match at any given time. The odds only get worse for people of color, who make up a small percentage of all donors, making it difficult to find matches that are based on DNA and heritage. Because Jax’s dad is of Mexican descent, it’s particularly hard for Jax to find a match.

Moved by his story, many of you signed up to be potential donors. Philly boxer Jaron Ennis befriended Jax and dedicated fights to him to increase awareness for the need for more donors. But our work is not done. Jax and countless others are still waiting on lifesaving matches. Text “JAX” to 61474, or visit the Be The Match website to learn more about how you can help.

Thanks to you, we held people in power accountable — including countless public officials who too often forget the public part of their jobs. But we also didn’t wait on them to take care of one another. People like Robin Borlandoe, a.k.a. Lifeguard Grandma, stepped up to answer the call to help address a shortage at the city’s public pools. Mothers of homicide victims continue to be one another’s biggest support network.

There have also been countless partnerships between neighbors and neighborhoods, including a new one between a Chestnut Hill bookstore, booked., and North Philadelphia’s Treehouse Books, a literacy center and library that provides free books and programs to children. Through the initiative, called Branching out with Books, you can buy a children’s board book at the store and booked. will donate one to a child in need. You can also donate a gently used book at the store and get 15% off a new book. And starting in 2023, they will launch a reading program highlighting books that better represent some of our under-resourced neighborhoods.

Thanks to you, even in the thick of the worst, we found ways to remind ourselves of just what a great city this is — and with all due respect to the Phillies and/or Eagles, Wawa/Gritty, that chicken-eating bro, and whatever else captured our attention this year, that includes gems like our independent book stores. Coming soon: Philly Bookstore maps, thanks to a group of dedicated store owners who have long dreamed of making it easier (and more fun) to find them. Your ongoing donations have helped make it a reality.

I am privileged every day of the year to have this platform to amplify stories and voices that deserve to be heard.

But you guys did all of that, and more.

Happy holidays — and here’s to doing even more good together next year.