Dear Albany County residents,

We've all heard it before, "Shop Local," but have you ever stopped to ask why? Each holiday season, thousands of shoppers hop in their cars and venture out to shop for holiday gifts, or they jump on their computers and order all their gifts online from an out-of-state retailer.

Imagine if, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, 25,000 Albany County residents shop online for holiday gifts and spend just $100 per person on gifts; this community has lost $2.5 million in gross retail sales. But, what if just 25% of those 25,000 shoppers decided to shop local and invest $100 of their money back into the community. That's $625,000 into the pockets of small business owners!

We are challenging you to take $100 that you would typically spend online or outside of Albany County and spend it with a local business right here in town. Convert your $100 to $2 bills so local businesses can see your effort to shop locally this holiday season!

Ready to take the challenge? Please complete the online form by clicking the button below to support the $2 Shop Local Challenge; your first name will be published in this newspaper several times throughout the holiday season as part of our campaign to encourage local holiday spending. Once you sign the online commitment form, stop by UniWyo Credit Union, and they will convert your $100 cash into $2 bills for free. You will also be entered to win an additional $100 from UniWyo. Don't wait until the last minute, as the supply of $2 bills is limited.