This month marks my two-year anniversary with the Redmond Reporter and during my time here, one thing that has always struck me about this community has been just that: community.

From elected officials and business owners to residents and schools, everyone takes an active interest in making the City of Redmond the best place to live, work and play. People look out for each other and take care of their neighbors and if you happened to be around Hartman Park Monday evening, you would have witnessed this firsthand.

Hundreds of people filled the baseball field for a public memorial for Jackson Roos, the 12-year-old boy who died last week in a zip-lining accident.

I never met Jackson and don’t know the Roos family, but I was still touched by this show of support. And as touching as this was, I wasn’t surprised.

This is just what you do, Redmond.

If you hear about a tragic event that has happened in town, you don’t just shake your head sadly and comment on how unfortunate it is. You ask what you can do to help and then you come together and do it.

In my two years here, I have heard and written stories about student and community groups participating in food drives for local food banks, individuals organizing fund-raisers for various causes, neighborhoods and schools providing dinners for families in crisis and too distracted to cook and more. In addition, I often get phone calls or emails from people who hear about these efforts and ask how they can get involved.

I didn’t grow up in Redmond and honestly didn’t know much about the city until I started working here. But since my arrival, I have felt nothing but a warm welcome into a community that takes care of its own. And in two years, I feel very privileged to be part of it. While covering everything from school events and groundbreaking ceremonies to City Council meetings and Derby Days, I have met many people along the way and it always makes me smile when I see them again — whether at another event in town or in line at a local cafe — and they remember me. It feels good to be more than just a byline.

With such a strong sense of community, I’ll admit that it can be difficult to maintain objectivity as a journalist. But I’ve got to say, this is not the worse type of bias to have.